Jump to content
BC Boards

Playing "chase" with other dogs.


Recommended Posts

Hello all. I have a 14 month old BC who loves to be chased. There is a great bark park about 35 minutes away that I take her to once a week. There are usually other dogs there that will play with her, which is great. But for some reason, she only ever wants to be the chasee, and will never really chase other dogs. The only reason this bothers me at all is that she would get more exercise if she would also be the chaser sometimes. (Sometimes the bigger dogs intimidate her and she won't let them chase her, and sometimes other dogs give up because they can't keep up with her). Because of how far away the park is, and my ability to only get her there on weekends, I'd like to try to maximize her amount of exercise she gets per trip. So I was just wondering if anyone has any tips on trying to encourage her to be the chaser as well as the chasee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let your dog play the way that makes her happy and don't try to change her play style unless it is dangerous for some reason. After all, this is her play time, and she should get to do what she wants. You interfere, and it won't be fun a free time for her any more.

 

If you don't think she is getting enough exercise, take her for hikes or teach her to play ball with you or some other fun thing, get her exercise some other way. And don't forget that mental stimulation and exercise is just as important. Train her to do things; teach her tricks, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks D'Elle. I'm with you on not interfering. I was just wondering if there might be some way to encourage her to also chase but it certainly isn't a huge deal that she doesn't. It's a bit confusing, but I'm not stressing over it or anything. I've tried playing ball and frisbee when she was younger, but she seemed have a short attention span and general disinterest with those activities. I'm definitely going to keep trying with the frisbee, especially once I get her trained with solid recall and can take her to some closer places that aren't enclosed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leave her alone. She's playing in the way that makes her comfortable. Also, it may be safer if she's not the chaser, because sometimes the way border collies chase can become obsessive or it can annoy other dogs. If they are just running without thinking, you can end up with a really physically fit lunatic who obsesses on every move the other dogs make. Be happy she doesn't do that!

Border collies don't need tons of mindless running and chasing. They do best with things that entice and challenge their brains. Consider teaching her games, tricks, little jobs like picking up things for you. There's a reason we see so many border collies doing clever things on commercials and YouTube! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Gloria. Regarding the running, Mancer seems to be in her glory when she is running at the bark park. She entices the other dogs to chase her then runs like the wind away from them when they take the bait. I am astounded at the way she can run and turn on a dime (and a proud papa as I watch her). As long as she continues to enjoy it so much I really want to let her keep doing it. Appreciate your point about the chasing vs being chased though, Id never thought about it that way. I have taught her a few basic tricks, but mostly at home she likes to play fetch and tug. She especially loves tug, so I usually throw her toy, then when she brings it back we play tug for a minute or two, then I throw it again and repeat. I do need to try to start teaching her a few more tricks at home though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re Exercise and chasing.


You know how much exercise my dog gets when she's the one chasing something (That isn't something she fetches and brings back)?

 

 

NOT A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT. That's fairly long and boring, but also fairly representative and was taken today. No, that's not another dog, but it's also basically applicable. Other dogs hate it and i don't blame them a bit.

 

 

This one's shorter and has more than usual running.

 

 

Being chased gets her a lot more exercise :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes it's mostly good fun. Though I get a little worried occasionally because sometimes there can be as many as 8-10 dogs chasing her at the same time so I worry about them getting her cornered and roughing her up. Or sometimes even if it's only one or two chasing her they get frustrated and when she runs out of gas and they finally catch her they want to take out a little frustration on her. But I've been taking her there for almost a year now and haven't had any major issues. The other dogs owners are usually very good about controlling their dogs, plus when Mancer gets tired she comes to me and sits between my legs so I can protect her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...