Teaching Your Dog to Heel
September 15, 2010 by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
Filed under Tips, Training
Today we have a special guest post from Victoria at Bling Bling Puppy:
Teaching your dog how to heel can be a rewarding experience for someone who owns one. When your dog knows how to heel, talking your dog for a walk in the park is like, say, a ‘walk in the park’. It is one of those skills that your dog can learn and will give you a less difficult time in having your four-legged pal stroll with you. It is difficult engaging in a tug-of-war every time you want to take your dog on a walk.
The “heel” command is a formal obedience exercise in which a dog follows by a handler’s knee in great precision, with the dog’s pace in sync with his master’s. The dog stops and sits at once whenever the handler pauses for a while. This obedience exercise is really valuable and it is recommended that your canine friend should master this, for their sake and for your sake as well. You may find this exercise less important if your main purpose in having a dog is companionship, but once your dog will master this exercise you will find it surprisingly useful. Here is a quick way to teach your dog how to heel.
The things that you will need when you want to teach your dog how to heel are: biscuits and treats, and a dog collar and leash. To start, have your dog sit on your left side with the same direction as where you are looking. While your dog is at your left side, hold a treat in front of your dog’s nose using your left hand. In this position, give the command “Heel” and start taking steps while keeping the treat in front of your left hip. It may take a while for you to get your dog have his full attention on the treat, so please be patient. Praise your dog by saying “good” at the exact time he starts to walk as you do. Even when they only show signs of slight understanding, give him the treat together with a lot of praises.
Positive reinforcement works wonders. Do this everyday for a few minutes and always remember to put a lot of patience and positivity and have fun while doing it. Your dog should be walking at your side perfectly in no time at all.
About the Author
Victoria has owned dogs for many years and is a part time writer. She is also the owner of Bling Bling Puppy the online dog store where you can find dog beds collars, toys, and more goodies for your pooch.
About Paris Permenter and John Bigley
DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.
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