Bike Obsession

[SalemsMom]

Cheza is doing pretty well in her training, but we are having issues with bikes on our walks. Specifically it is fast moving bicycles. We walk a lot on the C&O canal towpath, so this is where we are having the problem. She just loses it when they pass us. She tries to run at them and barks, and she wont pay attention to me. We are having trouble working on this, and I wondered if anyone had any ideas.

 

We had similar problems with her "herding" running children and people, but we solved that one pretty quickly with the help of some friends. We basically ran and when she started doing circles we stopped said calm, and when she obeyed we clicked and treated. We now have it so if we want her to not run she wont or she is allowed to run with us, but not do circles.

 

We tried the same thing with bikes, but she doesn't react when anyone she knows rides by, it is just strangers. It also has to be a fast bike. Slow bikes she is fine with. She just loses contact with me. She doesn't care about treats or anything else. All she cares about is the bike.

 

Does anyone have any ideas for me?

[grinning.girl]

train her to ride bike with you!!

 

With alot of protection with you.

 

Shelby did the same thing with bikes until I started taking her on my bike rides, now she ignores them, the just trots next to me, this also has her ignoring other dogs that we ride past and pretty much any other distraction. she learned after the first (an only) time she ran in front of the bike while it was a going

[nancy]

If she doesn't chase people she knows or slower riders, taking her along when you're on a bike won't do a thing.

 

The problem is the noise that the air over the spokes makes. We can't hear it, but it seems to call to dogs. And it must be saying something really nasty.

 

I know; I'm a cyclist. I've seen sleeping dobes perk awake and cut an angle across the hill to get to my wheel. The dogs don't see the cyclist so much as hear the wheels. And when they hear that, they sure don't hear you.

 

I don't know how you deal with that. I'd try a shake can: an empty beer or soda can with lots of pennies and tape over the opening. When the she lunges, shake the can hard and yell, "NO!"

 

But contact with slower bikes and familiarity with bikes won't help. If she goes after only the faster riders, it's the sound, not the bike, to which she's responding.

[MrSnappy]

Have you thought about ... correcting her? I admit, I don't go for click-and-treat for dangerous behaviours that I don't like. I would just correct the dog. One good leash correction and a "leave it" should do the trick. She does not *have* to behave like that and you do not have to allow it or deal with it. You simply need to tell her to stop it.

 

I also have a bicycle obsession, but it has to do with buying them and riding them, not chasing them. I sometimes have to tell *myself* to leave it also ;-)

 

RDM

[Root Beer]

I would teach the Look at That Game from Control Unleashed and then use it in this situation.

 

Since she did this with children and runners before, and now you see it with bikes, it might be worth your while to get the book and teach her Look at That. Once she knows it, you can use it to teach a new response to anything that triggers this kind of response in the future.

[SalemsMom]

I didn't go into great detail. I have corrected her. She has a "leave it" for most things. She has even left a bunny mid-chase if I use the command, so I would say it is pretty good. I have also tried leash corrections, but nothing realy seems to get through to her. She just doesn't listen with the bikes passing.

 

The rattle can is a good idea. Maybe the sound will break through the sound of the bicycle. She will trot beside the bike nicely when I ride, but that is different for her. It's only the speedy riders that turn her on.

 

I will also pick up the control unleashed book very soon!

 

Thanks everyone! I'm glad to have a few new things to try. I hate to feel like I don't have control of my dog on leash. It's embarassing!

[nancy]

Yeah, the faster the bike goes, the more intense that noise that we can't hear but that sure gets the dogs.

 

This is not a guess by an ex-racing cyclist. It's information I got from my cousin who was a professional dog trainer.

 

And the results of a chase can be disastrous for both cyclist and dog.

[dogsofmenace]

I would teach the Look at That Game from Control Unleashed and then use it in this situation.

 

 

Totally agree with you. Control Unleashed, especially the Look At That game has been a lifesaver for our reactive dog. It truly dog work amazingly.

 

The problem with correcting a dog in this situation is that sometimes it can backfire and great an even more reactive dog. They learn that every time they see *insert problem item* they get corrected. Then it leads to every time they see whatever it, they react even stronger, telling the thing to get away from them because they know when those things are around they get corrected. Corrections do work in a lot of cases, but when they aren't necessary then I don't use them.