My dog has car-chasing problems

[Loco.Motives]

I need some advice/help. My German Shepherd mix has a very bad habit of chasing cars. Recently, my Catahoula leopard dog got ran over and passed away, and I don't want the same thing to happen to my other dog. I've read various websites and books on teaching your dog not to chase cars and I've tried almost everything, but nothing was successful. I've considered purchasing a shock collar, but I've always had negative thoughts toward them, so I'm not really eager to get one. Cicily (The dog) seems to be very rebellious and does not want to listen to any command when she hears or spots a vehicle approaching. But she is a young dog, just 2 1/2 years old, and she's full of energy. I think the reason she does this is because she gets bored easily and wants to get all of that energy out of her system. She has many toys to entertain herself with, but she quit playing with them once the Catahoula leopard dog died. I realize that many of you floofs own dogs and are probably experienced in training them, so it would be very generous of you to help.

[Hakumi]

Hmm...This does seem like a very difficult problem here.
My main advice is to be patient and keep trying. Make your dog understand that chasing cars is a bad thing.
Try distracting le animal by using a toy or a noise of some sort. Teach it the basic commands of sit and stay and if it does good, reward them. If they do bad, no treat nor praise.
Give your dog LOTS of attention~! Maybe your dog is trying to find ways to get attention ( That's what my animals used to do by breaking their leashes and walking around the neighborhood ).
If you're by the animal when the car comes, make sure you have like a leash or something to keep them from chasing it and be as calm as you most possibly can, animals can pick up what their human's feeling~! ( So I've Heard And Somewhat Experienced ). Play With Them Until They Tired Themselves out.

Various Tips And Ways To Effectively Train Your Dog Is Always Nice, Some Things Might Not Work But Something Else Just Might. ^^
Hopefully there's more wonderful floofs willing to share some advice because mine isn't the only way and I'm only telling you what I've learned or picked up over the years of being around animals.

Best Of Luck!

[Warriorstrike]

Adding on to what Hakumi said above, it sounds like she may have all of this unused energy built up. Lots of dogs like cars, but if she's chasing them to level that may become dangerous for her, I would try finding another outlet for her to get rid of all that energy. Especially since she's a fairly young dog, it doesn't seem uncommon for her to be rambunctious. Perhaps try giving her long walks during the day and (if you don't already) build a fence around your house so that she can run around whenever she needs to. If you have a dog park near your house, you could also take her around there to give her a change of atmosphere.

As was mentioned above, keeping a leash on her seems like a reasonable precaution at the moment, especially if you're worried about her getting a little too close to those cars. If you let her outside your yard without a leash or fence, it may be a good idea to consider using/investing in those to keep her safe. Teaching her a few simple commands may be another good idea.

If she's stopped being interested in her toys like she used to, she may find enjoyment out of another companion? This is completely up to you and your family and how comfortable you feel about it, but perhaps adding another dog/puppy could bring her attention away from those cars. c:

[Loco.Motives]

Thanks for the advice, warriorstrike and Hakumi. I was thinking about getting another dog, but I'm afraid that if I did Cicily would get it into chasing cars. Unfortunately, the cons outweigh the pros in getting another one.......

[Hakumi]

Which is why it's very important when it comes to teaching dogs the do's and donts ( If that makes sense ). Teaching a dog the basics at a young age rather than later on in the years can be somewhat less of a challenge. And as long as you keep at it, your dog or dogs ( If you get another one ) will get the hang of it in no time ^^

[Loco.Motives]

I would've taught Cicily all these things at a young age if I could. See, I got her at a shelter when she was about a year and a half. They were going to put her down and I thought it'd be a shame to euthanize a dog at such a young age. She'd been at the shelter for about four months and no one was interested in adopting her, and they were going to put her down in about three weeks. So I adopted... Oops, sorry if I got off topic there... I got a tad carried away.

[Hakumi]

No, no. That could be a useful bit of information. Since she's been in the shelter at a young age and during some time of her life, she's probably adjusting to the changes from her previous home to now.... Especially to a different lifestyle. Just continue to be patient and show her lots of love and teach her the ways. She'll get it soon overtime. ~

[Tessel.]

I'm sorry to hear about your previous dog.

Like the others said, sounds like you got quite a rambunctious one on y'er hands.
They basically took the words right out of my mouth, but try your best to get her energy out before going to an area with moving vehicles. It's the same way when it comes to dogs that pull. Getting energy out beforehand can sometimes help to a degree.
Make sure you have a sturdy leash, and keep distance from cars.
Try keeping treats with you when around them. When they pass. have her focus on the treat instead of the car and reward her if she doesn't try to chase them. I do this with my dog when walking by strangers, as she tends to get really excited and wants to chase them. Having her focus on something else seems to help a bit.
Another thing you could try is find out if there is a professional trainer in your area and bring your dog to get lessons. Most likely they have dealt with the issue and could try to correct it. Obviously this may cost you, but I'm sure it would a better option. If not, adopting another dog could be the solution too.

And again, like Hakumi said, since she has been in a shelter for a while, it's a big change for her. If you keep at the training and praise, she may just get over it and stop going after them.

In the meantime, I hope all goes well. (:

[Loco.Motives]

Thanks for the advice guys. It really helped.

[Tessel.]

Thanks for the advice guys. It really helped.

You're very welcome! Glad to hear we were able to give a bit of guidance. Again, best of luck to ya.