The dog trick we don’t test enough: Dodging cars
Why the ‘Pick of the Litter’ dog documentary should make non-guide dog owners pay attention
Upon first glance at the “Pick of the Litter” documentary, trainers participating in Guide Dogs for the Blind just sounds like torture. The discipline needed to play with, raise, feed and train a dog only to let it get to the point of (potentially) being a guide dog after 20 months is admirable. If I were living on the West Coast (California, Utah, Oregon) or southern areas (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) where puppy club locations are, I’d be no good as a volunteer for this program.
Helping to train dogs? I’ve done that twice. Feeding, raising and playing with dogs? Check, check and check. The part that would drain me dry is the “giving the dog up” part. It is one thing to dog board or dog sit for a few days, fully aware that this dog will be long gone in anywhere from 24 hours to eight days (my longest sitting). It’s a whole other to have a dog in my life (especially as young as 9 years old) for long enough to teach certain techniques that may help them become the liaison for the visually impaired. (Spoiler alert: I certainly understood the “five seconds” it took for one trainer to want a dog that was ineligible to make it as a guide dog or one of the alternate career-changing programs.)
While there were piles of grab-the-tissue moments, reach-through-the-screen scenes and lessons learned for anyone who loves dogs, there was one dog training technique that made me wonder why dog owners of non-guide dogs don’t implement this more: pet car safety.
Why car safety matters so much for dogs
During the documentary, dogs are taught to halt when cars are backing out of driveways, moving forward at intersections, turning and even how to act when walking around parked cars. It makes sense that pets would have to be on their guard around visually impaired owners who may not see a car abruptly coming toward him or her, or zooming out of a parked space. But there are a number of reasons that dog owners in general should be taking car safety into account, in addition to sitting, laying, shaking paws, staying, fetching and guarding.
According to Pet Pro Supply Co.:
84 percent of dog owners traveling with their dogs are not restraining them.
60 percent of dog owners have driven while distracted by their pets as passengers.
17 percent of drivers allowed their dog to sit in their lap while driving.
4 percent of drivers acknowledged playing with their dog while driving.
I am guilty of all of the above. I’m also impressed by dogs who run in front of me as soon as I open the car door, and park their butts in the passenger or backseat as though they know the routine. They’re ready to hit the road faster than any college student I’ve traveled with during my out-of-state university days. The Humane Society has already given dog owners tips on how to travel in cars with dogs —ban passenger seat riding (risk of air bags), in crates instead of roaming around, no heads hanging out of the window, never leave in hot cars — but I’m especially interested in showing a dog how to react when outside of those cars.
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More often than not, dogs spend their days inside of a home or a backyard. Unless your backyard doesn’t have a garage or your front driveway doesn’t have a fence, your dog may not encounter car danger at home. But your dog still has to go out for walks, and chances are that you’ve seen your dog bolt forward even when cars are coming.
Pay attention to the sit-at-the-curb method (or stop method) during the documentary to see how they work with dogs to not run in front of cars. While dog owners will teach a dog to “sit” and “stay” in the dining room, use these same techniques to allow your dog — preferably during puppy years when it may be easier — to learn to sit curbside, too.
Training your dog on the curbside sitting method
Remember chivalrous techniques. You know that rule about men walking on the outside of the street? The same rules apply with your dog (usually) strolling along the left-hand side of you on streets. Of course in this case it’s less about being a “gentleman” and usually due to right-handers being more common, but if need be, you can switch it up. Just be consistent.
Start off by making sure to stop at each curb. If your dog stops when you stop, give him a treat. He’ll hopefully connect the dots that stopping at curbs instead of running or walking by leads to head and body rubs, compliments and treats.