Teaching the heel command
06-30-2003, 11:59 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 3,406
RE: Teaching the heel command
Start off with the dog to your left, so when he sits his shoulder should be equal to your hips and facing straight ahead. Take the end of the lead in your right hand and the slack from the dog in your left. Keep just enough leash in your left hand so that when you give a tug, the dog feels it immediately and there is not excess slack. Now simply take one or two small steps, stop and tell your dog to " heel" as you tug on his leash. Now tell your dog to sit. Reward him and continue again. One small step now becomes 2, them 3 etc and when you stop you want the dog to stop beside you and facing front. If he stops and sits facing you, correct him, and reward him again. The trick here is small steps, the heel command, then sit with a correction and a reward. It may take some time but practicie this with your dog, 3-4 times a day for only about 5 min each time. You will soon be walking with your dog by your side and when you stop he will also stop and sit facing front. Please let me emphasize again, start slow with small steps and only do this for about 5 min or so. Four times a day for 5 min each time is better than twice a day for 10 min. When it stops being fun or you get frustrated because he' s not doing as well as you want...it' s time for a break. Repetition + reward = results. Good Luck.
07-30-2003, 07:23 PM
#4
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19
RE: Teaching the heel command
I would also get a pinch collar, they demand attention a lot better than a choke collar. Plus they will keep the dog from pulling when walking. To teach walking at heel, give the dog only enough slack to where his shoulder is in line with your hip or thiegh. Then start at a slow walk, and about every two steps say " heel" I did it like a cadence, every time my left foot hit the ground I said heel. Then when he stops pulling on the leash start the sit at heel. Just walk and then stop and say heel, push his rump down do this until he gets the idea. After that go to what I call the clock drill Face at 12o' clock have dog sitting at heel by your side, Then just pivot to 3o' clock have the dog on a very tight leash, tell him heel-up and bring him around (you can use any command, I use heel-up to get him to sit at my side and heel to get him to walk at my side.) Do this until you and the dog are half dizzy (about 5 to 10 min a day). I incorporate a sharp snap with the pinch collar kinda like the ear pinch in FF that way he moves quickly to my side to avoide the pinch on his neck. that is my $.02 hope it helped
YL03
YL03
07-30-2003, 07:42 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Toronto Ohio USA
Posts: 11
RE: Teaching the heel command
the way I taught my dogs to heal was to take a long lead hold it my right hand with dog on left put a good bit of slack in your left hand start walking the dog when he(she) moves out in front of you say heal and put the lead over your head as you turn and walk in the oppisite direction of the dog he will keep walking forward until out if lead where he has to turn and catch up with you going the other way after a few times of this he will stick close as to know where you are going I have tried this method many times all without failure. let me know if this works for you.
GSPatton
GSPatton
