Training A Dog To Heel

[SkySoaringMagpie]

I've seen a lot of different approaches to teaching heeling, a few really outstanding trainers but mostly it's been slow and painful.

What I'm after the best way is to teach novice handlers and dogs to heel because I have no idea!!

I nearly always come unstuck because I've been super fussy about foundation (ie, particularly getting the correct position) and I end up having them all behind in the syllabus and bored witless.

So, lecture me please. What are your building blocks and how do you string them together? What are you prepared to compromise on accuracy wise so that people and dogs don't lose focus? What are the key messages, the things an experienced person might assume but which are fundamental to success? I'm talking here about formal heeling, not loose lead walking. I find teaching loose lead walking is a doddle compared to heeling...

[luvsablue]

I've seen a lot of different approaches to teaching heeling, a few really outstanding trainers but mostly it's been slow and painful.

What I'm after the best way is to teach novice handlers and dogs to heel because I have no idea!!

I nearly always come unstuck because I've been super fussy about foundation (ie, particularly getting the correct position) and I end up having them all behind in the syllabus and bored witless.

So, lecture me please. What are your building blocks and how do you string them together? What are you prepared to compromise on accuracy wise so that people and dogs don't lose focus? What are the key messages, the things an experienced person might assume but which are fundamental to success? I'm talking here about formal heeling, not loose lead walking. I find teaching loose lead walking is a doddle compared to heeling...

My main building block is to mark the behaviour with praise, food a game, when the dog is in the correct heel position, and to teach attention, watch etc first and as a separate thing, when the dog can watch you while it is walking beside you you start heel work. A bit further down the track I start circling. It is vital that you do the same footwork for every turn, the dog learns these and gets to know a left, a right a halt etc.

So I would suggest is teaching your novice handlers the footwork, they can practice this without their dogs.

Each handler/dog team will need to adopt the best footwork for them. You can watch and suggest things as they progress.

But praise is vital every time the dog is doing it right, and especially after a correction when it is out of position

Hope this helps

luvsablue

[Cosmolo]

I teach with a lure as a stationary position, then short bursts with lure, then start to wean off. But to be honest- i don't think its a great method for impatient handlers or dogs that have trouble luring either- i have tried a few different methods and this is the one that works best for the majority of dogs and handlers but its far from perfect. We do squares and circles to help with handling skills and hind end awareness once the dogs are moving.

We teach loose lead walking separately but i think its good to start teaching stationary heel at the same time, ie early on so that when you start to work more on heeling the dogs have a better understanding and handlers don't get as impatient.

I too would be interested to hear how others teach it as its one training exercise i'm not completely happy with.

ETA I don't talk alot about footwork to begin with- most people are struggling with the half dozen other things required so footwork is introduced later as an additional cue

Edited January 4, 2010 by Cosmolo

[Ptolomy]

Cider has been trained around figure 8's rewarding every step and in a slowish pace - she doesn't take her eyes off me

I trained "line Up" and "focus" separately using click and treat

[luvsdogs]

I taught Tilba to heel 1st by stationary heel position with food lure, then on the move without a lead, only a couple of steps to start with. When starting to wean off food I still hold my hand/arm in the same position as I did when I had food. I then started with finishes both around the back & flip return. All with hand signals, first with & then without food.

I'm not a trialler yet, so this has only had limited effect because I mostly practice in my driveway. She looses focus if I go into the yard. Although at the dog club she will stay with me for a very short time by using the same method, only on lead.

With my previous bc it was all learnt with a check chain, jerk & pull, all it did was make her lag.

[luvsablue]

Good point luvsdogs' check chain jerk and pull does make them lag, and they look bored and miserable as well.

from luvsablue

[Misha]

i start with forwards and back turns.It tends to give focus. Do not forget a lot of reward/praise on every turn.

Then move to steps. One step or two forward then sit or stay.Mixed . For a start. Than i move to positioning and right turns.

Cheers,

Misha

Edited January 4, 2010 by Misha

[pipsqueak]

I trained "line Up" and "focus" separately using click and treat

Can you explain these further, please?

[Ptolomy]

Cider has been trained around figure 8's rewarding every step and in a slowish pace - she doesn't take her eyes off me

I trained "line Up" and "focus" separately using click and treat

This is 6 month old Cider and was taken tonight

http://www.youtube.com/watch\?v=A0QyDgERkoc

The line up and focus....... I would lure her into a sit and stand next to her so she was in heel position - the moment she looked at me I would multiple feed her so several bits of food in quick succession and then step away. I would do this several times a day - so whenever she was sitting on my left it became a great place to be.

I then progressed to clicking and treating and slowing the delivery of food down.

[ness]

ETA - will remove my post since I was the only one having issues .

Edited January 6, 2010 by ness

[bedazzledx2]

working fine here...maybe your connection Ness Very nice work from the lovely Cider....a star of the future

Hmm Ptolomy that link isn't working for me for some reason.

[ness]

Ok I give up - my link works here Ptolomy's post link doesn't and they are the same URL code . Ah well.

[caffy]

The link works for me

She is stunning Ptolomy...great work..as always

[Ptolomy]

Figure 8...... tigger tigger, bounce bounce

[ness]

heheh very cute Ptolomy . Cider is a still star.

[Aussienot]

When I am instructing a beginning class, we start with teaching the dogs to sit at the owner's left side (heel position). The owner has the lead in the right hand only and treats in the left hand. We ask the dog to "watch" (give focused eye contact).

When the dog can hold focused eye contact for 10 seconds or so, I ask the owners to take one step. Step off with your left foot and maintain the dog's focus. Take one step, and as your right foot lands ask for a sit making sure your dog gives you eye contact the whole time. Then praise, praise, praise. I congradulate the owners and tell them their dogs just 'heeled'.

Then we work on two steps and a sit, always maintaining focus. The step off on the left foot and stop on the right foot is a constant reminder to the owners. When everyone can get a step or two of good heeling, we add the hand signal (a sweep with the left hand) and the command heel before stepping off.

Then we work on two steps and a right about turn and a sit, always maintaining focus. Then two steps and a left about turn.

Then we start adding steps, up to five steps, an about turn and a sit.

Then we add left and right turns, and slow increase to about ten steps in total. We do right and left about turns from a complete stop. You can do a lot of different combinations with two about turns in a very small space. A lot of turning but only a little distance and heaps of rewards. Maybe ten steps maximum after three or four classes.

Beginners work only on maintaining focus and keeping the dog in position. If the dog learns to look at the owner, start and stop when the owner moves and move with the owner through turns keeping focus, that's most of what the dog needs to know about heeling.

The long straight stretches of straight heeling, changing pace and the drop and stand in motion can come later. And they come quickly if the foundation skills of watching and staying in position relative to the owner's leg are already learned.

Even from the first night we try to stop luring and start rewarding. Since the heel patterns are very, very short, the dog is getting rewarded every couple of steps. Suceess rate is high, so the owners feel good about it and are willing to work on it. After the second week we give them the homework assignment to heel two or three steps in at least three different places each week (example, kitchen, front yard, street).

[Keshwar]

Last session of last year, I instructed a trialling class. The class consisted of people who had just graduated to trialling and experienced triallers.

With the new people I did the Ian Dunbar method of one large step and stop. I placed cones a large step apart so they couldn't keep going. (it amazes me how when you tell people "take one large step" they interpret to mean take a bunch of steps, the cones seemed to prevent this.) Slowly increasing to two and three steps. This greatly improved the dogs focus on the handler.

With the experienced people I got them walking straight lines and doing right angle turns - separate exercises.

It always amazes me how experienced triallers can't walk straight lines or do precise right angle turns.

Bear.

[RubyStar]

Cider is awesome

[Ptolomy]

Cider is awesome ;)

Thanks Rubystar - poor Scoota is going to have to lift his game

[Tiggy]

It looks like Cider will hit the ring before Banjo and I ;) . Banjo's a star but I can't say the same about his owner .