Dealing With a Dog Afraid of Passing Cars

When dogs lunge toward or away from passing cars, it can become suddenly dangerous for both pet owners and dogs. While it’s frustrating, dogs afraid of passing cars is actually quite common, so you’re not alone. If your dog is afraid of cars driving by or when walking, try these tips to change his behavior.

Why Dogs Lunge Toward or Away From Cars

Determining the cause of your dog’s fear of cars can be difficult for most pet owners, so if needed, I highly recommend partnering with a professional dog trainer. Many times, pet owners assume their dogs want to chase a car, yet it could be something totally different.

Herding Breeds

Some dog breeds were bred to chase anything moving, and these instincts are really hard to resist. Herding breeds, and any herding breed mixes, have a tendency to herd children around the backyard or lunge toward passing cars and bicycles. Terriers were bred to watch for any fast moment, so they will chase anything fast-moving too. However, I’m not totally convinced that the chasing or herding instinct is the real reason dogs lunge or bark at moving cars.

Anxiety

By far, dog anxiety is usually the main reason dogs bark, lunge toward or leap away from cars, in my opinion. When dogs are scared and have had a negative experience with something, they can become anxious and react. Maybe a loud car zoomed pass your dog and scared him one day, or your dog is just scared of fast-moving objects near him. Plus, we assume anxiety is caused by aggression, but it’s actually the other way around. Aggression, such as lunging and barking at cars, is a symptom of anxiety.

Dog Training Tips

Make Approaching Cars Fun

If your dog is afraid of passing cars, never walk him alongside a road. So many times, unaware pet owners assume walking a scared dog next to cars driving by will teach him that cars are harmless. Actually, you’re doing the exact opposite; you’re scaring him even more.

Choose a Quiet Park for Walks

For daily walks, choose a quiet park with minimal distractions of passing cars. For walks around your neighborhood, walk your dog during minimal car traffic to keep his fears from becoming worse.

Associate Parked Cars With Treats

Parked cars are meaningless or they can be quite scary, so you need to teach your dog that parked cars mean treats appear. Grab lots of super yummy treats, leash your dog and walk toward a parked car. As you approach, take one step at a time and give your dog a treat for each step forward. You’re not really saying anything; you’re just pairing something really good (yummy treats) with something kind of scary (car). If your dog pulls back, you probably moved a bit too fast, so take three large steps backwards and reward your dog for looking at the car or not reacting. After a minute, end the session.

Practice this dog behavior several times a week until you’re able to walk right up to a car. Once you’re next to the car, give your dog five treats in a row–we call that a jackpot!

Ask Someone to Drive By Slowly

Always keep your dog leashed and grab lots of super yummy treats during these dog training sessions. Now, have a seat on your front porch. Ask a friend to drive by slowly and reward your dog the moment he notices and looks at the car approaching slowly. Reward your dog continuously, as the car slowly passes both of you. Once the car is gone, so are the treats. Basically, you’re teaching your dog that treats appear when cars appear and drive past.

Keep Your Distance

I can’t say this enough, but distance is so important for success. Start far away from passing cars; you’ll know you’re far enough when your dog can look at the car and not react. If your dog freaks out, you are way too close. Only move forward once your dog is comfortable with cars passing at that distance. When moving forward, take a couple of steps forward and practice from there. As an example, if you start 25 feet away from cars, then move in small three-feet increments forward.

If the Behavior Gets Worse

If your dog’s fear of passing cars continues or gets worse, even after some practicing, then I recommend consulting with a professional dog trainer. Dog training experts can certainly recognize specific behaviors and provide suggestions.