October 23, 2025 • 10 mins
Keeping your dog safe near traffic is one of the most important skills you can teach. In this episode, we dive into car and road awareness training — from staying back from moving vehicles to pausing and looking before crossing the street. Learn how to:
- Teach your puppy to create safe distance from cars
- Use cues like “back” or “wait” to prevent accidents
- Reinforce calm, focused behavior around roads
- Practice real-world safety in your neighborhood and beyond
Whether you live in a busy city or a quiet suburb, these strategies will help your dog feel confident, aware, and safe around traffic.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Today we're talking about something that's both
incredibly practical andabsolutely essential: road and
car awareness.
How does your dog handle cars?
Let's talk about it today.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:23):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hey you guys, welcome to thePuppy Training Podcast.
(00:45):
Thanks for listening.
We haven't talked about thistopic before.
So I thought, you know what?
Let's talk about cars.
I know some dogs chase cars.
In fact, just the other day, adog in my neighborhood was
chasing a car.
I thought I haven't discussedthat on the podcast.
So maybe this will be useful toyou.
But our dogs, we are asking themto live in a human world, right?
And that means cars, bikes,delivery trucks, movement.
(01:09):
Now we even have the addition ofe-bikes, scooters, one-wheels,
you name it, right?
And those things are quiet.
They come up on you pretty fast.
But while we often focus onteaching sit, stay and recall,
one of the most important thingswe can teach our dog is how to
stay safe near roads and how tomove thoughtfully through
traffic environments or wherethere's going to be moving
(01:31):
vehicles, right?
So today let's talk about how toteach your dog to stay away from
moving vehicles, pause and lookbefore crossing a street, and
then build calm, focusedbehavior around cars and roads.
So let's dive in.
To start off with, I'll saythis.
For most dogs, cars are eitherexciting or they're scary.
Some want to chase the movement,that's that hurting instinct or
(01:54):
prey drive kicking in.
And others might freeze or boltbecause they're scared out of
fear.
Now, especially if they've beenstartled before.
Now, neither of these reactionsis actually safe.
Our goal as trainers and dogparents is to help our dogs feel
calm, aware, and responsivearound roads and moving
vehicles.
Think of it like this (02:12):
you wouldn't let a toddler walk near
a busy street without teachingthem what stop means.
It's the same with our dogs.
The more they understand what todo around the roads, the safer
they'll be, even when somethingsurprising happens.
So, step one, let's start earlyand far away from traffic.
When we first introduce ourpuppy to traffic, start at a
distance where they can see andhear cars, but they're still
(02:34):
comfortable.
So you're going to be watchingtheir body language and making
sure they're not nervous,scared, or overly excited.
And you need to get create adistance away from the road such
that they can look at you ortake a food reward from you.
If they won't do either of thosethings, they're too stimulated.
And I need you to create moredistance.
So bring some food rewards,maybe a mat or a blanket, and
(02:54):
simply just hang out while thecars go by.
Every time a vehicle passes,just calmly say your marker
word, like yes, and offer a foodreward.
You're just teaching your puppythat cars moving nearby are part
of the world.
Nothing to chase, nothing tofear.
So we're not getting excitedabout it, we're not getting
scared about it.
It's just neutral.
(03:14):
This early exposure can helpcreate that neutrality, that
emotional neutrality that we'relooking for.
That's what we want our dogs tofeel when they see these moving
vehicles.
Step two is to teach back up ormove away from the road.
So next we can teach a safetycue something like back up or
away.
You can choose the verbiage thatyou want to use.
We're going to actually start inyour house.
(03:35):
I want you to step toward yourdog gently, say back, and reward
when they take even one stepbackward.
An easy way to teach this is tocreate a very narrow channel.
Either slide a sofa next to awall so you have about two to
three feet of space in betweenthe wall and the sofa, and then
face your dog in that narrowchannel and start approaching
them.
They'll naturally want to backup.
As soon as they take thosebackward steps, that's when
(03:57):
you're marking yes and payingthem for that behavior.
So just get that behavior first,and then like I mentioned,
you're going to start to sayback, and then they move in that
backward direction.
So we want to teach that cuefirst, and then we can gradually
practice near the driveway orsidewalk edge once they
understand what that means.
So teaching it inside in anon-distracting area where they
(04:18):
feel safe and secure, that'sbest.
And then as the behaviorprogresses, we take it outside
to a more challengingenvironment.
Now, again, I wouldn't start atthe busiest street you know.
I'd probably just startsomewhere quiet.
So if you can go to a park orsomewhere, if your driveway's on
a busy street, go somewhere elsewhere it's a little more quiet
avenue so that you can startwith a quiet road and then we
(04:40):
can work up to more busy roads.
So when we approach the KerberRoadside, we can cue our dogs
back and reward our dog formoving away from the street.
Over time, this becomes a safetyreflex for them.
Our dogs will automatically givespace instead of stepping
forward.
It's a little thing, but it canprevent some big accidents.
Now, obviously, there's leashlaws.
We're keeping our dogs on leash,but even then, we want to make
(05:02):
sure they're not just trying towander out into that space.
Step three is to teach a wait orlook before crossing.
So this is going to be all aboutcrossing streets safely.
Once your puppy has learned tosit and stay, you can turn those
cues into a crossing routine.
Anytime you approach a curb, wecan ask for a sit or a wait.
And then we look both ways,exaggerate a little, say look,
(05:25):
and then give your release cuelike, okay, or let's go.
My cue is let's go.
That just means we're about tomove, so pay attention, and we
can cross together.
Now your dog won't literallycheck traffic, of course, but
they'll learn that we pause andwait for permission before
moving into the street.
Make it predictable, same cue,same pause, every time.
Dogs love patterns, and patternsbuild good habits.
(05:48):
The next step is managingdriveways and parked cars.
So driveways can be a littletricky because cars move
suddenly and parked cars blockvision.
So we want to practice walkingslowly through neighborhoods,
and anytime a car backs out or adoor opens nearby, just reward
your dog for checking in withyou or holding position.
This helps your dog learn whencars move or I hear a garage
(06:10):
door open, I stay close to myperson, but it's not a big deal.
If your puppy tends to pulltoward driveways or chase cars,
you can use a front clip harnessor a gentle leader for more
control while you're training,but also recognize that distance
away is going to be superhelpful.
Don't move too quickly throughthis process.
You're going to understand yourdog's threshold and what they
(06:30):
can or can't handle aroundtraffic.
And if you need more advice onhow to handle that with your
particular dog, reach out to usand we can coach you through
this process.
But we want to reinforce calmwalking with frequent praise and
food rewards.
Step five is to reinforce calmaround movement.
If your dog lunges or barks atpassing cars, go back to the
(06:52):
basics.
Again, create distance.
Reward calm looking.
So a yes and a food reward whenyour dog sees a car but stays
relaxed.
That distance, you guys, isgoing to be key because they're
going to notice that car.
You need to be far enough awaythat they don't immediately just
react to that, that they areable to process and think, oh, I
need to back away, right?
(07:13):
So we want to reward that calmlooking at us again with the yes
and the food reward.
And we're trying to get thatrelaxing behavior from our dog.
So use distance to help withthis.
And then slowly we can closethat distance over several
sessions or as our dog issuccessful.
So the goal isn't to suppressour dog's instinct to notice
movement, it's to teachemotional control.
(07:34):
We want them to notice, staycalm, and then look to us for
guidance.
We have a class on reactivity,and this falls in uh this
category.
So if you need help withreactivity, your dog's lunging,
barking, pulling at people, ordogs or cars or anything that
moves or any other object, letus know.
Come join our class.
We'd love to coach you throughchanging your dog's reactivity.
(07:56):
Now, step six is to practice indifferent environments.
Once your dog understands thebasics near quiet streets, take
the lesson outside.
Practice near busier areas,parking lots, school zones,
parks where cars, bikes, andpeople move unpredictably.
Start at a distance and movecloser only as your dog can stay
focused and is successful.
So, in order for our dog to lovethe training, we want them to
(08:18):
win a lot.
If they're not winning, theygive up on the training and they
get frustrated and we don't wantthat.
So again, start where your dogcan be successful.
And then as you see success,then you can go to these harder
places, but don't do that tooquickly.
Remember, progress is aboutcomfort, not speed.
All right, here's a bonus tipfor you.
Use real life rewards.
(08:39):
So safety behaviors likewaiting, checking in, staying
back are perfect for liferewards.
Instead of always using food,try walking forward once they
offer you a calm sit.
That's the reward, the walkingforward.
Letting your dog sniff afterwaiting patiently, right?
Dogs love to sniff and it's sohealthy to let them do that on,
let them do that on your walks.
So if they do this goodbehavior, they check in with
(09:01):
you, they're waiting, they'resitting at curbs.
Let them sniff, right?
Have a moment to sniff thecorner.
Crossing the street only whenthey focus on you.
So we're not going to cross thisstreet.
We don't get to the other side.
And that fire hydrant that yousee across the street, we only
get there when you look at me oryou focus on me.
This helps our dog understandthat good choices lead to things
(09:21):
they want.
All right, so let's review.
We're going to start at a safedistance from traffic and reward
calm behavior.
We're going to teach cues likeback or away to build an
automatic space from roads.
We can practice waiting orlooking before crossing.
We want to make that a habit.
That's going to be a routine.
We can gradually expose our dogsto busier areas while
(09:42):
reinforcing calmness.
And then reward real worldsafety with real world rewards.
The freedom, the sniffing, andthe movement.
Dogs love those things.
Road safety training is trulyone of the most life-saving
things you can teach your dog.
And remember, our goal isn't tomake them afraid of cars.
So keep it positive.
We want to help them feel safe,confident, and aware when
(10:04):
they're near them.
And if your dog does have adesire to chase cars, we want to
change that.
All right, thanks for listeningto the podcast today, you guys.
Have a great week.
Happy training.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Train Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
(10:27):
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
Today we're talking about something that's both
incredibly practical andabsolutely essential: road and
car awareness.
How does your dog handle cars?
Let's talk about it today.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:23):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hey you guys, welcome to thePuppy Training Podcast.
(00:45):
Thanks for listening.
We haven't talked about thistopic before.
So I thought, you know what?
Let's talk about cars.
I know some dogs chase cars.
In fact, just the other day, adog in my neighborhood was
chasing a car.
I thought I haven't discussedthat on the podcast.
So maybe this will be useful toyou.
But our dogs, we are asking themto live in a human world, right?
And that means cars, bikes,delivery trucks, movement.
(01:09):
Now we even have the addition ofe-bikes, scooters, one-wheels,
you name it, right?
And those things are quiet.
They come up on you pretty fast.
But while we often focus onteaching sit, stay and recall,
one of the most important thingswe can teach our dog is how to
stay safe near roads and how tomove thoughtfully through
traffic environments or wherethere's going to be moving
(01:31):
vehicles, right?
So today let's talk about how toteach your dog to stay away from
moving vehicles, pause and lookbefore crossing a street, and
then build calm, focusedbehavior around cars and roads.
So let's dive in.
To start off with, I'll saythis.
For most dogs, cars are eitherexciting or they're scary.
Some want to chase the movement,that's that hurting instinct or
(01:54):
prey drive kicking in.
And others might freeze or boltbecause they're scared out of
fear.
Now, especially if they've beenstartled before.
Now, neither of these reactionsis actually safe.
Our goal as trainers and dogparents is to help our dogs feel
calm, aware, and responsivearound roads and moving
vehicles.
Think of it like this (02:12):
you wouldn't let a toddler walk near
a busy street without teachingthem what stop means.
It's the same with our dogs.
The more they understand what todo around the roads, the safer
they'll be, even when somethingsurprising happens.
So, step one, let's start earlyand far away from traffic.
When we first introduce ourpuppy to traffic, start at a
distance where they can see andhear cars, but they're still
(02:34):
comfortable.
So you're going to be watchingtheir body language and making
sure they're not nervous,scared, or overly excited.
And you need to get create adistance away from the road such
that they can look at you ortake a food reward from you.
If they won't do either of thosethings, they're too stimulated.
And I need you to create moredistance.
So bring some food rewards,maybe a mat or a blanket, and
(02:54):
simply just hang out while thecars go by.
Every time a vehicle passes,just calmly say your marker
word, like yes, and offer a foodreward.
You're just teaching your puppythat cars moving nearby are part
of the world.
Nothing to chase, nothing tofear.
So we're not getting excitedabout it, we're not getting
scared about it.
It's just neutral.
(03:14):
This early exposure can helpcreate that neutrality, that
emotional neutrality that we'relooking for.
That's what we want our dogs tofeel when they see these moving
vehicles.
Step two is to teach back up ormove away from the road.
So next we can teach a safetycue something like back up or
away.
You can choose the verbiage thatyou want to use.
We're going to actually start inyour house.
(03:35):
I want you to step toward yourdog gently, say back, and reward
when they take even one stepbackward.
An easy way to teach this is tocreate a very narrow channel.
Either slide a sofa next to awall so you have about two to
three feet of space in betweenthe wall and the sofa, and then
face your dog in that narrowchannel and start approaching
them.
They'll naturally want to backup.
As soon as they take thosebackward steps, that's when
(03:57):
you're marking yes and payingthem for that behavior.
So just get that behavior first,and then like I mentioned,
you're going to start to sayback, and then they move in that
backward direction.
So we want to teach that cuefirst, and then we can gradually
practice near the driveway orsidewalk edge once they
understand what that means.
So teaching it inside in anon-distracting area where they
(04:18):
feel safe and secure, that'sbest.
And then as the behaviorprogresses, we take it outside
to a more challengingenvironment.
Now, again, I wouldn't start atthe busiest street you know.
I'd probably just startsomewhere quiet.
So if you can go to a park orsomewhere, if your driveway's on
a busy street, go somewhere elsewhere it's a little more quiet
avenue so that you can startwith a quiet road and then we
(04:40):
can work up to more busy roads.
So when we approach the KerberRoadside, we can cue our dogs
back and reward our dog formoving away from the street.
Over time, this becomes a safetyreflex for them.
Our dogs will automatically givespace instead of stepping
forward.
It's a little thing, but it canprevent some big accidents.
Now, obviously, there's leashlaws.
We're keeping our dogs on leash,but even then, we want to make
(05:02):
sure they're not just trying towander out into that space.
Step three is to teach a wait orlook before crossing.
So this is going to be all aboutcrossing streets safely.
Once your puppy has learned tosit and stay, you can turn those
cues into a crossing routine.
Anytime you approach a curb, wecan ask for a sit or a wait.
And then we look both ways,exaggerate a little, say look,
(05:25):
and then give your release cuelike, okay, or let's go.
My cue is let's go.
That just means we're about tomove, so pay attention, and we
can cross together.
Now your dog won't literallycheck traffic, of course, but
they'll learn that we pause andwait for permission before
moving into the street.
Make it predictable, same cue,same pause, every time.
Dogs love patterns, and patternsbuild good habits.
(05:48):
The next step is managingdriveways and parked cars.
So driveways can be a littletricky because cars move
suddenly and parked cars blockvision.
So we want to practice walkingslowly through neighborhoods,
and anytime a car backs out or adoor opens nearby, just reward
your dog for checking in withyou or holding position.
This helps your dog learn whencars move or I hear a garage
(06:10):
door open, I stay close to myperson, but it's not a big deal.
If your puppy tends to pulltoward driveways or chase cars,
you can use a front clip harnessor a gentle leader for more
control while you're training,but also recognize that distance
away is going to be superhelpful.
Don't move too quickly throughthis process.
You're going to understand yourdog's threshold and what they
(06:30):
can or can't handle aroundtraffic.
And if you need more advice onhow to handle that with your
particular dog, reach out to usand we can coach you through
this process.
But we want to reinforce calmwalking with frequent praise and
food rewards.
Step five is to reinforce calmaround movement.
If your dog lunges or barks atpassing cars, go back to the
(06:52):
basics.
Again, create distance.
Reward calm looking.
So a yes and a food reward whenyour dog sees a car but stays
relaxed.
That distance, you guys, isgoing to be key because they're
going to notice that car.
You need to be far enough awaythat they don't immediately just
react to that, that they areable to process and think, oh, I
need to back away, right?
(07:13):
So we want to reward that calmlooking at us again with the yes
and the food reward.
And we're trying to get thatrelaxing behavior from our dog.
So use distance to help withthis.
And then slowly we can closethat distance over several
sessions or as our dog issuccessful.
So the goal isn't to suppressour dog's instinct to notice
movement, it's to teachemotional control.
(07:34):
We want them to notice, staycalm, and then look to us for
guidance.
We have a class on reactivity,and this falls in uh this
category.
So if you need help withreactivity, your dog's lunging,
barking, pulling at people, ordogs or cars or anything that
moves or any other object, letus know.
Come join our class.
We'd love to coach you throughchanging your dog's reactivity.
(07:56):
Now, step six is to practice indifferent environments.
Once your dog understands thebasics near quiet streets, take
the lesson outside.
Practice near busier areas,parking lots, school zones,
parks where cars, bikes, andpeople move unpredictably.
Start at a distance and movecloser only as your dog can stay
focused and is successful.
So, in order for our dog to lovethe training, we want them to
(08:18):
win a lot.
If they're not winning, theygive up on the training and they
get frustrated and we don't wantthat.
So again, start where your dogcan be successful.
And then as you see success,then you can go to these harder
places, but don't do that tooquickly.
Remember, progress is aboutcomfort, not speed.
All right, here's a bonus tipfor you.
Use real life rewards.
(08:39):
So safety behaviors likewaiting, checking in, staying
back are perfect for liferewards.
Instead of always using food,try walking forward once they
offer you a calm sit.
That's the reward, the walkingforward.
Letting your dog sniff afterwaiting patiently, right?
Dogs love to sniff and it's sohealthy to let them do that on,
let them do that on your walks.
So if they do this goodbehavior, they check in with
(09:01):
you, they're waiting, they'resitting at curbs.
Let them sniff, right?
Have a moment to sniff thecorner.
Crossing the street only whenthey focus on you.
So we're not going to cross thisstreet.
We don't get to the other side.
And that fire hydrant that yousee across the street, we only
get there when you look at me oryou focus on me.
This helps our dog understandthat good choices lead to things
(09:21):
they want.
All right, so let's review.
We're going to start at a safedistance from traffic and reward
calm behavior.
We're going to teach cues likeback or away to build an
automatic space from roads.
We can practice waiting orlooking before crossing.
We want to make that a habit.
That's going to be a routine.
We can gradually expose our dogsto busier areas while
(09:42):
reinforcing calmness.
And then reward real worldsafety with real world rewards.
The freedom, the sniffing, andthe movement.
Dogs love those things.
Road safety training is trulyone of the most life-saving
things you can teach your dog.
And remember, our goal isn't tomake them afraid of cars.
So keep it positive.
We want to help them feel safe,confident, and aware when
(10:04):
they're near them.
And if your dog does have adesire to chase cars, we want to
change that.
All right, thanks for listeningto the podcast today, you guys.
Have a great week.
Happy training.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Train Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
(10:27):
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
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