Animaroo | Breeder Business

Dog Training: How To Make Your Dog "Street-Smart"

Walking your dog should be the same as walking with a friend. Your friend doesn't walk a

few feet ahead of you or lag behind you. You share a rhythm when walking together. That same rhythm should exist when walking with your dog. Of course, there will be times when your dog will pull ahead, stop and sniff along the way, and that's okay, as long as your dog doesn't strain at the leash. It will be hard at first for your puppy to stay in perfect rhythm with you for a long period of time. But through leash control and street commands, you will be able to share a rhythm in your walks.

Street Identification

Most city owners need to train their dogs in street identification. What is street identification? Street identification is training your dog to recognize a street and automatically stop at a curb just as we do. It is the most important safety issue in owning a dog in the city.

Some owners, of course, think this isn't important since they will always be walking with their dog on leash. But even if your dog is on leash, training for the streets is still essential for the following reasons:

1. In terms of street safety, you do not want your dog pulling ahead into a street.

2. Street identification is critical if your dog inadvertently gets away from you and you are standing empty-handed as your dog races across the street with her leash behind her.

3. Training will make walking your dog more enjoyable as you share the same pace.

4. By training your dog for the street, you are stimulating your dog's intelligence. Also, dog owners can hardly ignore the heavy auto, bus and bicycle traffic that exists in the city. Just as we all must be defensive when we cross a city street, we need to teach this same pattern to our dogs.

Working The Pattern

Before practicing street identification with your dog, it is important to practice some movement exercises with your dog first. These exercises will help you learn about how your dog moves, and will teach your dog to be more focused on your body movement as well.

The four commands that are the foundation of street training are the Front, Heel, Finish, and Between commands. These four commands should be taught in the safety of your house first. You will at first work all four commands individually, and then work them consecutively in order to create a whole pattern of movement with your dog. These patterns teach you how to shift your legs in order to move around your dog and for your dog to move around you.

By using the Front, Heel, Finish and Between commands, you are teaching your puppy to land at designated spots around you. Most puppies love this exercise because it involves movement and any form of movement is a game to them. Also by working on this pattern together, the two of you are learning how to work as a team.