STOP Your Dog From Running Into The Street For GOOD
In this video, I’ll be sharing a simple yet effective method to stop your dog from running into the street. By creating strong communication lines between you and your dog, you can easily convey your expectations. Then, with consistent practice across various settings and distractions, your dog will quickly grasp the concept.
To make this process clear, I’ll walk you through how I’d approach a training session where the main goal is teaching the dog not to run into the street.
In these situations, I explain to the owners that we first need to go inside and work on foundational training. This starts with marker training—using a sound or word that predicts one of the four quadrants of operant conditioning: positive and negative reinforcement, as well as positive and negative punishment. The goal is to create an operant dog, a dog that understands their actions can influence outcomes in their environment. They’ll learn that their behaviors have consequences, whether positive (like treats or praise) or negative (like corrections). This approach empowers the dog, making them feel in control, which boosts their motivation and confidence in training.
The first marker we condition is the sound predicting positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is anything we give the dog that they perceive as valuable, such as food, toys, or even petting. It’s "positive" because we’re adding something to the situation, and it’s "reinforcement" because it encourages the behavior to be repeated.
Next, we move on to basic luring, which involves using food to guide the dog into specific positions. This is an easy yet powerful way to communicate with your dog. We focus on basic movements like walking forward, sitting, and lying down. Once the dog is comfortable with these, we start introducing leash pressure training, which I prefer to call a leash cue. Leash pressure uses negative reinforcement—we apply pressure, and once the dog complies by performing the desired action, we release the pressure. A human analogy for this would be the beeping sound in a car when you haven’t fastened your seatbelt. Once you buckle up, the beeping stops, reinforcing the action.
Negative reinforcement is useful in dog training because dogs, like people, don’t always do what they’re asked, even if they know how. This method ensures the dog follows through, which is crucial for safety and reliability. Once we’ve developed these foundational skills, we can start teaching the dog not to run into the street.
We begin by walking the dog toward the street, staying on the sidewalk and giving them enough leash freedom to make a mistake. If they step into the street, I implement a reinforcement event: using the marker sound that predicts negative reinforcement, I apply leash pressure to guide the dog back to the sidewalk. Once they return, I offer praise but no treat—rewarding them too soon might make them think walking into the street earns them a treat for coming back. We repeat this until the dog stops going into the street.
Next, I walk into the street, but the dog can’t follow unless I invite them. If they do step into the street, I use the marker sound, apply leash pressure, and guide them back. Again, they get praise but no reward. Once we’re 80% confident the dog understands the boundary, I transition to positive punishment if the dog enters the street again. By now, they’ve had enough opportunities to learn the rules, so it’s fair to introduce a correction, such as a leash pop or a remote training collar.
The remote collar can also help achieve off-leash reliability and includes a Pavlovian tone setting. When the tone button is pressed, the collar emits a sound for 1.5 or 2 seconds, followed by a mild stimulation if the dog doesn’t respond. I use this system by saying "wrong" when the dog enters the street, then pressing the tone button. If the dog doesn’t comply, they receive a correction. This method works incredibly well, and I plan to write an article and create a dedicated video on this technique.
In conclusion, this is the basic breakdown of how I teach dogs not to run into the street. I hope this guide proves helpful and that you’re able to quickly get your dog street-smart!
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If you're interested in learning more about dog training, check out my full 5.5-hour course on Sit Stay Learn, covering everything from basic to advanced training techniques.
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