Heel Position For Toy Breeds

[Zug Zug]

I've been trying to decide how close I should ask my bichon to heel to me.

I'm thinking a few things. First - according to the rule book as far as I can make out it's supposed to be 'as close as practicable'. Very helpful.

Second - pretty sensible for toy breeds to want to put a little bit of distance between their faces and our feet. They've learnt this lesson a few times in the kitchen, right? (I don't mean kicking them, more the kind of accidental tripping over them that sometimes happens with dogs that like to be close to you all the time.)

Larger dogs - no problem - they can heel really close without their faces being anywhere near our feet.

So I'm thinking maybe allow, say, 15-20 cms between my feet and my little dog.

Wondering what other peoples' experiences and thoughts are.

[dogdude]

You should teach heel, "as close as practical".

Large dogs still have feet that get trodden on, so its just a matter of being careful rather than allowing a wider heel IMO.

Small dogs really do highlight a wide heel because of their size, so you need to be carefull.

I would be thinking about teaching a focal and turning cue lower on my body if anything.

[tunagirll]

I've been trying to decide how close I should ask my bichon to heel to me.

I'm thinking a few things. First - according to the rule book as far as I can make out it's supposed to be 'as close as practicable'. Very helpful.

Second - pretty sensible for toy breeds to want to put a little bit of distance between their faces and our feet. They've learnt this lesson a few times in the kitchen, right? (I don't mean kicking them, more the kind of accidental tripping over them that sometimes happens with dogs that like to be close to you all the time.)

Larger dogs - no problem - they can heel really close without their faces being anywhere near our feet.

So I'm thinking maybe allow, say, 15-20 cms between my feet and my little dog.

Wondering what other peoples' experiences and thoughts are.

My pom heels next to me, about just under half a metre away. I find this works great for me, as I don't trip over him when turning left!

[prodigybxr]

So long as a solid hind-end awareness is taught- they should be able to heel just like bigger dogs, IMO.

[milzi09]

Both my dogs heel further away from me than they probably should. But I think this is to do with the fact that to look up at me and actually see my face they have to be further away or else the angle doesn't work and they only see my shoulder.

You try getting to their level and looking up at someone from their 'heel' positions and see how you go

[dogdude]

So long as a solid hind-end awareness is taught- they should be able to heel just like bigger dogs, IMO.

I agree too! And your little mite is one of the best small dog heelers that I have seen!

[prodigybxr]

So long as a solid hind-end awareness is taught- they should be able to heel just like bigger dogs, IMO.

I agree too! And your little mite is one of the best small dog heelers that I have seen!

Your too kind! I'll get back into it one of these days!

[Zug Zug]

I agree too! And your little mite is one of the best small dog heelers that I have seen!

Should I take this to mean that small dog heeling position is a common problem then?

Yes I'm working on getting him looking up at me but no way can he look all the way up to my face from all the way down there.

[dogdude]

Should I take this to mean that small dog heeling position is a common problem then?

Hi ZugZug

In the scheme of things, to be honest, there are not all that many toy breeds higher up in the obedience ranks. The higher you go up it seems, the more small dog hurdles there are.

The distance exercises are a prime example. Slightly longer grass can mean seeing and not seeing gloves, boxes and dumbells.

You don't have to have the dog look at your face to have good focus and hold good position, but again, its an advantage for an early natural turning cue for a larger dog. You tend to naturally look into the direction that you walk, and you can teach it as a turning cue to bigger dogs without it looking like an obvious heads up in front of the judge.

You could probably get away with cueing with your left elbow if you got the signal working in a watered down way.

[skip]

I started at basic obedience when I adopted my smaller dogs. And yes, I found that it was hard to get them in correct heel place. One is a bit bigger and he just had a little bum swing out at times. But the small girl does travel too far away.

I do agility but some obedience just for fun. I would like the girl to keep up better, she seems to lag now as she naturally likes to walk just to the left and behind my heels.

I would have been happy with 15-20 cm!

[angelsun]

Heel position is heel position, regardless of the size of dog (in my opinion) I've had numerous sized dogs and teach them all the same and that is not twisting and looking up at me, but to focus on my left leg. I found it keeps the sits nice and straight for the most part and my dogs never lose me during the first step out as long as I remember to use the left leg first (which has been drilled into my head for years)

[Zug Zug]

Thanks for the info - glad to hear it's not just us with this difficulty.

We're not pitching for the higher levels of obedience. My little guy is 11 years old and I won't be taking him that far. Perhaps CCD but that would be it for him I suspect - and even that depends on me being sure he's enjoying himself. More about quality time for him and me, than really looking to be competitive.

So in my mind I'm thinking I really adore this dog and if he needs a little space while heeling that's fine. I'll get him in as close as I can with clicks and reinforcement, be patient and be happy with that. At the level we're working at, I'm thinking we'd lose some points in a CCD setting but could pass with that kind of approach. If not, well we're not playing for cattle stations!

Good to hear I can relax a bit about his gaze not making it all the way up to my face. I do suspect that is a geometrical (and possibly medical) impossibility for a dog of his small stature. My medium sized dog does it comfortably - so I guess in this context size really does matter.

Thanks for your replies. Next time I go to a trial I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for those amazing little Papillons and see how they (and their handlers) deal with this issue.