Hello Everyone
I've not posted for so long, so hope everyone is well and enjoying the summer! (what summer)

Anyway, as you know we have 2 BC'S, we did have lots of issues with Dolly but most of them have been sorted now.  I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas how I can stop her chasing bikes, she loves them but frightens the person on it with her barking. She does come straight back after a few seconds but it's still frustrating. Luckily the people on the bikes have just stopped and then she backs away. I always say sorry, and they are always fine, but I'm worried that it will get out of hand.

She loves the ball so that keeps her occupied, but if she sees a bike and hasnt just had the ball thrown she'll be off.

Will I need to keep her on a long line all the time???, her recall is excellent but not when she is running for a bike.

Any ideas would be great, I'll try anything

Thanks

Jo
xx

Its a BC thing i have 3 of them now there more than likely trying to herd them.
My blue merle Cassie used to do it i used a washing line and as she went towards a bike tugged said quite firmly NO and then praised her when she came back. I got a friend on a bike to practise it with and after a few weeks id have her off a lead and say No and she'd come running.
then in the end id just call her if i see a bike, you could also use tug ropes treats and dogs for when she gets to you. Another thing i did with Cassie was sit down with her with treats and keep her attention when a bike went past and if she looked towards it get her attention again and let her have the treat or toy.
Hope this helps
Hannah

I've given up with the bike thing - it's straight on the lead when I see one as I have exactly the same problem - so I am interested in any advice on this topic.

Meg used to do this but as she has got older and has more training under her belt i have the ability to control it. If i see the bike coming i call both dogs to me, and get them to do a sit or down stay until the bike has gone past and disappeared from view, and then lots of praise, throw ball e.t.c. Hopefully after a while a bike will mean look at me and something good will happen. (I say hopefully!!) I find the danger point is if a bike passes and is in front of us going away from us (If you get what i mean), but by having a good recall and making her wait that extra bit longer until it is very far away seems to help. I found that there were exercises in chase control that i could do to help me gain a bit of control over her. Using her ball, i would have her on a long lead, command something like "leave it" or "Wait" and then throw the ball. If she goes to get it then i step on the lead and get her to come for me and repeat the command again. Then i will throw the ball in the opposite direction to the one i have just thrown as a reward, but command fetch, so that she won't get too confused about being allowed to get it, and take my foot off the lead. The idea is that if she is chasing something she shouldn't she should break the chase on command for the promise of the ball in the opposite direction. This all depends on how rewarding the ball is to the dog but for most BC's a ball should be just as good as chasing a bike. Alternatively, get the dog to chase you, as soon as you call run in the opposite direction and incite the dog to chase you instead, then reward. If you have someone who is willing to help you could set up the same situation but have a bike instead of the ball so that the situation is more realistic. None of this is a magic cure, it takes time, but it is worth it as you will also have more control over the dog in general.
After saying all that it is still difficult if i bike appears out of nowhere and takes you by surprise, but hopefully by gaining more control of the recall you should be more in control of the situation.

I agree it's really down to training. My BSD was very interested in bikes and i used the clicker and set up training situations; kept her on lead and not too close to the bikes to begin with, and then clicked and treated for calm behaviour or for her looking at me and not the bike, etc. Grradually moved closer to the bikes and so on. I taught the Leave command before i set this up and used the command and rewarded her for responding, but also just clicked and treated for behaving well, whatever she was doing, as long as she was not getting exciteable about the bike.

I do agree that balls or toys are excellent for redirecting the instincts and chase orientated dogs can get totally into these toys and forget anything else. If i am near cyclists i tend to call my dog and get her into a sit, then release her when they have passed as i feel this makes the cyclists more secure. Look out for the bad mannered ones who belt past and just don't care though!!!

I think too with /Dolly you need to pre-empt her and stop her before she starts (so keep an eye out for those bikes :D ) and never let her practice the behaviour or it will become ingrained and harder to control.

Lindsay
X

Have you a friend with a bike, if so you can set up the situation where they ride past and if your little darling chases them they squirt him with a water pistol, only a thought. Cheers Viv

my pup chases bikes and as some one has said, i get her to sit and reward her like crazy, but its harder when the bikes are coming on the pavement because then she is right next to them. her recall is getting better to, but i try and call her back if i see a bike coming, only problem is when she sees it first.

border collies are bred as herders so this is what they love doing, training training and more training will hopefully help.
good luck

It's a dog thing in general though isn't it?...not just BC's.  My puppy (5 months) who is not one will chase literally anything that moves, even when she is on the lead...Today we were out walked and a leaf moved and she tried to chase it and then pounce on it.  She always tries to run after cyclists and joggers and children who are running around...She means nothing but play but it could get ugly because some people just don't know that, even though she is wagging her tail and smiling...lol...I have began calling her back and then putting her on the lead for now as soon as I see children and bikers and joggers etc.  She just loves to chase.  Birds is another of her faves.  Maybe that all is just a puppy thing though, I think it is her learning to 'hunt' because that is what she looks like what she is doing and of course she isn't going to kill the person on the bike :0 but I think it is her just reacting to instinct because if she was wild that is what she would be learning to do right now and she is play acting those instincts out.  Where as a BC is doing it to first and foremost herd and will probably always do it, perhaps she will stop...But somehow I just don't see my puppy growing out of it!  

may be try to pre-empt it for a year,stick her on the lead if you see one,& play a game with her,to try to break the habit. hopefully(might take a while!!) she should start to associate the bikes with a good game with you. but as shell get a HUGE buzz from the bike chasing you must not allow any at all!!!!