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Teaching dogs to wait for permission to cross streets Far too many of us have lost dogs because they were hit by cars, and this is almost entirely preventable with a little training. It is easy to teach a dog not to run into the street without permission. Like many other training tasks, it takes a bit of time, but the process is simple and can be done by anyone, anywhere. It’s a four/five step process, and it has always worked! It's easiest with very small puppies (I start as soon as I get one, at 8-10 weeks, and am usually on step four by the time the puppy is 10-12 weeks old). It even worked on a dog that was eight years old when I got him. It looks like a lot of words, but don't be discouraged. It’s really very easy. I wrote a lot of words because I wanted to make sure that the small details are there (god is in the details :>) Step 1: using your body to cue the puppy (or adult dog) to what you want. 1a) Choose a street or series of streets to train with. Pick a quiet street, with a good high curb (the change in height makes it easy for the dog to discriminate between sidewalk and street). If you’re on a farm and don’t have sidewalks, use a farm road that has a definite change of footing from its edges (for example, an asphalt or hard packed dirt road verged by grass), or use the roads or lanes that you especially don’t want your dogs to run out into. Later when the dog is fully trained, s/he will distinguish between grass/dirt and asphalt, or whatever surfaces you have trained with. They also get tuned to spaces that open up, like the edges of woods, or the open space between rows in a parking lot. But they will always be especially good at the places where you trained them and/or which you encounter every day. 1b) Walk up to the street or road and, when you get to the edge, stop dead in your tracks, and ask your dog to "wait". Stopping is the cue to the dog that s/he should stop too, and saying “wait” is the cue that you will use later. If the dog doesn’t stop when you do, use the leash to stop her just before s/he puts a foot in the street. If your dog is a small puppy that isn’t on leash, put your hand in front of her chest so that she stops too. 1c) Count to two, then say "OK!" in a very light happy tone and RUN across the street with your dog. Running with you is the reward she gets for having done it right. Step two: disassociating your body motion from your words: 2a) When you come to a street, stop, say "wait", count to two and put one foot into the street without saying anything. In this step you’re teaching the dog that she can no longer depend on watching your motion to cue her as to what she should do herself. She will begin to take responsibility. You’re also teaching her to listen for the release word “OK!”, which she’s been hearing, but probably not paying much attention to. 2b) Count to two and then say "OK!" (Remember that it's a light happy tone) and RUN happily across the street. After a few times of this she should begin to be more relaxed and to stay on the sidewalk when you put one foot into the street. 2c) When you see that she doesn’t try to go with you when you put one foot in the street, then take a whole step (two feet) into the street, count to two and then release her with “OK!”. Again, be ready to stop her if she moves. It’s important, if you can, to stop her before she actually puts a foot into the street, but if she does, just say ‘oops’, and put her back on the sidewalk, and start again with one foot, then next time do two feet.. 2d) When she can wait while you take one whole step into the street, then take two whole steps and count to two before you release her. This part of the work should take about three days (but it can take longer. Don’t worry, just keep working slowly to take each step at a time) . When you get to the point where she will wait calmly while you walk backwards two steps into the street, then you’re ready for step three. Step three: raising the bar: 3a) Lengthen the distance that you go into the street before releasing the dog. Here the job is to work longer and longer distances until you can get completely across the street while she waits calmly on the other side until you say "OK!". Remember to RUN when you say it so that she runs happily across the street when you release her with the "OK!". You want her to get the idea that streets are not places to linger in.
Make sure that you can see the whole street when you call your dog, so that he doesn't accidentally get hit by a car you didn't see. I once didn’t see a car that was turning into the street from a side street. When I said “OK!” my 12-week-old puppy ran happily across the street and bonked right into the side of the car. Lucky that she ran into it and not the other way around. She was dazed, but not hurt. And it taught me an important lesson. Our dogs trust us when we teach them this game and it’s up to us to stay aware of our surroundings and keep them alive. Never, ever, release your dog if you can’t see every bit of the area he’s going to run into. Step four: making it difficult: 4a) Start doing really crazy things to get your dog to go into the street before you say "OK!". Start easy. You want her to win at first, not lose. For example, when you're halfway across, stop and wave your arms up and down. If she waits, that's great! Excitedly say "OK!" and run across the remainder of the street. Next time, do a little dance (don't look at her directly, but keep an eye on her). If she waits quietly (thinking that you just had a fit of some kind) say "OK!" immediately and run across the street with her. If she moves into the street before you say "OK", say "oops" and put her back on the sidewalk. (Remember that there is no punishment in this game. Just a reminder that she's supposed to wait until she's released.) 4b) Make it even harder. This can get to be really fun! You need to become a real loony. If she likes to play ball, throw a ball to yourself in the middle of the street or on the other side. If she likes food, then put her food dish in the middle of the street. When she can wait while you pick up the food and drop it in the bowl again, then run a trail of food from the dish to her nose and drop a few bits around her. Let her eat whatever she can find on the sidewalk (or the grassy verge) but not any of it that’s laying in the street. If she chases cats, borrow a neighbor and a cat so that the cat can be walked through the street while she waits. If she chases cars, get a friend to drive by (slowly) and make sure she waits. If she chases kids on bicycles, borrow some kids and get them to ride by right in front of her. Parade some chickens in front of her nose. Get someone to walk a few sheep down the road. Play ball, or tug of war, with another dog on the other side. Keep upping the ante until she won't go in the street for ANYTHING unless you say "OK. Do this both on and off leash until you trust her completely. Step five: proofing it: 5a) prepare your equipment and your dog’s. Once your dog is waiting calmly on the side of the street until you say "OK", no matter what you're doing out there, put a long line on him, as well as the leash. Make sure that your dog is wearing a wide collar, not a choke chain, nor a rolled leather collar. Wear gloves or you'll potentially hurt your hand. 5b) prepare your and your dog’s mental state. Go to an area in which you have often trained steps 1-4, where your dog is really good about not going into the street. Play ball or frisbee or anything that gets him really excited. After he's excited, set yourself up so that you're a distance away from the sidewalk, or your chosen road, that is almost the length of the long line. Now take the leash off (but not the long line. The reason you take the leash off is to remove the weight so that he'll think he's free.). 5c) proof it! Throw the ball once so that he gets/stays excited and, when he brings it back to you throw it immediately straight into the street (I usually throw it fast and low so that it lands short of the street by a few feet and rolls into the street. This is more exciting to him than lobbing it). BE READY! Hold TIGHT to that long line and, just as he puts the first foot into the street (IF and only IF he puts a foot into the street), yell "WAIT!", turn around and take a step away from him so that the line tightens suddenly. He should hear you yell "WAIT" and hit the end of the line just as he steps into the street. He may flip head over heels if he is going really fast. (If he is a really fast dog, then stand closer to the street so that he hasn't gotten up much momentum when he hits the street. The object here is to stop him in a really unpleasant way, but not to damage him)
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