Training your dog in a quiet backyard is one thing, but what really matters is whether that training holds up in the real world. At Monument City Dog, we believe in taking dogs out into everyday environments to help them build the emotional regulation, neutrality, and coping skills they need to thrive in life with their humans.
Here are a few of the go-to spots around Baltimore where we train our dogs to be calm, focused, and responsive even in the middle of chaos.
Patterson Park
One of our favorite spots for foundational work, Patterson Park offers enough space to decompress while still having plenty of natural distractions. We use this park to practice leash manners, neutrality around dogs, and settling in a new environment. It’s a great place to build calm confidence before heading into more stimulating areas.
What we work on here: Structured walking, exposure to bikes and dogs, recall, and calm place work on benches or open grassy areas.
Ovenbird
Dogs are allowed inside at Ovenbird, which makes it one of our favorite training spots. It’s a cozy, dog-friendly coffee shop where we practice having dogs settle inside at our feet, even when people are coming and going, conversations are happening around them, and espresso machines are buzzing.
What we work on here:
Extended down-stays in a stimulating indoor space, neutrality around people, smells, and noise, and relaxing indoors without pacing, panting, or reactivity. It’s a great real-life test of impulse control and a great way to build calm confidence in public spaces.
Fells Point
With narrow sidewalks, waterfront traffic, and unpredictable foot traffic, Fells is a great place for more advanced dogs to test their skills. We walk through the cobblestone streets with dogs working on leash pressure, engagement, and calm passing of other dogs or people.
What we work on here: Leash reactivity, heel in tight spaces, impulse control around food and noise, and neutrality with dogs and strangers.
Home Depot
Home Depot is dog-friendly and full of sights, sounds, smells, and slippery floors, making it a perfect location for exposure and confidence-building. The wide aisles allow us to move freely and practice commands around carts, tools, and loud noises.
What we work on here: Confidence in novel environments, down-stays near distractions, leash pressure, and neutrality around strangers.
Petco
We visit Petco for controlled exposure to other dogs, small animals, and overstimulating smells. It’s not about shopping, it’s about helping dogs stay regulated in a space that would have overwhelmed them before training.
What we work on here: Engagement with the handler, ignoring other dogs, maintaining sit and down-stays, and threshold work at doors.
Nordstrom Rack & Michael’s (Canton Crossing)
Both stores allow dogs and both provide great training opportunities in higher-distraction environments. These outings help bridge the gap between structured obedience and real-world application. The aisles are tighter and there’s more foot traffic, which creates a solid challenge for dogs who are progressing well.
What we work on here: Calm walking through aisles, staying on place while the handler browses, and impulse control around people and carts.
Why We Train in Public
Your dog doesn’t live in a training bubble, so we don’t train in one either. Our board and train dogs work in real environments every single week so they learn how to stay connected, calm, and composed even when the world around them is noisy, exciting, or unpredictable.
If you’re ready for training that actually holds up in real life, we’d love to help.