Some days we walk with the dogs in the deep woods, sometimes on a country road. There are few cars, but when they appear, they sometimes come barrelling down the hill on icy roads. We train the dogs very carefully. When we see any kind or vehicle or hear one, one of us yells “car,” and then “come” and the dogs run to us. We put them in a “lie down, stay” by the side of the road behind us or along side of us.

The line of sight on the road is very good, we can see them and they can see us from a long way, there is plenty of time to get the dogs down. This has been a great training channel for Fate.

The dogs understand these commands, they come running to us right away and don’t move.. When the cars are off and almost out of sight, we release them with the command, “you’re free.” Then they run to Maria or me to see if there is a treat for them. We try to make this command fun and exciting, not stressful or angry. So far, so good.