Teaching Heel

 Jeanne Perciaccanto

   Teaching your dog to heel is probably the most complex command a dog owner has to learn.  So much so, that many trainers are no longer teaching a formal “Heel” as a command but have gone to a “loose leash” walking.

I still prefer to teach “heel” as a primary part of creating a full and complete form of communication and build the deepest aspect of self control for the dog.

When your dog is on leash, you are the dogs’ only job and responsibility.  Their full attention must be focused on you whether moving or remaining still.

The leash has meaning, intent and purpose.  The mental switch in the dogs head when connected to a leash should produce a direct impact on the dogs’ demeanor and behavior.  Leash means walk here.  Leash means let the cats and squirrels go by.  Leash means follow you!  The leash means calm!

When the dog understands what their responsibility is while on leash, it then becomes easier to teach other responsible behaviors enabling your dogs to be capable of going to more places while remaining focused and calm.  The leash is an extension of you and your leadership with your dog.

Rather than seeing or using the leash as a tool for calm, we create contention and conflict with our dogs. Using the leash to hold or pull the dog back from the abyss of unwanted or expected behaviors, we fight with our dogs in a dance of pull and tug.  A dance they are ready, able and willing to participate in and one they will inevitably win!  The law of unintended consequence creates a dog that will always pull when on leash because they think they are expected to pull!

Before actually beginning the formal lessons for heel, which involves distraction training, I work first on creating calm and focus with the owner.  Building off what I call connectors, I start first in getting the dog to just follow closely and remain next to the owner when stationary. 

There are three points of reference I teach owners to understand which indicates the dogs level of focus.  These are: stand, sit and down.  I do not teach the dog to do any of these but allow the dog to come to them by processing information gained from allowance and consequence.  Dog training is teaching the dog how to make appropriate choices and develop the self-control and responsibility for those choices.

Each point of reference gives the owner an understanding of where the dogs’ mental focus is and the choices your dog is willing to make at that time, which would become, you or the distraction.

If you move a few steps back and away from your dog, does it immediately follow you?

No?  Then your dog is either waiting for you to be responsible for them by pulling on the leash or they are focused on a distraction and not you.

If you proceed forward, the dog will pull directly towards its point of focus.

Standing or remaining still should give the dog a message to remain next to you in a calm state, patiently waiting for your next move or command.  My first steps are to teach the dog to see and respond to your small movements, to follow, then to remain calmly next to you.

The mental points of reference give owners a basis for what and when to move onto the next steps.

A dog standing when they come to you is in decision.  They may sit or move away.

Sit indicates the dog has chosen you over a distraction as an indication of patience, a willingness to await your next move.  Moving away from you is obvious, the dog chose the distraction.

I have owners patiently wait to see which choice the dogs makes and to respond directly by either praising a sit or moving away if the dog leaves.  It may take a few minutes for the dogs to offer a behavior, but patience on our part is necessary.

Once the dog begins to develop patience and self - control by understanding that calm is expected, they will begin to auto sit when you stop.  As they accept your leadership, the dog will lie down next to you which is a mental state of calm.

  By allowing the dogs to choose, you help build self-control and the decision making process.  At this level, I do not give commands nor speak to the dog beyond saying “yes” or “good” to mark their choices. The dog is in complete control over the end result. 

Dogs are incredibly intelligent and we can be unbelievably confusing.  We enter into a realm of frustration babble, an assault of a nonstop barrage of sound to our dogs. I think people believe the more we speak the more the dog will understand. We need to stop trying to make training similar to the experience of a drive-thru restaurant seeking results in 30 second or less.  Giving dogs a space to think, assess and utilize natural trial and error processing, we give our dogs a greater chance of success.

Jeanne Perciaccanto

Ultimate Dog Training

www.ultimatedogtrainingnj.com