My bitch (schnauzer) is now 4 years old and every year, around autumn, like now, she keeps running off looking for squirrels. this year she is worse than ever- if she sees a leaf overturn she pelts off and ignores me completely (usually really good recall and only wants her ball) she is now also seeing birds fly over her head and chasing them like a maniac with no thought of where she is going (near open gate to main road). once i do manage to catch her (ignoring me and treats) she is hyped up to the ceiling and i am lucky if i can drag her to the car! i have now decided to keep her on a halter and long lead but of course, she doesnt get any running or ball chasing. i think it didnt last long last year but this year its been going on a good 3 weeks. is it me? is it he weather? is it the bird/squirrel population? any ideas? the only other thing i thought of was a remote electric collar, to zap her if she is heading near the road but i dont want to do that really but its her safety im thinking of. unfortunately where i live there are no completely safe secure parks, they all have gates near roads! please help!

And if you 'zap' her a nano-second too soon or too late what then?  She will make the wrong association and perhaps you'll ensure she does take off onto a road because the pain felt was at a time she saw/heard/sensed something or someone else or because she is fearful of you :(

This is a training issue - plain and simple.  You get out what you put in and just because the behaviour appears to be seasonal doesn't mean you shouldn't try and work through it.  If you can't find a method of getting her undivided attention then don't let her off lead where you are currently.  Source another park, field, woods, beach, moors, bridle path, TENNIS COURT if necessary which doesn't have open access to dangers and where she can be safely loose running.

Failing that play ball games, frisbee, hide & seek in the garden to let her run off steam and then keep her on lead for walking :)

Agree with Teri. You've got to try to find a game that substitutes as near as possible, to the buzz she gets from squirrel chasing.

Balls may work, a squeaky ball may produce a higher reward, but be careful as terrier types can get hysterical with squeaky things, you'll have to test it out. the other idea, and it's one I've used myself, is getting a robust, large, furry toy and put it on a very long string and literally fly it around and pull it along, getting her to chase, catch and kill it (shake and rag it), release and start again. You could do this in the garden, if you have one and it's a reasonable size. Two warnings: ensure her release command is good and stop if you think she's getting too hysterical.

You could always try getting her into scent work, that is hiding and getting her to find, high value treats and objects around the garden. The value of this is that she won't get too hyped up, but it will tire her.

You'll have to judge which method, if any, works for her. Terrier types do enjoy hunting and killing games, especially high energy ones, but if they are too driven the high energy games can get counter productive. The key is often to direct the prey drive from a very early age into these types of games and just pray (forgive the pun) they are so focussed on what you've taught them to enjoy, that they don't notice the pleasures of squirrels! If I was a dog and had a choice I think I know which I'd prefer!

Good luck.

This website gives a lot of info on how to work with predatory chasing.

I allow my dog to chase squirrels but that's because we are not near any roads, also she will return. Using very similar methods to that detailedon this site she will also recall from running deer etc if she accidentally puts one up (usually she is on lead near deer of course).

See here for great info:

http://www.dog-secrets.co.uk/behaviour--training/how-do-i-stop-my-dog-chasing.html

there are also 2 short videos.

thanks for that, but i cant immagine her prefering a dead toy to squirell! also i dont know why its only this time of year?

If you train it well, they do - as the article says you have to change the connections in the brain :)

It's all in the training at the end of the day. I'm lucky because I love training.

This time of year, the squirrels are all around hiding their nuts I think...,my dog is chasing a few on each walk too.