# Walking to heel - what am i doing wrong



## telfordwhite (Dec 29, 2010)

I am having trouble getting my 2 year old dog (we've had her for a year) to walk to heel. (when on the lead as she can't be let off)

She seems to half understand the heel command in that she will come to heel on command but doesn't understand that I want her to continue walking to heel

ie she will come to heel but then thinks the job is done and then tries to walk ahead immediately. 
I have tried stopping when the lead goes taut until she eventually comes back to heel (she can work that out) but then as before she thinks job done and off she goes again.
I have also tried when the lead goes taut to hold her back till I get level with her then say "Heel" to try and get through to her that way.

I have tried both methods with and without treats to no avail.

I presume I am the problem and am confusing her in some way.

Part of the problem may be that she is used to an extendable lead however I use a normal lead when attempting "Heel" walking.

Thanks for any help.

Edited to say that she understands the "come" command which I use when she is some distance away, I don't use the heel command unless she is either already at heel or has pulled the lead taut and i have got level with her again.


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

i continue to pat my leg and repeat heel at small interalls, stopping at a short distance to praise her for doing what i want, gradually making the patting less, the patting of the leg is to keep her attention on you and the repeating of the word so that she understands what it is you want. try doing it for small amounts of time, i practiced it first just walking up and down infront of my house, once the dog is intrested in you keep its attention, 
hope this helps and good luck.


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## keirk (Aug 9, 2010)

You just need to be really really consistent. She needs to be by your side for you to keep walking, if she is not then you stop. You might only walk a few meters per hours by eventually she'll get it.


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Heeling is quite a bit harder than just Loose-Leash-Walking as it takes more consistency and patience to gradually hone the sweet spot and proof it reliably, it's all too easy to give up at times, or muddy the "Heel" command by using it when the dogs going to fail due to other factors, which un-reinforce it.



telfordwhite said:


> She seems to half understand the heel command in that she will come to heel on command but doesn't understand that I want her to continue walking to heel


You don't say how what approach you took to build the association with the "Heel" command, luring to the position or just saying "Heel" when the dogs there. Whether training treats are still motivating your dog, and why there are problems with recall.

Personally I would try and re-teach it from scratch and assuming a food treat works as motivation. It shouldn't take too long using luring in short bursts of training sessions initially.

Once the dog shows it's understood that "Heel" means to take the heel position, give postive praise feedback but delay the food reward slightly (just a second or so at first). Gradually extend the "Heel" time required to earn the full reward, and with patience you can extend the reward time, the postitive feedback helps the dog knows it's on the right track, so it doesn't get confused desperately trying to earn the reward in a different way. If the dog goes too far forward, use some friction free method to encourage it back and persist with the heel exercise again, or where more convenient (especially when the dog wants to get to the destination in a hurry perhaps a park, or following another dog) turn round and go the other way for a bit. Short sessions are necessary, especially at first when there's high burn rate of food. With time it'll naturally develop into you & dog interacting, fairly constantly like a running commentary, with aim to keep the "good" at about 10-15x the rate of the failure recovery actions. If the dog is getting a lower ratio, it's the Handler's fault for impatiently trying to proress too fast, not the dog!

My personal feeling, is that it would also be very beneficial to find a secure fenced in spot, like a tennis or outdoor 6 a side football court, to practice dog training, including recall. Also open space sessions with a long line (not one of those reels which encourage pulling/lunging though), which allows your dog more freedom of movement, but keeps you in full control of the situation.

By working on more than just the one command, you can build dog's impulse control and keep things more fun and mentally stimulating for the both of you.

Not always working with the dog on the same old lead, it'll help give your dog a broader mix of stimulation, allow some secure off leash work, and gradually also build a solid recall (at least in certain situations, without highly fascinating squirrels, rodent trails, ballgames etc. to distract your dog).


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## Jayne81 (Feb 9, 2011)

..............


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## Rolosmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Jayne81 said:


> I highly recommend the book Clicker Training for Dogs by Karen Pryor... in the book she gives a progressive method to train dogs to heel (it's supposed to work on older dogs too). We have been using this book to clicker train our puppy (who has been with us only a week and a half) and she already knows 4 commands. I am going to start using the book's method for 'heel' this weekend and I will let you know how it goes. My dog really hates the harness and lead... so I think that is something we have to work on before we actually teach her to heel. :frown:


Another good piece of advice i was given is to teach heelwork indoors and then garden without a lead on, they seem to take to this quicker, so the position and concept of where to walk by you is ingrained in before walking it with a lead which they may automatically try to pull.


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## telfordwhite (Dec 29, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies. I have made a little progress. She is very excitable at the beginning of the walk but responds much better after 20 minutes or so but for short periods only so i am currently leaving it till then. 

I'm persevering and have invested in a clicker in order to be a bit more precise in my instruction so fingers crossed.


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## Doglistener1 (Mar 25, 2010)

Have you cracked it yet?

If not watch this Walking to Heel


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## l2ahanna (May 22, 2011)

Im working on it too. I mainly used cookies but on Youtube I found this video with a different technique. Maybe you can try this? Im going to follow this topic too
YouTube - ‪How to teach your dog to "Heel".‬‏

Here the best ive seen so far: YouTube - ‪Got K9 Pitbull Dog Training in Las Vegas Nevada‬‏


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## l2ahanna (May 22, 2011)

Doglistener1 said:


> Have you cracked it yet?
> 
> If not watch this Walking to Heel


That video looks very convincing!:001_smile:


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Doglistener1 said:


> Have you cracked it yet?
> 
> If not watch this Walking to Heel


I like the advice to use longer lead length, not sure how the "jingler" is different from just calmly telling the dog to go "back!" and not moving forward.


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## edidasa (May 7, 2011)

wow..................

'our dogs pulling is partly dominance?' thats bull crap and dont believe that.
dog pulling is training. a dog that pulls is not trained. it is NOT necessarily dominant.

(I can get a dog that will want to dominate you but will heel next to you, and i have dogs that are nowhere near dominant but will pull your arm off).

jingler... hahaha dont make me laugh...... that dog is prob HIS dog, and it's a super sensitive dog too... + probably because that man has jerked that dog's head off a couple minutes before.

not bad technique however, though he misses loads of steps......

PLUS: border collie youtube video - the dog is on an ecollar (ELECTRIC COLLAR) - 
2nd youtube video is competition heeling.

i TEACH two types of heeling to dogs and people. 1. focused/competition heeling 2. loose leash walking.

1. uses treats/toys (a competition dog can get between 10-45 mins before they lose interest)
2. uses escape avoidance as the primary motivator.

loose leash heeling taught in the border and the jingle man is based on the 'koehler method' of dog training. very old, very reliable.
principle. dog goes ahead, owner goes the other direction and the dog gets corrected.
the dog learns, dont forge ahead or my head is going to get whacked. stay with the owner, and i get treats.
there are OTHER (MANY OTHER) steps to produce a dog that heels in the correct position, lef/right turns, stops, sits etc. change of pace etc. etc. etc. but i wont go into it all cuz ill have to write a book, but that's the principle.

i believe a famous 'kind' tv dog trainer uses the same principle, but instead of jerking the head off the dog, they'll prob use a harness or halti which looks a lot kinder, and will work on a varying degree to different dogs. essentially, having a no-pull harness or head thing halti/gentle leader/gencon(?) causes enough discomfort for the dog not to want to do that action again.

timing is VERY VERY VERY important. split second wrong and you can mess it all up.

hence. find a good dog trainer.


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Perhaps you mean this YouTube - kikopup's channel - Barking- Episode 3 - barking on a walk -dog training?

The theme is rewarding and reinforcing attention to handler, there is a negative-punishment here as the dog is prevented from enjoying the distraction, but attention & following to handler is positively reinforced.


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## TheFredChallenge (Feb 17, 2011)

Another video for you....this is great....

YouTube - ‪Training your dog to heel on a loose leash: Dog training In London (HD)‬‏


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## edidasa (May 7, 2011)

that's a nice video, very well made.

though dog training isn't some secret art and he talks about a lot of 'myths' that simply have no scientific or factual support.

'biting the leash' is NOT controlling the walk - in some cases.
sometimes, yes, sometimes not. sometimes a dog has high levels of prey drive which means a dog just wants to bite and play.

walking in and out of your door or walking in circles 55 times will get you 'so far'. a video for owners who will try this will spend YEARS (if not forever) walking around in circles with a pulling dog.

does it work with some dogs? maybe yes, 

but if one dog trainer can train 'lead pulling in 4 sessions' and another says 'it takes patience, time, food rewards etc. and there is no 'set time' and it's up to YOUR LEADERSHIP.

i would think the 2nd trainer just wants more money and more training sessions to tell you to walk round in circles - BECAUSE, walking in and out, just won't work in the long term and consistently. so the trainer will take money from you week in and week out rather than actually training your dog. because, if he actually COULD, or decided that he SHOULD teach your dog, then you won't be needing his/her lessons anymore. 

---

dog being calm before a walk? yes, it can definitely help to put the lead on etc. but does it mean it won't pull or it would 'decrease pulling' when you are outside NO.

dogs don't have the capacity to relate such separate events. 
it's like saying 'i'll put the lead on when my dog is sleeping and lying down' so when i take it out, it won't pull...... 

i have dogs that are mental and will pull you on the lead. but as soon as you say HEEL, they will walk next to you, and for as long as you want until you release them.
THIS IS training.


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## Kaity (Nov 4, 2010)

I would get a clicker and treats, get her to watch you as much as possible and when she looks back reward her with a click and a treat and when she pulls change direction by says "this way" and keep changing so she understand your in control and she has to pay attention to you


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## Rottiefan (Jun 20, 2010)

So many people get caught up with thinking the dog is trying to dominate you by pulling on the lead- he's a 'dominant' dog; he's the pack leader etc.

Why can't people use common sense?!

For walking to heel, check out this clicker training program: 
The 300 Peck Approach to Building Duration and Distance

Or if you're not using a clicker, how about this from Dr Ian Dunbar. I've seen this in action and I think it really does work. Playing Reward One Step & Sit | Dog Star Daily

It's all about consistency, though. It takes time and patience, but once you've got some improvement, it won't be long. It's just starting it off.


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## Statler (Jan 3, 2011)

Doglistener1 said:


> Have you cracked it yet?
> 
> If not watch this Walking to Heel


and thats magic


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## Rottiefan (Jun 20, 2010)

Doglistener1 said:


> Have you cracked it yet?
> 
> If not watch this Walking to Heel


Hardly a difficult dog to teach to walk on a loose lead!


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