# Best way to teach dog to not run into the street?



## NYCgsd (Apr 23, 2016)

I use "NO" and give a slight leash yank. She still likes to chase birds into the street, theres like a million cars around here. Just looking for the best methods for making the street a no-go-zone. Slips collar? Just keep leash correcting? 
She is about 14 weeks old by the way. I use a regular flat collar now.


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## Besketball (Apr 27, 2016)

I'd like to know the answer to this as well.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

using a leash is the only 100% certain way to keep a dog out of the street. 
The way you have described your neighborhood, I would never consider letting my dog off-leash. Too many things going on and too many dangers.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Dainerra said:


> using a leash is the only 100% certain way to keep a dog out of the street.
> The way you have described your neighborhood, I would never consider letting my dog off-leash. Too many things going on and too many dangers.


This exactly.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Dainerra said:


> using a leash is the only 100% certain way to keep a dog out of the street.
> The way you have described your neighborhood, I would never consider letting my dog off-leash. Too many things going on and too many dangers.


Actually, it isn't, not with a flat collar. The dog can slip a flat collar and then its off into the street it goes. 

You should use a martingale -- no-slip collar on the puppy. And a leash. At the same time, work on recall, and an Emergency DOWN. These can save a life if something happens and the leash comes out of your hands. 

The trick is to NEVER make it optional. Give the COME command ONLY if you can enforce it. Enforce it every single time. Say it one time, if the dog does not come, a little tug, if that doesn't get the dog coming, than real your leash in while walking to your dog. Then walk your dog to where you were originally, and then say Good Come. Also, NEVER, EVER yell at or punish your dog in any way after you called it and it came. Don't find a mess in the living room, call the puppy, and then berate it. No!!! Coming to you is the best thing in the world. Always praise him when he comes. 

When he comes have him sit in front of you. COME FRONT. Pet his head and take and release his collar, regularly. Get him used to this while you praise him. In a fix, leash breaks, whatever, you want to be able to get a handle on that collar.

The umbilical cord is important but to make them safer, teach them these basic commands. Hopefully you will never need it, but if you do, it will be there.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

selzer said:


> Actually, it isn't, not with a flat collar. The dog can slip a flat collar and then its off into the street it goes.
> 
> You should use a martingale -- no-slip collar on the puppy. And a leash. At the same time, work on recall, and an Emergency DOWN. These can save a life if something happens and the leash comes out of your hands.
> 
> ...


Well by and large as described is the plan, a street dashing dog should never been allowed off leash until trained. And collar ditchers are exactly what Martingale collars are designed for. 

https://www.lupinepet.com/martingale-collar/

So proper tool is plan A, plan B is teach your dog "Stay!!!" Crap happens, my first Boxer/APBT was a slippery headed puppy! I did not know of Martingales back in the day?? And Stewie could "apparently" chuck his collar at will???

No matter, one of the first commands I taught was "Stay!!" So even if he did chuck it ... he was going nowhere!

I don't know of a specific "Stay " clip but this should achieve the same thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaVvwbT7iYw

Moving beyond that see the first clip here:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/5296377-post8.html

I got more but that should get you started ... welcome aboard.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

A leash. There is no reason for a dog to be off leash while in public, especially a busy area. Hiking, sure. A field, ok. Taking a walk down a busier street, no. I've had dogs run out in front of me as I was driving, it's not a good feeling and it's not safe for anyone. If your dog gets hit by a car and it's not on a leash and there are leash laws you are responsible, no one else.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Chip18 said:


> Well by and large as described is the plan, a street dashing dog should never been allowed off leash until trained. And collar ditchers are exactly what Martingale collars are designed for.
> 
> https://www.lupinepet.com/martingale-collar/
> 
> ...



I looked at the lupine site and it says the collar should not be on dogs that are unsupervised or unleashed. I don't know why. They act like a regular collar when the leash is not on it. It isn't like a choke chain that will continue to tighten indefinitely. The martingale can only tighten so far, so even if the dog got the thing connected to something, it would be no worse than a flat collar. 

My dogs run naked all the time. I use flat collars for their tags, and martingales for the leash. I prefer the martingales with a bit of chain on them, and have used all chain martingales. I lost mine though. I have two leather martingales, one for my girls and one for the boys, and one fabric adjustable, quick release one for puppies.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

You have to be vigilant - watch for things they might chase like other animals, motorcycles, skateboarders, etc.
A well made leash and collar. Go to training, maybe get private lessons to have a super "down" command.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

martingales are way too loose when the dog is off leash and get choked if hooked onto something. Another dog can easily get his jaw under it when they are playing or in a scuffle and then you really have a wreck. Martingales should never leave the leash.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

wolfy dog said:


> martingales are way too loose when the dog is off leash and get choked if hooked onto something. Another dog can easily get his jaw under it when they are playing or in a scuffle and then you really have a wreck. Martingales should never leave the leash.


Guess that answered the why, take them off, Thanks for the Heads!


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

Instead of teaching her what you don't want her to do, teach her what you want. I do not use corrections when teaching OB, I teach attention based methods and I don't use no, leave it, off, stay because that tells the dog nothing. If the dog is in a sit she can't run off because she will be breaking that command, same with a come or place. If I tell a dog no for jumping on someone, they can go around to everyone in a room and try and jump on them, saying no is just telling them not to jump on that one person at that exact time but gives them absolutely zero structure or direction. It would be like me hiding $1000 in the forest and not telling you where it is but for every step you make that is in the wrong spot I am going to correct you and tell you no, that would be pretty frustrating. Stay is built in to commands, saying it is redundant. If you tell a child to go sit somewhere you are intending for that child to sit there until you release them. Work smarter not harder. 

I would put the pup on a long line so you can always reel her in if needed and whatever collar you think will be easier for you to grab her attention and teach her a place command on an elevated surface, the ground is an open boundary and giving her a target would help immensely. There are no needs for corrections, you will get so much farther with attention based training. I am a professional trainer, you can shoot me a message if you want more info if what I am saying makes sense to you. 

My dogs are trained to be obedient around severe distractions. Urgency and desire and understanding are huge factors in dog training that a lot of people get too relaxed about and create bad habits. 
https://www.facebook.com/Superdobermantigra/videos/962376430536396/


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Do you mean urgency in the dog? Created with the ecollar? Or am I missing something ?


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

Steve Strom said:


> Do you mean urgency in the dog? Created with the ecollar? Or am I missing something ?


Urgency....example...your dog is running around and you command a sit or a come and the dog blows you off and runs around and you give up and keep allowing the dog to run around, not following through with the command. You notice that your dog is heading for a busy road and all of a sudden there is urgency needed and you command a sit or come and your dog has been self rewarding all this time by blowing off your commands and getting away with it so your dog proceeds to run into the road and gets HBC and dies. I see a lack of urgency all the time. Today I saw a woman walking her dog and he was lagging behind sniffing the grass and she called her dog to her but he ignored and kept sniffing and she waited and then just resumed walking and never stopped to fix the picture. It seems fine until there is a snake or porcupine or poison, etc in the grass or say another dog that wants to harm yours and all of a sudden you are asking for urgency and your dog doesn't understand. Or see a perfect example in the post by jewbacca.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

That's not the question though. Example, press button, say sit, dog sits, release button. Dog learns compliance ends pain. Later on, command sit, no button. Dog learns compliance avoids pain. Dog urgently complies to avoid the pain. Never have need for any kind of generalized commands like leave it, always something direct like sit or come so the dog won't be confused about exact compliance? Something like that? Or are you teaching it differently? Your use of the word urgency was interesting, I was wondering about training details.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

Steve Strom said:


> That's not the question though. Example, press button, say sit, dog sits, release button. Dog learns compliance ends pain. Later on, command sit, no button. Dog learns compliance avoids pain. Dog urgently complies to avoid the pain. Never have need for any kind of generalized commands like leave it, always something direct like sit or come so the dog won't be confused about exact compliance? Something like that? Or are you teaching it differently? Your use of the word urgency was interesting, I was wondering about training details.


I teach it differently, not as a deterrent but as attention. I talk about urgency relating to training in general no matter what method people use. If you're interested in how I use the remote collar feel free to send me a message and I'll be happy to discuss!


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Thanks.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Dainerra said:


> using a leash is the only 100% certain way to keep a dog out of the street.
> The way you have described your neighborhood, I would never consider letting my dog off-leash. Too many things going on and too many dangers.


 I'll not disagree, by and large for "most" people (keep them on a leash) is sound advice. 

My "Boxer" was never off leash ... no real reason why not?? She was trained by me exactly the same way as Rocky (GSD) only difference that I am aware of is Rocky and I had a very journey (difficult) together Fire and Ice kind of thing. And overcoming our "issues" together, resulted in a different kind of a bond with him. 

Struddell (White Boxer) was Daddy's furbaby. Well trained well disciplined but always seemed a bit to scattered brained to "trust." Most likely that was not really fair to her but it is how we rolled.

Rocky (GSD) earned my "respect" when he had the opportunity to step outside the Box and stepped up unbid to save "Daddy's" bacon when I slipped on the ice while shielding him from two stray dogs?? 

After that I viewed him "differently" and he became my "partner" and not my "furbaby" and I trust my "Partner" to do as he's been trained. So "Rocky" rarely has a leash on him, sometimes on walks he leads and I follow or he will stop and let me take point and he follows doesn't matter.

Last weekend I took him to a job site told him "Place" an as random, neighbors walked dogs by on the street he did just that. Sometimes (Rocky) was out of y line of sight and he merely watched the dogs go by. Nothing to think about, he never moved.

And that was nothing I "trained" or "proofed" perse but it is something I "expect." "Place" means "Place" also an implied "Stay" apparently but that's another story. 

In anycase, I learned quite a bit from/with my failed rescue nothing but a Big Furry Dog with a Pointy face, point of fact ... he was a OS WL GSD ... who knew???

In anycase if you're a "Pro" none of this is any big deal, if your JQP (Average Pet Owner) it's a bit of a surprise??


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

NYCgsd said:


> I use "NO" and give a slight leash yank. She still likes to chase birds into the street, theres like a million cars around here. Just looking for the best methods for making the street a no-go-zone. Slips collar? Just keep leash correcting?
> She is about 14 weeks old by the way. I use a regular flat collar now.


My dog's leashes are next to the front door. He doesn't go through that door without a leash on. We both go through the door 3 or 4 times a day, taking trash out, checking for mail, gardening. I didn't want the street to have an attraction or be a temptation for my dog, so when I go through the door, he goes too, wearing a leash.


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## MagicHorse (Feb 3, 2016)

I use a leather & chain martingale collar. They are loose enough when just on the dog that if they stick their head into bushes/brush, under the deck, etc. that they can slip off and also if the chain part happens to get caught on a branch, it can pull tight & hang the dog to the point they can choke when they struggle to get loose. Like the above post said, a playmate of the dog wearing it can get the jaw (usually the bottom portion) stuck in it, then both dogs struggle & it breaks the dog's jaw. My dog is naked unless I have him with me & I am watching him.


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