How to teach a dog to heel
The heel command is one of the first basic obedience commands a pet dog should learn. A dog has to learn to obey the heel command as it ensures not only its own safety but the safety of the pet owner as well. Moreover, a dog owner would surely be very proud to have a well trained and well mannered dog walking by his/her side. People keep dogs for protection and a large dog beside an elderly pet owner would intimidate people with criminal intent.
How would you go about training the dog to heel? Training the dog to heel may intimidate other pet owners but it is really not an arduous task. Dogs are intelligent animals and with the use of positive reinforcement, the pet can learn to heel with the least effort. By using positive reinforcements, a dog owner can lure the pet to respond well to training because dogs have an innate behavior to please its master. This means that praising the dog and using the pet's favorite treats as rewards would be more effective in enticing the dog to respond to the heel command rather than yanking the leash or giving the dog harsh reprimands.
The heel command is aimed to teach the dog to walk or to run beside the master. Attach a leash to the dog's choke collar. You can position the dog to your left or right side but this heel position must be consistently used so that the dog will not be confused. Hold the leash on one hand while the other hand holds the dog's favorite treat.
Allow the dog to smell the treat to get its attention. Continue to hold the treat in front of the dog's nose and start moving forward. Dogs are food motivated thus it may move across your body to get to the hand holding the treat. Give the leash a quick tug and say NO in an authoritative voice. Let the dog take the heel position and continue walking. Command the dog to heel and continue walking. If the dog behaves and continues to walk beside you, reward the dog with a treat. This process must be repeated over and over again but be sure to make the training sessions short.
Walking the dog can be a stressful task for owners of dogs that pull on the leash so that it would appear as if the owner is being walked by the pet. Dog owners can prevent this highly stressful situation from happening by training the dog to heel.
How would you go about training the dog to heel? Training the dog to heel may intimidate other pet owners but it is really not an arduous task. Dogs are intelligent animals and with the use of positive reinforcement, the pet can learn to heel with the least effort. By using positive reinforcements, a dog owner can lure the pet to respond well to training because dogs have an innate behavior to please its master. This means that praising the dog and using the pet's favorite treats as rewards would be more effective in enticing the dog to respond to the heel command rather than yanking the leash or giving the dog harsh reprimands.
The heel command is aimed to teach the dog to walk or to run beside the master. Attach a leash to the dog's choke collar. You can position the dog to your left or right side but this heel position must be consistently used so that the dog will not be confused. Hold the leash on one hand while the other hand holds the dog's favorite treat.
Allow the dog to smell the treat to get its attention. Continue to hold the treat in front of the dog's nose and start moving forward. Dogs are food motivated thus it may move across your body to get to the hand holding the treat. Give the leash a quick tug and say NO in an authoritative voice. Let the dog take the heel position and continue walking. Command the dog to heel and continue walking. If the dog behaves and continues to walk beside you, reward the dog with a treat. This process must be repeated over and over again but be sure to make the training sessions short.
Walking the dog can be a stressful task for owners of dogs that pull on the leash so that it would appear as if the owner is being walked by the pet. Dog owners can prevent this highly stressful situation from happening by training the dog to heel.
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Sarah's Dogs provides more information on how to train a dog to heel and dog first aid.
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