"They're Just Having Fun": Why Letting Your Dog Chase Wildlife Isn't as Harmless as It Looks

We've all seen it.

A dog spots a squirrel, a rabbit, a duck on the pond, or a pigeon on the field, and off they go. Ears flapping, legs flying, pure joy written all over them.

And it's tempting to stand back and smile. They're just having fun, aren't they?

Sometimes, yes. But chasing is far more powerful than it looks, and for some dogs, letting them do it can quietly undo a lot of hard work.

Chasing Isn't Just Running

Chasing is part of something called the predatory motor sequence. It's the chain of behaviours dogs inherited from their wild ancestors: orient, eye, stalk, chase, grab, bite, kill, dissect, consume.

Over thousands of years, we've selectively bred dogs to strengthen some parts of that chain and soften others. Herding dogs were bred to eye and stalk. Terriers were bred to grab and kill. Spaniels were bred to hunt and flush. Sighthounds were bred to chase. I explore this in Born to Do It, because a dog's breed history doesn't stay in the past. It shows up on every walk.

So when your dog chases, they aren't just running about. They're tapping into one of the most deeply wired behaviours they have.

Why the Chase Is So Addictive

Here's the bit most people don't realise. For a dog, the chase is the reward.

When a dog locks on to something moving and starts to pursue it, their brain releases dopamine. Dopamine isn't really the "pleasure" chemical. It's the wanting chemical. It drives anticipation, motivation and the urge to keep going.

That's why a dog doesn't need to catch the squirrel or the rabbit to find chasing brilliant. The thrill is in the pursuit itself.

And every time a dog gets to chase, they rehearse it. The more a behaviour is rehearsed, the stronger and more automatic it becomes. A dog who chases wildlife on every walk isn't getting it out of their system. They're getting better at it.

What It Does to Impulse Control

In Impulse Control I talked about that tiny gap between wanting something and acting on it.

Chasing is the exact opposite of that gap. It's see it, want it, go, with no pause at all.

Every time a dog is allowed to chase, they practise skipping the pause. Then we ask them to wait at the door, walk nicely past a cat or come back when called, and we wonder why it's so hard.

It also chips away at recall. If chasing has been more rewarding than coming back to you, again and again, then the wildlife will win when it really matters.

Why It Matters Even More for Reactive Dogs

For dogs who are already reactive, anxious or struggling with self-control, chasing adds fuel to the fire.

A chase floods the body with adrenaline and cortisol. Arousal shoots up. And as I explained in Trigger Stacking, those stress hormones don't vanish the moment the squirrel disappears up a tree. They can linger for hours, sometimes days.

So a dog who has had a big chase at the start of a walk may be far more likely to react to the next dog, bike or jogger they meet. Their bucket is already fuller than it looks.

It can also spread. Dogs who regularly rehearse chasing wildlife may start to chase other moving things too, such as cats, runners, cyclists or cars. That's when "harmless fun" becomes genuinely dangerous.

And excitement isn't always happiness. A dog who's wild-eyed, deaf to their name and trembling with arousal after a chase isn't necessarily having a lovely time. Over-excited dogs are often actually stressed.

The Safety Side

A dog locked on to a chase isn't watching where they're going.

Squirrels lead dogs towards roads. Ducks lead dogs into deep or fast-moving water. Rabbits and deer can draw dogs through fences, across fields with livestock or far from home. Every year, dogs are injured or lost because the chase mattered more in that moment than anything else, including their own safety.

The Impact on Wildlife

It's easy to forget the other side of the chase.

For a squirrel, a rabbit or a bird, being chased isn't a game. It's a genuine threat to life. Every escape costs energy they need for feeding, keeping warm and surviving the winter. Repeated disturbance can push wildlife away from the places they rely on.

During spring and summer, it matters even more. Chasing can cause birds to abandon nests, eggs or chicks, and young animals are far less able to escape.

Our dogs share these spaces with wildlife. We have a responsibility to make sure that sharing doesn't come at the wildlife's expense. Whether we believe an animal or bird to be ‘Just vermin’, do they really deserve to be stressed and scared?

What About When It Just Happens?

Let's be realistic. Sometimes a rabbit bolts out of the hedge and your dog is gone before you've even seen it.

That's not the same as standing back and letting it happen.

If it happens, stay calm. Don't chase after your dog, and don't punish them when they come back. Coming back to you should always be a good thing. Just take it as information: that environment, at that moment, was more than your dog could manage. Next time, add a long line or choose a different route.

What to Do Instead

The goal isn't to take away your dog's instincts. It's to give them somewhere safe and appropriate to go.

• Manage first. A long line in wildlife-rich areas stops the chase being rehearsed. Management isn't failure. It's what makes learning possible.

• Reward noticing without chasing. If your dog spots a squirrel and looks back at you, that's a big deal. Reward it generously.

• Build distance. Start well away from wildlife, where your dog can see it and still think. Get closer only as they cope.

• Give the instinct an outlet. Flirt poles, retrieves, scatter feeding, scentwork and "find it" games all tap into the same predatory sequence, but with rules, a start, a finish and nothing getting hurt.

• Use their nose. For many dogs, sniffing is deeply satisfying and helps lower arousal rather than raise it.

• Strengthen recall away from distractions first, then build up slowly.

The Bigger Picture

Chasing can look like the happiest thing in the world. And to the dog, in that moment, it probably feels that way.

But every chase is practice. Practice at ignoring you, practice at skipping the pause, and practice at a behaviour that can put both your dog and wildlife at risk.

You don't have to stop your dog being a dog. You just have to help them enjoy being one in a way that's safe for everyone, including the squirrels.

CONTACT

Questions? Reach out anytime, we're here.

Email

Phone

info@thepaw-sitiveexperience.co.uk

07928 412653

© 2025. All rights reserved.