Basic Chase Instinct in Dogs

This was written with the average dog owner in mind. This is meant to give a rudimentary look at why dogs chase and what may trigger a chase.

All dogs are born with some degree of chasing instinct. Dogs will chase, we all know this; however, there are many reasons why dogs may give chase. The two common and closely related ones are often referred to as Play and Prey drives.

Prey drive does NOT mean a dog is vicious; it means the dog has a desire to chase moving objects. Wolf cubs, for example, learn to hunt first through play. This play is honed into hunting. In the domestic dog, humans hone the play/prey drive into various activities: detection dogs, search and rescue, herding (a modified hunt), tracking, Flyball, Agility, Lure Coursing, etc., fetching a ball, Frisbee® or stick are also forms of a honed play/prey drive.

Chasing is fun for dogs; it is part of what most dogs are. When humans move quickly, ride bikes, skateboards, scooters, drive in cars, etc. near dogs, there is a chance that many dogs will at least show interest if not attempt to give chase. If the human passes close to the dog, the dog may be able to reach the human before the owner can react. Dog reaction times are far greater than humans.

What can humans do to be safer when around dogs with regards to the chase drives? Understand that fast body movements (like the flailing hands of an excited child), riding bikes/scooters/skateboards/etc., screaming and acting up around dogs may trigger that natural chase instinct. The closer the human is to the dog, the more tempting the chase may become.

Dogs are animals and sometimes their instincts override training. Sadly, public education regarding dog safety lacks. In order to not be chased by dogs (which could lead to a nip or bite because dogs do not have hands with which to catch – they have to use their mouths), the general public needs to learn what to do to avoid triggering that chase drive.

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