April 19, 2011

I have a high energy, 4 year old Rottweiler. She goes nuts" over the pickups and suvs that drive by. Would you be concerned about this behavior?

Full Question:
Dear Cindy,

First of all, I've learned so much from your web site, your newsletter, and the Basic Obedience DVD. Thank you for continuing to make valuable information available.

I have a wonderful, high energy, 4 year old Rottweiler. We live on a couple of acres and we have an Innotek fence (thanks again for the info on in-ground fences). The perimeter of the fence is about 30 feet from a road that runs past our home. Cars can go past on that road, doesn't bother the dog. Same with large trucks or the school bus. But if a pickup truck or SUV drives past, she's a different dog. She grabs her "hol-ee roller" toy, shakes it so hard that she goes in circles, then "follows" the truck till it's out of site. If the pickup pulls into our driveway however, she's her normal self again - ready to "say hi" to a friend that has stopped by. It's not causing problems - it's just weird to see her "go nuts" over the pickups and suvs. Would you be concerned about this behavior? So far, I've just ignored it.

She's a great pet - but has a lot of energy to burn.

Thank you,
Cindy
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I don’t know how concerned I would be over this behavior, since she becomes completely ‘OK’ if the vehicle pulls in. It’s almost like a frustration / territorial / prey response and some dogs can become aggressive in these situations.

You don’t mention how long she’s been doing this, but sometimes these behaviors can build and escalate, so if she were my dog I would probably not let her do this. Does she vocalize, growl or bark while she’s doing this? If so, I would probably put a bark collar on her to try to stop her from doing this. You can find information on No Bark Collars on my web site. I use them in the kennel every day.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Rhodes

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