Heeling Short Dogs

[Tiggy]

The people with large dogs have it so easy with the dogs head up near their hand. I've just taught my Stafford Banjo to catch food so I don't lean down to him and he's heeling beautifully. He loves catching the food and it's got his focus up. What do other short dog owners do?

[shoemonster]

I know some people teach focus on their hand rather than their face so that their little dog doesnt curl around the front to be able to see them

I train Ed in drive with food and I throw treats, or drop them for him, but mostly when heeling he gets his marker word for nice focus (that was taught with throwing it) , and the big treat at the end.

[Kelpie-i]

Really, really tall people, with really, really short dogs can use a table to establish focus when heeling without hurting their backs (just be careful you don't allow dog to fall off the end)..but if the dog can be taught to catch food, that makes life a lot easier.

It's not impossible though!!!

[dogdude]

Hi Tiggy

I teach focus from a static position, and at first get the dog to hold eye contact. When the dog is doing that well, I then progress to a one way contact, with the dog targeting my whole head (and its movement), while I am looking straight ahead (use a helper to help mark desired response).

If you keep the focus on your head, you can then turn your head just before you turn to give your dog a nice early signal, of the direction you are about to go in.

If you are hand feeding, make sure you are rewarding for the correct area of focus.

If your dog is fully focused on the food itself, he isn't concentrating on the job at hand.

For this reason, I don't reward from the hand very often. I send to a food target or jackpot.

[TerraNik]

My dogs jump up to my hand or catch the treat when they're learning. Now I use food pots (don't carry treats on me).