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HEEL
I think one of the most common behavior problems I see from new dog owners is the dog pulling on the leash. If I had a dollar for everyone who ever asked me how to keep their dog from pulling on the leash......
There is really a simple solution to this. The one thing that I think is essential is that your dog must understand that pulling and tension in the leash is simply unacceptable. And this is really where the communication gets so messed up. What happens so many times because there is constant tension in the leash, that is the only thing the dog understands that IS acceptable. Think about this from yoru dog's point of view. If there is no correction as he pulls (even if it is only tension as the dog is standing there), it is hard for the dog to understand what you want. Because there is no correction he thinks it's OK. Remember that the completion of the bad behavior is in itself a reward. If your dog is able to pull and does NOT get corrected, that is rewarding to your dog.
At the same time, there are going to be times we let the dog pull on the leash. A great example is if you are walking your dog, sometimes he or she is going to want to smell and pull.
Here is the point though. There are times where you are going to want the dog to walk next to you, not lunge at other people or dogs, and have good manners. You want to have the control to know that if you want to command the dog to do that, he will. And that is where the HEEL can really be useful.
As I mentioned, it is all about first teaching the dog not to pull, meaning that there should be total slack in the leash. If when you are teaching your dog to HEEL, and from the beginning he is pulling, you are really in for a tough go because it becomes confusing to your dog. The communication has already been messed up because he is now being allowed to pull. Because there is no correction, he thinks it's OK.
PRE-TRAINING EXERCISE
I have a very cool and unique way to start this. A great tip is to start off just standing with your dog in a place where there are very few distractions. Put the dog on your left side of you keeping his nose in back of your leg. It is essential you understand you are not asking your dog to do anything other that keeping his nose parallel or in back of your leg. The rules are you dog CAN sit, lie down, or stand. He can do anything he wants exect apply tention to the leash. When that happens, you immediately will correct the dog. Your timing must be good. Once he literally moves a few inches in front of your leg and applies that tension you need to correct him right away. Again, you are not saying anything. Try doing this for 15-20 minues a few times a day before you go to train the HEEL. Do not continue on to the next phase until your dog understands this.
TRAINING OF THE HEEL
My way of teaching the HEEL is probably a little different than you might have seen in the past. You are always going to have your dog on the left of you. Since you have completed the pre-training your dog understands there is constant slack. That is very important. You are going to start off using a very small area for the first three to four days. These first few days involve you literally pivoting a foot, and making small circles in either direction. We are going to start off going to the left.
Begin by saying the word HEEL, and VERY SLOWLY pivoting your left foot pulling the dog back as you do so his the dog's nose is always either parallel or behind your leg. Continue until you make one revolution. It should take about 5 seconds to make a revolution. If you did it faster than 5 seconds, you went too fast. As you do this over and over, you will see that you are going to have to correct your dog less as you say the word HEEL. Your dog will start taking it upon himself to start moving back as you pivot your left leg in his direction. He is starting to understand what you want.
When youd dog understand you going left, begin the right foot pivot. You are now going to say the word HEEL , and pivot your right foot. This might be a little mroe challenging because you are going to have to pull the dog into you. The same thing applies to your dog going left. This should take about 5 seconds to make a revolution. If you did it faster than 5 seconds, you went too fast. As you do this over and over, you will see that you are going to have to correct your dog less as you say the word HEEL as you make a move to the right.
Once your dog understand both, you can start combining left and right turns. Once your dog understands that, you can then start walking very slowly forward a few steps, and making left and right revolutions. For a video on this behavior, go to the HEEL Online Dog Training area.
TRAINING TOOLS
If you are training a dog that is doing a lot of pulling, it is a good idea to have something that will give you as much control as possible. As far as leashes go, I would highly recommend some very strong leather leash that is comfortable on your hands, and also strong for a dog that might really want to jump.
I would also recommend any kind of collar that will give you optimum control for RED or ORANGE DOGS such as:
| Alternative Training Collar |
| Check Choke Collars |
| Titan Chain Collar |
| Control Ease Head Collar |
| Remington Nylon Check Cord |
| Control Ease Clicker |
| Titan Pinch Collar |
If you are dealing with BLUE, GREEN, OR YELLOW dog, you will probably want to use your dog's adjustable nylon collar that he wears.
For a cool DVD on teaching your dog to heel, go to our Dog Training DVD Order Page.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OTHER INTERMEDIATE BEHAVIORS CLICK HERE:
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