THE HEEL ON LEASH EXERCISE: Your dog has learned to walk by your side and to sit when you stop walking. This is the heel-sit part of the total obedience exercise known as heeling. Now your dog must continue walking by your side, stopping and sitting, when you stop walking, and additionally, turning with you as you turn, and changing its heeling pace and position to adapt to your speed.
While walking with your dog at the heel position, turn sharply to your right, away from your dog, turn 180 degrees and continue heeling, going in the opposite direction. Do not wait for your dog! This is known as the "about- turn."
Correct your dog for lagging on the about- turn by using sharp, firm jerks (snaps) on the leash and the command "heel", as you turn away from your dog.
Training tip: Do not pivot. Give your dog time to move with you. Use your voice in praise and encouragement. Use happy, excited voice tones!
While walking with your dog at the heel position, turn sharply and very tightly to your left, into your dog's path, manipulating the dog around, with jerks on the leash or bumping of the knee or foot, out of your way as you turn 180 degrees to your left and then continue the heeling exercise in the opposite direction. This is known as the "left-u-turn". Remember to use a happy voice when praising and/or encouraging.
Correct your dog for turning wide or interfering with your movement with sharp jerks on the leash and the command "heel, heel, heel". Also, you can pat your left leg and make "cute" sounds for encouragement. Then praise in a happy, cheerful voice as your dog complies.
Repeat the left-u-turn several times and practice it often as you work with your dog in the heeling exercise.
THE CHANGE-OF-PACE: Slow and fast.
While working the heeling exercise, suddenly slow your normal, brisk walking pace to a very, very slow walking speed. In class, you will have someone call out, "slow", at which time you will cut your walking speed down to this very, very slow pace. Make your dog pay attention to you! No sniffing of the ground, just because you are moving slowly. Do not allow your dog to pull on the end of a tight leash! If your dog does not heel jerk (snap) the leash back to you with a stern command to "heel". In class, you will have someone call out, "normal", at which time you will adjust your walking speed back up to your normal, brisk pace.
Repeat the slow heeling pace often and interchange it in various patterns with the about-turn and the left-u-turn.
While working the heeling exercise, suddenly speed your pace up to a point where your dog will have to run or trot very fast. Jerk forward on the leash and command, "heel" as you begin to speed forward. Praise your dog for speeding up and maintaining your pace. Your dog must run on your left side parallel to your left leg under control not jumping about and around you in play. After a few, brief moments, suddenly slow back down to your normal, brisk heeling pace.
Praise your dog for slowing down to your new pace, if it does so. Correct it with a jerk on the leash, if your dog does not slow down and stay under control in the heel position.
In class, you will have someone call out, "fast", at which time you will suddenly change your heeling pace into a run, maintaining your dog beside you in the controlled heeling position. Then someone will call out, "normal", you will slacken your pace back to your normal, brisk walk for heeling. Repeat the fast heeling pace often and interchange it in various patterns with the slow, normal paces and the about-turn and the left-u-turn.
Practice your heeling exercise daily for very short periods of time. Walk briskly and require that your dog maintain your pace. Encourage through happy voice tones, praise, patting of leg, and any cute noises you can make with your mouth. Correct by jerks on the collar and commands of "heel", whenever your dog lags, pulls you, or sniffs at anything. Remember to change your heeling patterns often. Make them up each day, as you go along. Don't forget to include lots of halts with sits. Remember to praise your dog often as encouragement and/or reward for correct heeling and vary your routine, so your dog does not become bored!
THE FIGURE-8-HEEL: Find two objects at home... chairs, trees, anything. In class we will use fellow trainees and their dogs. Place the objects eight feet apart, with plenty of space for you and your dog to move around them. When practicing with other dogs, they and their handler can be the "posts" with the dog in the heel-sit position.
Position yourself with your dog in a heel-sit position, in the center of the two objects (posts), two feet on the outside, You may begin the heeling around these objects either to your right or left. It does not matter which direction you begin. Walk at your normal, brisk heeling pace, first around one object, then the other, forming a figure-8 pattern as you go. Maintain your dog in the heel position by your left side. Dogs tend to lag when they are on the outside of a turn, and crowd into you, when they are on the inside of a turn. Watch for this and correct for it. Vary the figure-8-heeling with a few halts with sits.
Begin with your dog in the sitting position by your left side. Take all of the leash into you right hand, lean forward as you command "Fido... stand". Use a firm, encouraging tone of voice. Say stand in a smooth voice. Place your left hand on your dog's tummy (from your side of the dog, never reaching over the dog) and lift gently up as you pull forward on the leash with your right hand. Praise your dog as it comes up into a standing position. Command "stay", still using a smooth, firm voice tone. Repeat "stand-stay" several times, while rubbing your dog's tummy gently and praise with a "good dog... good dog" as it stands for a few moments. Now, do the exercise finish. Relax your dog and praise it. Take your dog back to where you started, (heeling, of course) and repeat several stands until your dog gets the idea.
In the next lesson, you will attempt to leave your dog in a stand-stay as you walk around the dog once or twice then go to the end of the leash and back to your dog.
REVIEW:
Refer to the Heeling Patterns for your second "class." Don't forget
to incorporate the sit-stay and the down-stay into your "class" after your
heeling exercises.
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