Teach a dog to heel

Teaching your dog to heel, now that is easier said than done. There are some of you out there who may think that the ‘heel’ position basically means that your dog is supposed to curl up at your feet. That is not the case; the ‘heel’ command means that you want your dog to stay right by your side and follow you step for step, as though there is an invisible leash attaching your dog to your leg [right or left, your preference]. So if you are looking for an easy guide to guide you on how to teach your dog to heel, you will need to read this article. I have managed to list out some of the pointers from the secrets of a professional dog trainer to help you along, so review them and you should be set to ‘go’.

1. Walk the talk – Teaching a pup or for that matter, a full grown dog the ‘heel’ command is not going to be easy. You will need to be patient and remember, using brute force to drag your dog with the leash is not what the ‘heel’ command is all about. You will need to train your dog to literally ‘dog’ you step for step, be it a walk or a gentle run. Remember those dog shows, with each dog galloping beside its master, which is what this command is all about. So start the lesson by standing close to your dog, with a few doggy treats in your hand.

2. Make eye contact – Call out your dog’s name and get his attention, once you have done that, move a few steps ahead. If your dog stays close to you and does not get distracted, then reward him with a treat.
3. Practice the short walks – Do repeat step 2 again and again. Make sure that you reward your dog only if he continues to stay by your side all the time. In time, your dog will understand what you want him to do and will ‘heel’ all the way by your side.

4. Verbalize the command – Once you have got your pup to ‘dog’ your steps, you will need to verbalize the command. Just say out his name along with the command ‘heel’. If he continues to listen to you, well, then you are almost done.
5. Do the rumba: Extend the steps, take your dog for extended walks inside your home in the ‘heel’ position. Once you are sure that your dog is able to follow the command perfectly, take him for ‘heel’ walks and runs outside in the garden. Just remember, that a garden will contain more distractions than your drawing room, so chances are that he will get distracted the first few times. But once he realizes that you are withholding the doggy treats when he does not perform correctly, he will ‘heel’ perfectly. So do the rumba with your dog, take him for runs and in time, you should even be able to run out full blast with your dog by your side, all the way to ‘heel’ and back!

The ‘heel’ command will bring you and your dog a lot closer and in time, you would be able to develop a very healthy relationship with your dog. The neat thing is that this particular command will allow you both to get a healthy dose of ‘physical exercise’. With the pointers from the secrets of a professional dog trainer made available to you, it should be a breeze to teach your dog to ‘heel’.

If you would like to get a complete step-by-step guide on the Secrets of a professional dog trainer, make sure you check out the Adam G. Katz dog training. With the Adam G. Katz dog problems, you should get the low down on all the dog related problems and ways to deal with them.