Road Safety

Hello! I'm curious about how dogs learn to be safe around cars. Sully is never off leash on walks but I realize we have an artificial living situation that has put my dog in jeapordy. I live in a very small elderly/disabled housing program (4 houses) set very far off a main route on a private road in town. It is a very small town and most residents are not even aware that we are back here. The only vehicles that come down this road are residents, deliveries, and the occasional visitor. It is a very small town with one fairly new, hotly contested, stoplight and no sidewalks, so I never walk on the main road.

The cars that do come down our private road tend to travel slowly, thank God, and the occupants all know a Sully. As a result, Sully has learned to see cars as carriers of fun and cuddles, rather than potential killing machines. The other day she was socializing with a neighbor who is strong but in a wheelchair. He and I were both right with her but she took off after a car and the leash slipped from both our fingers. He and I are both pretty calm and soft-spoken but we both freaked, especially since she was in front of the car and we couldn't even see her. Certainly we will need to spend even more time working on recall. I'm Sully ignored both of us and I am sure she was also well out of sight of the driver who wasn't even someone we recognized. Worse, by the time we got to them Sully was getting lots of attention and patting from the driver who must have seen her, thank God!! On walks, I have always been making her stop at the edge of the road and not let her step off the grass onto the road without permission, but clearly that is not nearly enough, especially in a place where we don't have typical roads. Drivers on the main rural routes are certainly not expecting dog and pedistrian traffic and I don't have a way to get her to other areas for practice. I know my bsthope for good corgi advice is to ask you all. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on March 21, 2016 at 10:36am

If the road is as quiet as you say, you may want to teach her an auto-look at your face when she sees a car. Start with very high-quality treats and some distance to keep her below threshold. Teach "watch the car, look at mom". If you were on a busy street this would not work, but on a quiet one it may.

Any dog who is a rampant car chaser should be reconditioned, no matter how unlikely they are to get loose, because they WILL get loose at some point. I accidentally trained Jack to stop whenever I drop the leash but I don't really know how I accomplished this.

Worst case scenario, it is one of the few situations I would use an e-collar on if positive-based reconditioning does not work.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Koch on March 25, 2016 at 11:22am

I know how you feel. Betty is 11 years old and one would think she should have learned that cars are dangerous. Not so. She will walk right out in front of a car if I let her. We are in a gated apartment community and traffic is somewhat limited, but still there is the occasional idiot who thinks the 10 mph signs mean 40 mph. The pizza delivery drivers are oblivious to traffic laws and speed limits. When I threatened the local pizza shop owner with a lawsuit he had a talk with his drivers and they have slowed down somewhat. Bottom line, we must think and act for our beloved corgis. They are so precious that the thought of losing one to a car is unbearable. We must be the eyes and ears for our kids when they are distracted.