Dog habits and obsessions beyond sleeping on their dog beds

Normally, all our dogs spend the main chunk of the day in their garden. They get out every morning for either training or walks, but then the rest is for them to mess around at home (unless it is the shooting season and we are out for long days getting all muddy and tired, living life). They lounge on their dog beds on the patio or they chew their whole bones and carcases that I give them to eat or they run around in their little wood, even swimming in their pond.

So that is all nice and idyllic, but they have developed an annoying, and frankly, most unfortunate and troublesome habit of “chasing away” any cyclists that may come past on the little road. We have some neighbours, who cycle to work every day and the dogs go mad as they pass. Of course it is very logic to the dogs: cyclist approaches, dogs bark and look intimidating and the splendid result is, that the cyclists clearly drive off very scared. They just don’t see that the cyclists are just passing. Sometimes I wonder how many things we, ourselves, take credit for when it is just an event happening that is unrelated to what we do…

But the habit has become a bit of a problem. The dogs launch themselves off their dog beds and race along the fence. I know, that when I go out cycling, I find such behaviour most irritating. The problem is now, that even when I drive with the dogs in the back of the car, they will start barking if they see a cyclist on the road outside the car. I remember once I was driving along and my dog had his head stuck out the window. There was a motorbike driving behind the car, a little close, hoping to get a chance to overtake, and my dog was going nuts, barking at him.

I have to address this and teach them, that cyclists are just fine, not something that you should try to scare off and send away. Problem is, that it is quite a strong habit and it may take some time to make the dogs lazy and relaxed enough to just lie on their dog beds, watching every wheeled thing go past outside.