Training Your Dog To Heel

As is the case with most training, training your dog to heel, seems to work best when there are lots of treats involved. While it is often necessary to begin training using treats, dogs are usually content with verbal praise later on.

Also with training your dog, it should actually be done by you. If someone else is training your dog, then this person becomes the authority figure to him, not you.

There are multiple methods used when training your dog to heel. A couple are listed below.

Using Only a Leash

Have the leash attached to your dog and him standing at your left side. You will need to hold the leash tightly and have all the slack held in your right hand. Be sure to have some treats in your right hand also. Let your dog know that you have these treats. Now that you have him standing next to you, it’s time to give the command.

Step forward with your left foot and bring your right hand in front of your dog so he can smell the treats. As you are doing this, give a quick jerk on the leash and say, ‘heel’, in a firm tone. If your dog decides that he wants the treats and tries to cross in front of you for them, snap the leash and tell him no. You will then need to put him back in the heel position and start again.

Continue walking a few steps and then stop abruptly. When you do this, tug firmly on the leash and tell him to heel. Provide a treat when he is in the proper position. There is a lot of repetition involved, as is with any type of training. Some dogs seem to catch on quicker than others, but don’t get frustrated. If this method doesn’t work. Try something else.

The Clicker Method

Even though most people use a leash to teach a dog to heel, the purpose of the command is so that you don’t need a leash. Starting off with the clicker method for training your dog to heel requires the use of a leash in the beginning only. Be sure to keep him on your left side, since this is the traditional side for the ‘heel’ command.

Get your dog in the heel position without pulling hard on the leash. Start walking and after a couple of brisk steps, press the clicker and give a treat. When it’s time to stop, immediately ask him to sit as you are stopping. Eventually he will realize that he needs to sit as soon as you stop walking. When he sits, click and give a treat.

You can do this multiple times and then take the leash off when your dog seems to have the hang of it. To increase the complexity of this form of training your dog to heel, you can walk in circles, make sudden turns, and even walk backwards. Some dogs will pick this up very quickly. Make sure to be consistent with the click and treat method in order to make it effective.

Training your dog to heel is an important part of the overall obedience training of your pet so you really want to take the time to use one of the methods listed above in order to have a dog that is a joy to take walks with.