Out for a Stroll(er)

When it comes to kids and dogs, safety must always be our top priority and both our pups and our kids need to learn respectful and appropriate behaviour when in each others company. We don’t want our dogs bumping into or knocking over or ‘harassing’ our kiddos in any way and we also don’t want our kiddos pulling on ears, tails, the dogs toys or food or ‘harassing’ the dog in any way.

Likewise, on the walk, it’s super important that the dog is first trained to heel politely on leash with her handler (no pulling, no sniffing, no reactivity, no marking, no shenanigans) before joining the family walk with the stroller and we want the dog to heel behind the stroller so that she can’t bump into it or pester/disturb the child and so that she also doesn’t get bumped/rolled on by the stroller or grabbed by tiny hands.

In this video, you’ll see a polite and attentive Eartha following her commands and her training without causing chaos. You’ll also see how I’m holding the leash, the remote, the stroller, etc. so that I can keep both Eartha and the stroller safe while we enjoy a great outing and walk together! It takes a lot of coordination and also dividing your focus on the child in the stroller, the dog, and traffic/people/dogs around you when walking the dog along with a stroller so I always recommend that folks work on walking the dog alone first and getting super proficient with the the techniques, the tools and the rules of the structured walk before adding a challenge like the stroller. Small consistent successes lead to the biggest accomplishments and rewards!

*My dog Auggie stood in as stroller passenger for training purposes and jokes 😂, but as a rule we should not be treating dogs like this nor like human ‘children’ but instead honouring their needs to be treated and considered as dogs*

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