11October 2019
Teach your dog the command “Heel.”
Heel:
The Heel position is about the dog staying close to the handler and paying close attention. We will start with the Basic Heel position, the Stationary Heel.
To do this, we will food lure the dog into the Heel position at our left side. Use your left hand to food lure the dog into the position. Take a step back with your left leg as you use your left hand to lure the dog and encourage him to move. Once the dog is in the Heel position, move your hand over the dog’s head to imitate a sit. As the dog’s butt hits the ground, give your command “Heel” then “Good” and reward.
Moving Heel:
- Food lure the dog several times while backing up.
- Food lure the dog, now turn your body so the dog is now on the left side in Heel position (use the treat in your left hand).
—Always begin and end every Heel exercise with a Sit in the Heel position.
—When you stop moving forward, move your baited hand UP slightly to initiate the Sit position.
—As you are moving forward, the treat should be held up slightly from the dog so she is looking for it. Gradually progress to moving your hand all the way up to the Look position. Eventually your dog will learn to stay in the Heel position while looking at you and paying attention. This will require lots of practice. Don’t forget to start practicing with distractions as your dog improves. Start with small distractions to begin with, if your dog is still doing Heel, make the distractions more and/or more difficult. If the dog is having trouble maintaining the Heel, decrease or eliminate the distractions and practice more without.
Training “Heel” with Ahsoka and Brady (4 months) at Kapalua Bay.