The moment a car passes by a dog, there remains no doubt, the dog darts off and starts chasing the moving vehicle. This is a very common sight in our neighborhood. And if you have a dog, you must have experienced this innumerable times. Of course, the whole incident is very annoying as well as dangerous. At times, when you are in the driving seat, you must have seen a dog chasing your car.

Well, you must be wondering about the reason behind the unreasonable chase. Isn’t it? What’s more baffling is that dogs don’t get anything after a hectic long chase, and on top of that, they are also putting their lives at risk.

In order to better understand your dog, this post talks about the reasons why dogs chase cars. You will also have some insights on how you can curb the habit or instinct of chasing your car.

Dogs tend to have a Strong Predatory Instinct

Experts dealing with dogs’ behavior suggest that one possible reason behind the chase of cars by dogs is that they tend to have a strong predatory instinct. There are many breeds that are known for their hunting abilities, and they consider passing cars as an exciting animal that they can easily chase down. Breeds that are more into hunting small game like most of the hounds may mistake the movement of the hubcaps for any small moving animal and take the chase.

Dogs are Quite Playful By Nature

Dogs are usually very playful in nature, and they love to run their heart out, dig out soil in the garden area and do a lot of physical activities. Similarly, they find chasing cars as a very interesting game. In fact, dogs tend to move after every moving thing, and they run through the yard, even after the dead leaves move because of wind.

Dogs Get Bored

It is seen that most of the dog breeds have a lot of energy to herd sheep, chase small game into trees and swim to collect ducks that the hunters shoot. In case the dog is spending more and more time just sitting idle in one corner of the house, he/she obviously gets bored. This leads to the formation of too much energy in their body, and they start misbehaving, digging holes and, of course, chasing after the cars.

All you need is to dedicate some time every day to your dog and spend time together in playing games or indulging in any physical activities. You can also opt for a Frisbee game that will tire your dog to some extent but will strengthen the joints. On average, thirty minutes of engagement would be enough to deal with the problem and mitigate the risk of getting hurt while chasing down the car.

Dogs Always Want to Protect their Territory

Dogs are also known as territorial creatures. Experts suggest that dogs don’t want or allow any intruders there once dogs mark their own territory. This is why they tend to chase moving cars passing by their territory. They start chasing them down to make them pay for the intrusion. At times, this turns out to be extremely dangerous for the dogs because, in order to chase down the car, they go miles from their own home or so-called territory. They may fall into the trap of strangers or some miscreants who get pleasure by doing all wrongs to them.

You can install an invisible fence in your garden area, backyard or in the yard where your dog tends to spend most of the time. This will restrict their movement and never go out of the fenced area. If they are near the fence or try to cross it, they will get corrections to keep them away from the area. You can also train your dog for an electric fence, and this could be a real time-saver when it comes to dealing with any strangers or passing by cars.

Dogs Love Attention

Dogs are one of those animals that really want attention from their pet owners, and this is another possible reason that makes your dog chase the moving car. This happens with the dog that spends most of the time outside the house in the garden area. Spending time alone makes them lonely, and the moment they see you coming or anyone else in a car, they start chasing down.

So, we hope the post was effective enough to answer your query of why dogs chase mobbing cars. The solutions given might also work if you want to curb the intensity of the dogs chasing a car. After all, it might hurt them and cause some serious consequences.

Photo by Alexis Antoine on Unsplash