It’s A Dog’s Life—

The Chase — A Natural Instinct

By Mary Jane Anderson

Cat chasing is well known to dog owners, especially if dogs and cats live in the same house. Predatory animals (including dogs and cats) are, of course, chasers, generally programmed to search as their ancestors did — hunting, grabbing, dissecting, and eating.

This natural chasing instinct in dogs has been passed down to them from the wild predecessors who needed hunting skills to survive in the wilderness. But there is a great difference between dogs and their wolf ancestors. From the time man first encountered wolves, the animals have been domesticated and bred for specific jobs to assist people in many ways, including in such work as guarding, herding, and for protection.

Among the many traits that dogs have in common with wild animals — and particularly with wolves — is the instinct to chase. Sheep-herding dogs have been trained to direct sheep, returning strays to the group, guiding herds out to pasture or into farmyards. Without proper training (and sheep dogs learn many commands, including elementary orders such as “come” and “down”) a dog can seriously misuse his chasing instincts. He can easily become overzealous in the chase and attack sheep or compete with another dog by getting too close to the sheep — confusing the sheep, possibly sending them into a panic.

Many nonworking dogs — family pets — are chasers. As with working sheep dogs, without proper training, a pet’s chasing habit can become a problem as the dogs chase whatever runs from them — cars, bicycles, joggers, children, cats, or squirrels. Their instinct is to capture their “kill.” Fortunately, most dogs stop when they catch their “prey.” To them, the chase is a game, a mental reward in itself. But some dogs with a high-chase drive will damage another animal. Proper training of chasers requires a leash and a collar and the commands “sit” and “wait” before the dog begins the chase.

Since each dog is a unique individual, some dogs are naturally more interested in the chase than other dogs. You cannot do anything about your dog’s predatory instinct or his desire to chase. There are, however, constructive activities that will challenge our dog to redirect his energies. Chasing and retrieving uses a dog’s skills and abilities. This exercise is especially beneficial to a dog that must be confined indoors for the day while his owner is at work. Ball play releases his stress and anxiety. The ball is the object of the “kill” and he races after it, getting rid of any pent-up frustration he may have.

Games other than running and chasing can make use of other natural, inbred instincts that go back to their ancestor days. Hide and Seek is a game that can teach a dog to actively search, using his nose. Some kinds of equipment (such as tunnels and hoops) in the backyard can be used to challenge this ability skills. All these activities allow the dog to let off steam and provide him with both physical and mental well being.

A tired dog is a happy dog. With your training and stimulation, he will not need to look to such “wild” impulses as chasing your cat to satisfy his natural, predatory dog instinct.