How to stop a dog chasing a scent?

Well, one thing you mustn’t do is get our dog to chase after balls or frisbee as all we are doing is helping them practice. Have your dog sit by your side, hold onto its collar and then throw the ball. Tell them to wait and do not let the dog chase after the ball. Wait until it has come to a standstill and then send your dog to go and pick it up. Why not throw both balls, and send your dog after just the one you tell them to get. Send it to the side or behind you. Have fun but most of all teach your dog to wait and not to chase. We want our dogs to play with us but we need to be careful what we’re teaching.

Dogs are generally happy to return to us, unless there is something more 'exciting' going on, like a squirrel to chase or a scent trail to follow. As Treacle is a 'nose dog', he will be constantly on the lookout for the next smell and will want to go and discover its source. I find most success by using the long line method. Having him on a long line and practising recall with very high value treats like hot dog and chicken. The key is in getting him to associate coming when he is called with something good happening; something more satisfying than chasing a new scent. We start the training indoors, then move to the garden, then to a 'boring' place outside and then to more 'exciting' outdoor places. Ideally, we'd add in 'challenges' like having a friend bring their dog or throw a ball, to ensure he can overcome the instinct to go after that more exciting thing, and still come to you. If he cannot, he gets no reward or praise. Over time, as we can trust him, we make the line longer and longer.

To stop a dog chasing a scent, we want to make sure we manage situations where your dog’s chase behaviours might kick in, such as keeping them on a lead around wildlife. Start working on building up your dog’s focus and recall, but in less distracting environments first. Keep your dog on a harness and long-line lead while working on their recall and teaching them to focus on you around possible chase distractions. This will stop them running off but allows for some freedom too. Make food rewards an active part of training by using big treats that you can roll and throw along the ground to be chased as a distraction. We can also use the appropriate toy outlets as a reward, for example, you could reward your dog with some play-time with a flirt pole whilst out walking when they successfully come back to you when called.