Hello everyone...

I was wondering what tips or advice anyone could give to teach effective road safety with dogs. My pup is only young and I'm not confident to let him off the lead near roads. I have seen some brilliant dogs out and about who stop at kerbs and instinctively know when to do this.

I imagine you have to start with making sure your dog responds clearly to your commands but I don't want to do this near a road (catch 22!). My pup is a lab and brilliant walking off the lead in parks etc. But I'm too nervous to let him walk freely off a lead near a road (for obvious reasons). Can anyone offer any tips on how to begin teaching him the doggy green cross code???? What techniques have you used etc???

Thank you...
Claire

I would never allow my dogs off lead near a road its far to dangerous no matter how well trained they are, infact I'm sure its illegal to let a dog walk near a highway if not on a lead, I could be wrong but i'm sure I've read this somewhere.

It is illegal to allow your dog to walk along the road without being on a lead. It's also incrediably dangerous as anything can take their fancy on the other side of the road.

Fiona
x x x

I agree with Sandie - it is better never to let your dog off the lead near a road. I learnt a very good lesson a couple of years ago. We live next door to a field and we only have to walk about 30 feet to the gate from our gate. One day, coming back from the field, a squirrel ran out from my neighbour's gate and ran across the road. Older dog charged after it, but fortunately he stopped dead, before he got to the road, when I yelled at him. He is very good 99% of the time - but it really shook me up at the thought of what might have happened. Now, the lead goes on, even for those few feet.

Daisy

It all depends what you want to achieve with the training. I've always told my spaniel to 'wait' at the edge of every road and now she does just that - she stops and waits till I say 'cross'.

We'll be doing the same thing with out beardie as well - when she's old enough to go out for a walk.

Fiona
x x x

It is both illegal and highly dangerous to have a dog off the lead near a road! A friend of mine was killed and another friend ended up in hospital when dogs ran out in front of them in seperate accedents whilst riding motorcycles! If you must do this please make sure your insurance is up to date and of a high enough value!!!!!

John :(

Yes, I do the same - sometimes I tell them to sit, sometimes to stand. It's good practise for obedience training, so that they must do the sit without moving forward :)

Daisy

I last saw someone do this 15 years ago - the lab was well trained and stopped at the kerb and waited till her owner caught up and gave her the signal to cross, by touching her on the head. Fine and dandy, until someone walking the other way stoked the dog's head....she set off across the road...at the wrong time, and was killed. :(

Please don't do it. If they see a cat, or a squirrel, or a blown leaf, or a friend, they are likely to dash out - they have no more road sense than a toddler. Please keep your dog safe.

When i walk my dogs.Our code is STOP /SIT/GO.My older dog will stop before i tell her and sit,waiting for me to give the go.I do keep her lead on for safety.
Linda

I feel very strongly as the others do, and I live on a busy road, and am aghast at the number of people that walk past with dogs off lead. I have entire bitches, and what is to say that one of them doesn't cr9oss the road to come and sniff at my property when I have a bitch in season???

For added safety only I would tech your dog to wait at every kerb and to only proceed to cross with you on command. I do this as there is always the chance a visitor or child might leave the front door open, and a dog dash out. If it has becone habit to stop and wait at the kerb it just might stop before going oin the road.

I have had this happen with non doggy visitors letting a young dog out!!! I also train my dogs to sit and wait before going out of the front door. They have their leads on, and have to wait a minute while the front dooor is open, and can only come out when called. At hom I also make them wait at the Open living room door, before being allowed out into the hall. All these measures are designed to stop them bolting through open doors!!!!

Hi Claire, as most of the others have said, it's illegal/irresponsible to let your dog off lead near the road - my father had a Springer who was beautifully trained - 99% reliable infact - but that 1/100 time when his training failed him was when he was near a major A road - he was hit by a milk tanker!!!! He survived as much down to my Dad's dedication to nursing him for 6 months when he was in a 'doggy cart' (which my Dad built to his own design - this was 20 years ago) But I have sworn never ever to let any of my dogs off lead anywhere near traffic - they aren't even allowed off lead in a carpark!

Hi Claire

When you get to a kerb get into the habit of making your pup sit and wait before crossing the road. Cross the road when he is sitting nicely.
My first dog was an old stray I got from rescue who's idea of crossing a road was to get to the kerb and then run like hell to get across the road without looking. Even on a short lead I nearly had a disaster with him when we were waiting on the pavement and he suddenly shot into the road to try to cross just missing an oncoming taxi by about half an inch It gave me a fright.
I have never let any of my dogs off the lead near roads.
Lara x

Hiya, I've seen people walking their dogs off the lead when I'm out in the car in a busy town near where I live.

I can honestly say, it makes my blood boil. Not only is it illegal, it's also highly dangerous.

Dogs shoud be kept on leads at all times near roads.

Please, for your dogs safety, take the advice thats been given here.

Lisa :)

We are teaching Minx to sit at every kerb and wait for 'OK' to step out, but like most here, we'd never have her off lead near a road - many years ago we had a rescue GSP (Meg) who was a real escape artist, and one day while I was walking along the road a couple of miles away with my other dog, who should I see but Meg tearing towards us from the other side of the road, having escaped from my mother at home. She was hit by a car as she came across, and was unbelievably lucky to get away with bruising and a broken tooth. I don't think dogs really have much of an ability to develop 'road sense', though I'd like to feel that if Minx was ever to escape, she'd have the sense not to run along down the middle of the road as Meg used to - I'm not sure how you'd go about teaching your dog to have road sense when you are not there, being hit by a car is not something you can explain to a dog, and I wouldn't like any dog of mine to experience it! It really makes me cringe when I see dogs (particularly unaccompanied ones) wandering around here in the road, they seem to mostly have little clue that there is a bus bearing down on them!

I was going in to town a couple of weeks ago and saw a man with a BC crossing the dual carriageway. The dog wasn't on the lead and it was obviously very well trained. The man stood on the central reservation waiting for a gap in the busy traffic. The dog sat beside him only inches from the kerb - if it had moved only slightly forward it would have been hit. However well trained the dog might have been, it was just too much to trust the dog not to move. I felt ill just watching it

Daisy