# Walking next to the road? Bad idea?



## Vhuynh2 (Feb 13, 2012)

Well, I live in the city so Molly needed to get used to the sounds and sights of busy roads. Also, parts of my neighborhood does not have sidewalks and we walk on the road every day. I don't think being used to cars would be a problem; having a reliable recall is what really matters. However, I wouldn't walk my dog off leash near cars even with a rock solid recall. You NEVER know what could cause them to run off.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

When Penny was a pup, we lived in a country subdivision with no sidewalks...we had to walk along the roads...lots of traffic with moms taking kids places.

I used the opportunity to have Penny sit whenever a car came by. I'd take a couple of steps off the road, have her turn to face the road and sit until the car went by.

I'm not sure it taught her anything about the dangers of cars or how to behave around them, but as an exercise it was a good one.


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

We did the same as pennys mom. always sat when the car passed.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

We walk in the street (no sidewalks), but there is very little traffic. If it is a busy street without a sidewalk, then I would assume that every driver is texting or on a cellphone and does not see me.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Vhuynh2 said:


> Well, I live in the city so Molly needed to get used to the sounds and sights of busy roads. Also, parts of my neighborhood does not have sidewalks and we walk on the road every day. I don't think being used to cars would be a problem; *having a reliable recall is what really matters. However, I wouldn't walk my dog off leash near cars even with a rock solid recall. You NEVER know what could cause them to run off.*


I agree with this 100%. You never know what might cause a dog to react and break a recall near a street. Our first Golden hated big trucks and would bark at them, lunging at the wheels of the trucks passing by us on city streets. Our other dogs walked on city sidewalks and streets with no visible reaction to traffic, until one day last summer, while walking on a sidewalk near a shopping center, and Toby suddenly decided to bark and lunge at a beer delivery truck passing by at that very moment. It took my husband and me by surprise as he'd never done it in his seven plus years with us. He was on leash, but had he not been he probably would not be here today.


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## Nomes (Nov 7, 2011)

Thank you all so much! 



Vhuynh2 said:


> having a reliable recall is what really matters. However, I wouldn't walk my dog off leash near cars even with a rock solid recall. You NEVER know what could cause them to run off.


Yes! Casey's recall is still pretty shaky...so he isn't allowed off leash except in the house. And if i ever get to the point where he can be loose in the yard, i'll make sure he stays far away from the road.



> I used the opportunity to have Penny sit whenever a car came by. I'd take a couple of steps off the road, have her turn to face the road and sit until the car went by.


That's an awesome idea! Thanks so much! I'm not sure if it would train him to sit whenever he sees a car, but at least he won't be just nonchalantly walking along. It's like he's acknowledging the car and respecting it. I've trained Casey to sit for respect, (like if he's jumpy and excited, he has to sit or he doesn't get a pat) so this will feather in great with his training! 

Weee! i'm so excited that i can walk him off the property! :banana:
Thanks everyone!


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## Pammie (Jan 22, 2011)

I live rural on acreage with no sidewalks, too. I don't trust some of the crazy drivers on these backwood roads so no street walking here! We don't even have shoulders on the road in most stretches and it is a pretty busy main road and ditches like you. We have to load up and go somewhere to walk- and yes, it is a pain. Most days his exercise is in our fenced yard with me leading and the games so he is constantly running and on the move. I consider it my exercise, too! It's not ideal, but it's working for us.


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## Nomes (Nov 7, 2011)

I feel your pain Pammie! we live on a straight road, so we get a few guys who like to show off and go real fast, but then, that's only every once in a while...And as long as it isn't saturday or sunday morning, most people are sober. : plus i'll be off to the side since we have pretty nice shoulders...


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## Pumba19 (Oct 19, 2011)

i also live in the country and usually walk Pumba along the road. she also runs loose when we are outside. where we let her run though is usually closer to the house though and it's a ways from the road. it also helps that we have awesome neighbors who all have dogs and frequently walk them on the road too so everyone is very courteous to slow down very slow when passing someone walking a dog, to no faster than what a vehicle driving into the driveway may do. if you know your neighbors, maybe talk to them about this, but i don't see it causing a problem. when Pumba is loose on our property we have trained her to stick fairly close to us and if she does happen to wander out of sight we call her back.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

I live in the country,too. For the longest time my husband didn't want us walking on the road, but it's a good drive to a park, so I finally won him over. We do what Penny's Mom said - Max sits and waits when a car comes - sometimes he pulls me to the side before I realize there's a car coming! As long as you can get off to the side, most people are really good about just waving and going by on the other side of the road. And I've finally met a few of my neighbors!


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

I'll drive my dogs a mile to walk on a county trail..it'd be nice a nice walk from our house, but I don't want them to think the road is "legal" walking territory.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

I live in a semi rural area, no sidewalks or streetlights and narrow roads but fast cars. We hardly ever walk on the roads but it probably would have been better if I had when Hank was a puppy. He has no "street sense" since he's really never been around traffic and wouldn't survive if he got out. We have acerage and an invisibe fence, he gets all the exercise he needs without leaving home but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing him a disservice.


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