Experts believe there could be several reasons why dogs chase cars.
Reason 1: Natural instinct.
Around 10,000 years ago, there were no dogs—only wild wolves.
Through selective breeding over thousands of years, humans ‘created‘ dogs out of wolves.
This means that generation after generation, humans killed wolves, who were not docile enough or who didn’t display the required traits, to produce the dog species.
So, to begin with, at the core of any dog is a wild wolf naturally inclined to chase its prey (food) for survival.
Anything that moves at some speed triggers a dog’s instinct to chase it—that’s why they also chase bikes and people running.
Reason 2: Cars, like other species in the jungle, are seen as a threat.
Cars are big, noisy, and smelly, so dogs see them as a threat and try to chase them away.
Reason 3: Territory protection.
Because dogs are territorial creatures, they run after cars or bikes to push these objects out of their territory.
And since the moving object soon exits the territory, a dog’s mind, over time, gets conditioned that the chase led to the intruder’s exit.
Reason 4: Boredom.
Dogs are social animals and like to keep themselves engaged, and chasing a car could be entertainment for some.
Reason 5: They don’t want the owner to go.
Some dogs chase the owner’s car to say goodbye or because they don’t like the owner leaving.
