2torial #0430:
Learn2 Train Your Dog to Heel

The heeling process

There's nothing quite as annoying as walking a rambunctious dog. The minute you pull out the leash, it happily jumps all over you. You open the door, and it's out like a shot, pulling you wherever it wants to go. Together, you lurch toward trees and fire hydrants, into traffic, and when it sees another dog, well, all "heel" breaks loose.

But training your dog to heel--or walk calmly beside you--will make walking your pet an easy and fun process, so you'll look forward to your time together in the streets.

Before the two of you begin to learn the heeling process, your dog should already know the basic commands: "Come" and "Sit." A dog's owner should be the person who trains the dog to heel. If a friend, family member, or trainer teaches your dog this skill, your dog will see that person as the authority figure--not you--which is certainly not the point of this exercise.

Finally, the key to teaching your dog any new skill is positive reinforcement. Reward your dog with treats and praise when it does well, and correct it quickly and firmly when it makes mistakes. Be as clear and consistent as possible. Believe it or not, your dog wants to please you, and to a canine, there's nothing more frustrating than an unclear message. If you're willing to practice, repeating the same, basic maneuvers, your dog will quickly learn to heel like a champ.

Note: This 2torial assumes you're using a regular buckle collar. If you're using a chain or nylon choke collar, or a prong collar, don't snap the leash as hard--in an attempt to correct mistakes--as you would with a buckle collar. Some amount of correction already occurs whenever the dog pulls against a choke or prong collar.

Establish the heel position

Stand with your leashed dog sitting by your side. The classic heel position calls for your dog to be on your left, but you can train your dog on either side--just be consistent so your dog doesn't get confused. You should hold the leash fairly tightly, gathering the slack in the hand furthest from the dog. In this hand, you should also hold some treats. Stand in a relaxed position with both hands loosely at your waist and your elbows out. Let your dog smell the treats to get its attention, but don't give it one yet.

Give the command

Step forward with the leg closest to the dog. At the same time, sweep the hand with the treats forward and parallel to the dog's eye level, so it can smell and see the treats, but can't get to them. This move is not to tease your dog, but simply to keep its attention. You'll have to bend over to do this if the dog is small. Now, straighten up, bring the hand with the treats back to waist level, give the leash a quick, authoritative tug and say clearly and firmly, "Heel!"

Continue walking with both hands at waist level. If your dog crosses your body to go for the treats right away, quickly correct it with a leash snap and an authoritative "No!" Bring the dog back to the heel position and start again.

Note: When teaching your dog any skill, there's never a need to correct your dog's mistakes with any method more harsh than an authoritative leash snap. The way to do this is to quickly and firmly tug the leash, so it snaps the dog back into attention. It may pain you to punish your dog, but it's a relatively painless and effective way to establish who's boss. Just don't use the snap in any capacity other than correction.

Continue walking and praise

Continue walking. If your dog continues to walk properly by your side, praise it in an animated voice: "Good dog, Spot! Good Spot! What a good dog!" Constant positive reinforcement is required to encourage the dog.

After three or four more steps, stop abruptly, tug quickly and firmly on the leash, and give the sit command. When your dog is sitting, praise it lavishly for a job well done and give it a treat.

If your dog is pulling at the leash, jumping, and clearly doesn't understand the heeling concept, don't worry. This doesn't mean your dog is attention deficient. It does mean, however, that a lot of repetition is in order. As soon as it begins to misbehave, snap the leash and have the dog sit. At this point, it may be a good idea to give your dog one treat to hold its attention.

When it's focused on you, establish the heeling position and repeat Step 2. Even if there are nearby distractions, the knowledge that you have treats should hold your dog's attention over anything else. If it doesn't, and your dog is constantly pulling at its leash to look at other things, try moving the training to an environment where your dog can completely focus on the task at hand, such as a long hallway, or an empty field.

Repeat

Patience is the key to successful dog training. Now it's time to repeat, repeat, repeat. Take your dog out at least twice a day, practicing the heeling method over and over. Each time, reward your dog with treats. Remember to make heeling fun for the dog, so that it will be excited about training with you.

It's best not to train with your dog for more than 15 minutes at a time, since you'll both get tired. If you're taking it on a long walk, implement the heel command for the first 15 minutes or so of your walk. When you've both had enough, release the dog from training mode, praise it lavishly, and continue on your walk at ease. However, don't give it treats while you're walking out of the heel formation. Save the rewards for when you're training, so it doesn't expect yummy treats all of the time.

As time goes on, heeling should become less about practice, and more of a standard. After two weeks, expect the dog to heel all of the time, even in busy public places and for long periods of time. If it falters, go back to the basics: heel, sit, treat, repeat. With time and practice, your dog will get the hang of it, and the two of you will be able to go anywhere.

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