When teaching your dog to heel, you'll probably have to start outdoors. Even if you have a small dog and lots of space indoors, heeling is a pretty silly thing to do inside. And most dogs can see that this is so. There's no reason why you can't start out in a fairly quiet outdoor spot and, as your dog catches on, gradually begin to work him around distractions.
Start with a “Sit, Stay.” Call your dog to your left side, guiding him with his leash, and say “Sit.” This is the heel position: the dog is sitting at your left side, facing straight ahead, his head and shoulders even with your hip. You are both now ready to begin. But first, check and make sure your dog is sitting straight. If he is not, when you start to walk forward, he will either cross in front of you and trip you, or, if he is pointed away from you, he may not even notice that you have started without him.
Having him sit straight inspires him to pay attention. So if he sits crooked, take the time to straighten him each and every time you practice the heel. This means he is facing the same way you are so that when you begin to walk, you and your dog will be parallel. In addition, since the dog is naturally attuned to body language, you are going to cue him by beginning to walk on your left leg, the leg closest to him. You will also move your left leg last, taking a full step with the right and closing up with the left.
In this way, the dog will not only follow the word “Heel,” but he will follow your left leg, the one he can see better since it is closer to him. To reinforce this, from now on when you leave
your dog on a “Stay,” leave by moving your right leg first. In this case, since the dog will not be with you, it does not matter which leg you move last when you stop. So when your dog is moving along with you, start and stop on the left leg and when your dog is remaining behind, leave him there moving your right leg first.
With your left leg, walk forward, say his name, then “Heel.” Walk at a nice, brisk pace. If he remains seated or lags, tug and release with the leash, repeating the command “Heel.” If he forges ahead, jerk him back and then release the leash, saying “Heel” or “No, Heel!” as you make the correction. Save his name for positive reenforcement. Do not work with a tight leash, forcing the dog to remain at your side. It is better to jerk and release. If you force him to stay in the heel position, he will never learn to assume it on his own on a loose leash.
When correcting him, jerk the leash so that you actually move your dog's front feet back to the place they should be. Do not merely tug away at his neck. This is merely annoying without being constructive; it does not tell the dog where he should walk. As you correct, also sweeten the work by patting your left leg, talking to him, praising him for each and every step taken without the need for a correction.
When you stop, make sure you move your left leg last and your dog must sit. Say “Sit.” Praise him when he does. This sit is supposed to be automatic. By the end of your first week of daily practice, your dog should start to sit without being reminded whenever you stop walking. Always praise him for doing so by saying “Good Dog” in your warmest voice and leaning down and hugging him against your leg. You do this by swinging your arm around his left side and back onto his chest. Hugging him against your leg reinforces the heel position as well as the automatic sit, which inspired the hug in the first place.
Don't expect your heeling exercises to work smoothly right away or even all the time. Even dogs have good days and bad days. If your dog is having a bad day, he may still execute a near perfect “Sit, Stay.” But he may be too distracted to heel well. That doesn't mean you shouldn't practice. But you might want to cut your practice short this time. Be sure to end on a positive note by doing something your dog will do well even on his bad days. Lessons should end sweetly so that both of you will want to get back to work again the next day.
Of course, if your dog is having a bad day every day, there's something wrong in your training program. How do you train your dog? Are you clear with your instructions? Are you patient, or do you shrug your shoulders and quit in the middle? Are you fair, swift, and forgiving? Are you working long enough? You should practice for at least half an hour a day. Practice ten minutes on your dog's morning walk after he has relieved himself and twenty minutes on his evening walk.
Once a week or so, work for forty-five minutes or an hour at one shot. Even a five month old puppy can handle it if given a rest in the middle. Ask yourself if your expectations are high enough. Your dog can read your attitude, and he can fulfill it, too. He is not dumb. He can learn to work beautifully, no matter what his breed. It's only a matter of time until he heels well. Be patient and keep working.
If you have passed the above criteria and your dog is still having seven bad days a week, perhaps you are not attentive when you train. Your dog will know this, too, and if you don't pay attention to his work, he won't pay attention to it either. Why should he? But if you do give him thirty minutes a day of your full attention, you'll end up with a well-trained dog.
When you are out working and teaching your dog the virtues of heeling, sprinkle in all his other commands as well. It will give the work variety. It will teach your dog to make smooth transitions between commands, that which will make him look like an intelligent, working creature. This magic usually happens about five weeks along in the training. That's the time when many dogs seem to understand the larger picture, when things click. However, your dog may get the point in four weeks - or in eight.
Don't worry about it. Just enjoy it when you see it happen. At that point, when he's attentive without reminders, when he'll heel with few corrections, when he sits automatically whenever you stop, when he executes his commands on verbal cue without additional manipulation, continue to practice, occasionally pushing the time so that he learns to work for a longer period without a break. Also, intersperse play with your training. And, when you're safely indoors and at home, begin some of his off leash puppy work. By now, he's coming along so well that nothing could stop you!
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