The Dog Shuffle

My new puppy stays under my feet.
I kind of push him out of the way, keeping my feet on the ground (hence, the 'dog shuffle') but he hasn't gotten the idea yet.
I'm not as limber as I used to be and I sure don't want to fall over my dogs while walking with them in the back yard.
Any ideas?

I don't avoid puppies. If they are in the way of my feet, they get a pretty rude shove out of the way, or I will exaggeratedly stumble and exclaim. I"m not above mashing a toe to get my point across, either.

They get the point really quick. I cannot have dogs up under my feet. It's dangerous for me and them, so they learn REALLY quickly to get out of my way or else.

I do the same thing as Redyre. If my dog gets in the way, I just keep on walking. If the dog gets shoved by my legs, they then just learn that they shouldn't be standing in front of me when I walk. If they're underfoot while I'm cooking or doing something, and I back into them, they might get their toes stepped on. I go barefoot in the house or wear only socks, so I can't smash their little feet, but they definitely still don't like getting stepped on. They know now that when I give them a warning "move it, mister." that they better move quick if they want to avoid getting their toes stepped on.

Both of my dogs are small, and easy to trip over. One of them could be killed if someone fell on him, so I tend to be very firm when I'm teaching them to mind their distance. With a very large dog it's a bit different, I could just bump my big dogs out of the way and they got the hint. It's kind of hard to trip on a dog whose head is about level with the counters, too.

A very useful command is "get outta here" LOL. It's always been very easy for my dogs to understand - they just need to exit the room that they're in.

My dogs are ALWAYS underfoot and in the way. They've been kicked(not purposely), tripped over, ect etc...but they have not gotten the idea.

Depending on the size of the dog, Redyre's advice could be either excellent, or horrible. I advise not kicking a small breed dog. (I actually advise not kicking any dog, but what I mean by "kicking" is continue walking the way you normally would, and if they get run over, they get run over. They will eventually learn to stay out of the way.)

edited because I cannot spell

I cant really say anything to this because i have a two big Lab mixes so its easy to see where they are and surprisingly they have never like walked under our feet but our one year old Lab/rottie mix ALWAYS lays in the kitchen and wont move so we either like push him accross the floor or drag him accross the floor so hes out of the way but he never seems to learn. ughh

If my dogs are in my way, I give them a little nudge or say, "Go lay down!"

awww... I have that same exact problem. I'm so soft hearted, I can't stand to step on my puggy's feet, so I just slowly make my way across the room, while he's trying to either step on ME or bite my toes off. if I ever step on one of his paws by accident, you should see me. I apologize to him over and over again... haha he's got me trained. I'll try doing that whole thing of just shoving him out of the way.

If you will re read my post, you will not see me giving advice to anyone, but rather telling what *I* do with *MY* dogs.

I do not kick dogs. Ever. I would consider kicking a dog for any reason to be abuse.

I do walk where I will, and if they are in my path, they might get a toe mashed, or briskly shoved out of the way.

Anyone with reading comprehension would realize that I don't have small dogs.

I am sorry tht I offended you, but fact of life: People do dumb things and don't always use logic. It is best to forewarn, whether you are offended or not.