Heel

When we’re heeling, we use a lure to maintain their attention, and reward them for accurate body-positioning.

If you teach your dog to always sit before and after crossing the road, you’ll greatly reduce their risk of being hit by a car.  First practice at home, then hit the streets.

Gizzy gets the better part of Ian on the following course, but with his persistence and a skilled two handed grab Ian finally crosses the finish line.

Children enjoy games almost as much as dogs.  This little heeling course really reveals who has control of their dogs.

Ian offers some some tips on motivating your dog into heeling properly.  Using lots of energy and frequent position changes, even distracted and lazy dogs can be convinced that heeling is a good time.

There’s nothing like a little competition to motivate both dogs and owners

In crowded urban areas, there are lots of distractions for your dog.  Give them time to get used to new and unfamiliar surroundings.  Classically condition them to enjoy different environments.

Your dog is likely to get over-excited while meeting people on the street.  So repeat it over and over again until they’re calm enough that you can have them sit to say hello.

An effective trainer can switch immediately from sweet praise to stern reprimand.  Use the tone of your voice to let your puppy now when you like what they’re doing and when you don’t.

Controlled heeling is no easy task.  At the beginning it’s a good idea to separate the turns from the straight-aways.  Once they’ve mastered that, you can slowly start to combine the two.