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Teaching Heel...
- It's best to practice this in the same, distraction free, room you've been teaching everything else in.
- Begin by holding a treat in your hand with your dog on a (short) leash. Hold the treat in the hand on the side you want
your dog to heel on. (For the k-9 good citizen test it will have to be your left side)
- Your dog's neck should be at your leg. Take one step forward, saying "heel" and keep your dog's neck next to your
leg with gentle pressure from the leash. After one step praise your dog and try again.
- Take it slow! Don't walk around your whole house expecting your dog to heel the whole way. Start with just one step at
a time. Once you can turn, walk a across a large room and stop with your dog sitting by your side take it outside.
- Don't expect perfection. If your dog tries to pull you somewhere just stop. Wait till he turns his head around and wonders
why you're not coming and then takes a few steps toward you. He needs to know that when he pulls he doesn't get to go anywhere.
Troubleshooting Heel
- If your dog is already big, talk to a clerk at Petsmart or Petco about getting a "no pull" harness to start out with.
It'll be a lifesaver as well as a hand and sanity saver!
- Be sure your treats are smelly, yummy and your dog knows you have them! They will pay attention to you alot better when
the treats are close to their nose and they are trying to get them out of your hand!
- The only way to get your dog used to distractions is taking it on as many walks as possible. This kind of kills 2 birds
with 1 stone though because all puppies and dogs need at least one good walk a day. Remember, you only practiced walking across
your room, we're now talking about going miles! This will not be a spectacular trip and if you begin to get frustrated DON'T
try to teach heel, just work on not being dragged along. Continue to stop whenever he pulls after a squirrel or other distraction.
- As dogs get older they tend to calm down and have longer attention spans. Don't give up!
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