Walk Around, Step Over or Make Move?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I didn't give this question much thought until a few years ago when I ended up staying for a period of time with my elderly parents during their final illnesses. At that time I had 2 large dogs who were used to sleeping in the doorway of the kitchen and being stepped over. What I ended up with at my parents' home was 2 dogs who were clueless about moving and a stubborn father with ALS who wouldn't admit he couldn't step over them. A disaster in the making!!

 

Recently, I saw a local trainer on T.V. addressing this very subject. He stated it was imperative to teach your dog to always move out of your way. He mentioned the need for this in the case of losing your power when you might need to walk around in the dark. Falling over your dog could injure you and/or your dog. (More likely you!) 

 

However, even with my experience and his advice I still find myself "stepping over" or going around. Tara is smaller than our former dogs and doesn't fill up the doorway so it seems silly to always make her move.  And except for the bedrooms and baths our house has an open floor plan so there is always plenty of room to "go around".

 

What do you do?

 

[Adina P]

It depends on the situation. If the dog is lying there I walk around or step over if I can...otherwise I make the dog move. If the dog is lying there I give warning with "scoot! scoot!" and then continue walking. I'm constantly running into dogs but they don't seem to mind...even when MY knee hurts because I didn't realize a dog was RIGHT there they don't seem to learn any lessons along the lines of "when human is moving...give some space." They'd still rather be underfoot =)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I fully admit that Jackdoodle has made a complete marshmallow out of me. In the past, I had dogs I'd raised from puppyhood and felt no guilt in making them move out of my way, including relocating themselves if they were lying on "my" side of the bed or "my" part of the sofa. (The part with the chaise, naturally!)
Now, with this poor 85 lb rescue dog who is spoiled rotten but for some reason still evokes my pity, I meekly take my pillow and move to the other side of the bed.
And as for falling over your dog in the middle of the night, any day now you will be reading about how I broke my hip doing just that! Because Jackdoodle stretches his full length out on the floor right next to my side of a king-sized bed, and the only way for me to avoid stepping on him is to either crawl down to the foot of the bed and dismount there, or perform some very fancy maneuvering that looks kind of like a broad jump done from a semi-reclining position. You get the picture.
It's too late now, he's got me wrapped around his 5-and- a- half-yr-old paw. I say, make Tara move while you still can!

[Kelly-Orchard View Labradoodles]

This seems to bother men more, I think. :) My DH thinks the dogs should just "sense" that he's coming and they should move...I think that's like expecting kids to "sense" that I'm done folding their clothes and they should come put them away...doesn't really happen.

I don't go around my dogs. I step over them or make them move. What's interesting is that some dogs don't *like* to be stepped over and they will try and get up while you're in mid step. That's when you fall! ;)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, I too have had my share of sore knees and backside from tangling with a dog. My experience is that when a human and a dog accidently mix it up the human invariably ends up on the short end of things. And the dogs have no remorse at all!!

Karen, I have to say you have conjured up quite a image!!! But, I think it's too late for me-I'm right along side you in that marshmallow bag!

I think stepping over is probably the most risky. I gave it up some years back after a couple of failed attempts. That is probably when I started "going around". I might give the "scoot, scoot" thing a try and see what reaction I get. Sometimes when I try this type of thing Tara just gives me a puzzled look like she thinks I have lost my mind or something.

[Adina P]

Karen reminded me of something else.  Rosco sleeps on the floor smack against my side of the bed.  So whenever I get up at night for any reason (typically it's the baby reason), I have to step out of bed carefully.  I kind of feel around with my toe for a safe landing spot between fur or paws and THEN put my weight down.  I don't make him move then cuz he's fast asleep but he won't move even if I step on him.  Body pillows have fallen on him in the middle of the night and he continues sleeping in the same position covered with a loooong pillow :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Rosco and Clancy have the same ideas, Adina. I have learned to be very careful if I get up during the night. Personally I am just fine with him staying still while I try to get around him than him getting up and moving while I am trying to get around him. Other times I do wish they would get out of the way!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sometimes they move but often at night it's step over them if I want to go to the bathroom. I sometimes have to roll Calla over, no easy task, when she's right in my side of the bed and Luca is on the other side.

[Leslie and Halas]

I have to admit that I don't usually make Halas move. If he's standing or walking, he's good about getting out of the way on the steps, waiting for me to go down or up the stairs before he follows, especially if he can tell that I can't really see where I'm going because I'm carrying a laundry basket or something. But if he's laying down and comfy, he's not usually moving, no matter what's going on around him. I've been doing a workout with a lot of jumping in it, and he'll lay right in the middle of my workout area. I end up jumping over him, basically using him as an obstacle, and he just lays there, probably wondering why I'm working so hard and sweating so much when I could just be laying down and relaxing like him. He doesn't seem to be the least bit concerned that he might be in my way. I know it's probably dangerous, but we like to live on the edge.

[Amanda and Quinn]

I have this same problem with working out and it drives me crazy! If I'm stretching on the floor Quinn thinks this an excellent time to contort himself around whatever position I'm in - and hot dog breath is awesome in that situation. And forget it if I walk away from the yoga mat for a minute...

[Frannie & Callie]

I just got an in-home pilates machine (the cheapie kind) to get me off the floor so I can exercise. Callie thinks that me+floor=playtime. She lays on the mat and has twice given me a bloody nose when I'm sitting up and she rushes over to see what's happening.

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas does this, too! My main workout area is a large matted area, probably about 8 x 8. So he loves to lay in the middle of that. But if I'm working out in a different area, I'll put the yoga mat down, and as soon as I move just a little bit, he plops down right in the middle of the mat.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I cannot imagine getting Kona to move from a sleeping position, we can hardly get him to move when he is standing. He just wants to be where we are and that generally means right in the way. We use the command "excuse me" It works marginally with our doodle. It has been easier with our goldens. Kona's the first dog we have had that sticks to us like glue.