at Take Care of Your Dog.com

"The No Dragging, Lagging or Balking Zone."

Teaching your puppy to heel on leash.

Teaching your puppy to heel on leash is beneficial in many ways. It is the first step in higher discipline and the beginning of a regimen that will earn your dog the reputation of being well behaved and always welcomed back where ever you take him. "Heeling", is not just teaching you dog to walk obediently beside you. It is also teaching him that when he is on the leash, he is to obey and pay attention to you, and you only. He is to walk past other people, dogs, sights and sounds without stopping, pulling or lagging behind.

Choose a leash that is size appropriate for your dog, comfortable for your hand, and has a sturdy easily maneuvered clip. I prefer a light weight nylon leash, but there are many other styles and types of leashes to pick from in all price ranges. Shorter leashes are better suited and easier to handle for training purposes. A well fitting buckle collar will work fine for this lesson also. If you do chose to use a choke chain or inside spiked chain collar, please be considerate.

Start off in an area that is familiar to your dog and without distractions. This way, he is not tempted to want to explore his surroundings and can give you his undivided attention. Take along a few small treats for reward. Attach the leash and with your dog standing at your left side say the word... "heel" and take a few steps forward. At first your dog may want to pull ahead of you, or lag behind. If he pulls ahead of you, pull back gently on the leash putting your dog back in the position on your left side with his head about even with your left leg. Use the "heel" command and take a few steps. Repeat this until he is able to stay in step with you for five or six steps. Stop while he is still in the correct position of heel and give a treat and a lot of praise.

It is fine for your dog to walk a little behind you, but if he lags too far behind, use the same concept of a gentle tug on the leash to bring him back up to your left side. Tell him to "heel" and move forward again. Be consistent with the corrections, and each time your dog walks a short distance in the correct heel position, stop and give him treats and praise. Slowly increase the distance as he understands what you are wanting him to do. You should be able to walk at a comfortable pace with your dog's head at, or slightly behind your left leg, and the leash slack. Do not let your dog stop and sniff of things or move out of the heel position to check out other dogs or people. He should walk when you walk and stop only if you stop. This is now how he should behave at all times when on the leash with the "heel" command.

Working with your dog on "heeling" for fifteen or twenty minutes everyday should have him on target in a couple of weeks. When your dog is doing well, stop three or four times during the lesson to give him a treat and great praise. If you are still having to correct him very often, hold back on the treats until he shows more improvement. Some dogs respond quickly and are experts in no time, while others do not grasp it right away. Just be patient, and most importantly, be consistent. Working with your dog everyday during the training period keeps the lesson fresh in his mind until the behavior becomes a habit and the natural way to act when on the leash.

Also, during training times, it is not necessary to say "no" when your dog pulls ahead or is lagging too far behind. Just give the leash a gentle tug to get him back in place and say the "heel" command as you start to walk forward. This is less confusing to the dog. The word "no" is usually associated with you reprimanding him on doing something he isn't supposed to. In this case, he is just learning something new and is misunderstanding, not misbehaving.

Later on you can incorporate more command words into different activities. Kind of like teaching your dog to multi task. After he has a good grasp on heeling and can take nice long walks beside you correctly, then, if he veers off, you use a firm "no" and a gentle pull of the leash to put him back in check. When you are ready to excuse your dog from the heel position for another activity while still on the leash, use short command words like "lets play" or "potty time". This lets him know that he is now free to check out other things and sniff around for a good place if he needs to go to the bathroom. When these times are up, use your "heel" command again and finish your walk. It never hurts, regardless of how well your dog is trained now, to give a treat and some praises between commands as a reward just for being your well behaved and terrific best buddy.

As the pack leader, it is your job to keep the pack in order and in line. A wise pack leader can make the job easier, and is challenged less often by always being just and merciful. When working with your dog on something new, give him some time to process the information, and don't punish him for not understanding. A pack leader that is objective with punishment, and generous with reward and praise is more trusted than feared. Your dog will respond more positively and learn new things easier and quicker if he trusts you and is not afraid of you. In most cases, as a leader, being trusted, rather than feared, can insure a peaceful mind, with more success and less chance of failure. Remember, the pack leader runs at the front, with his back fully exposed to the rest of the pack.

Thank you for your interest in our obedience training classes. We, here at TakeCareOfYourDog.com are dedicated to our efforts in helping promote the humane care and treatment of all dogs. I am very grateful to Jeanette, our web site host, for inviting me to share on this site, some information I have found useful in my many years of owning, training and loving dogs. I will look forward to joining you here again next week, and in the meantime, spend some time with your dog today. Thanks, Rhonda Erickson _easttxnurse320@aol.com_ (mailto:easttxnurse320@aol.com)