Training a dog to walk to heel

lisajane

Has anyone ever trained their dog to heel?

I have a very intelligent 4 year old staffie and i know she can do it. I have trained her to sit, lie down, to give the paw, and even the "other paw". She even goes to bed when you say "Goodnight, shrek". So she can learn how to walk to heel but the problem was me. I never had the time. (I know, im bad - it just takes a couple of minutes each day). But when you step out the door, the game of tug-of-war starts, and that was the tiring part for me.

Anyway, I know every creature learns at their own pace but how long can i expect to see a result?

Little A

I'm still working on it, but I find the following helps:
- Stop everytime she pulls on the lead or..
- turn & walk in the opposite direction everytime she pulls.

I've tried rewarding her with treats when she does it right, but she figures out when I don't have treats, so I find the above better and can be done anytime. Usually with the above, she settles down within a few minutes.

Lauragoesmad

Little A wrote: »

- turn & walk in the opposite direction everytime she pulls.

I find this method the best. If you keep stopping, they will just use it as sniffing time. It is best to do it in a wide open space.

Your staffie will probably pick it up very quickly, OP. I have been training a staffie cross for clients I petsit for and I think she is by far one of the smartest dogs I have ever come accross so I can only imagine how smart your one is.

kazza90210

U can also start your training in your house(less distractions) and off lead, by having a treat in your hand and holding it down low while walking the dog will walk beside you to get the food keep saying heel and eventually they will associate walking beside you with good behaviour, then once you have that taught when your out walking on lead then when you say heel your dog will already know the meaning of the word.

mel123

i have boxer, just over a year old, i am really starting to hate walking her. i think i am going to have to bring her to a class to learn myself how to teach her. she has the arms pulled off me and god help me when she see's another dog!!
i feel ur pain OP!!!

Bluefrog

I have quite a bit of experience now with my two in this area.

I'm not gone on the treats idea as when you don't have them you won't be able to depend on the dog obeying plus there are the dietary concerns - if I fed my two every time they've pulled me they'd be the size of St Bernards by now Dogs really do thrive on structure and rules and are happiest when getting some leadership from you and the reward of some attention and affection when they do well seems to me a much healthier option long-term than some food-based bribe.

When walking, I find that a change in direction, no matter how small, consistently applied will eventually do the trick but its going to take quite some time before you see results. Even when they do start showing signs of 'getting it', I have also found that just like ourselves, they can have some days where they seem to take a few steps back in their progress - (everyone has days when they're not 100%) and you just have to work through these days and not let them dishearten you or be inconsistent with your approach.

When you start out on the walk, I think its helpful just to take some time to let the dog settle again after the excitement generated by knowing they are going for a walk before you start - have them sit for a little calming time. If they are a bit calmer they are more able to focus on what you are trying to get across to them.

Initially when I took the pup out (boxer too), I would have never gotten anywhere by just changing direction/stopping though so I used a glove, gesturing him back with it front of his face when he was pulling and a little sideways leash pressure to get him out of the surge ahead mode. After a few days the leash pressure alone was enough to remind him where he should be in relation to me. If you let them get into that 'surge ahead' mindset it's much harder to snap them out of it so preventing them getting to that place is definitely the way to go.

The elder one had a similar issue pulling to meet other dogs. A big white lunging dog is not very reassuring to other dog owners! I found that socialising her with other dogs really helped there and making the rules clear enough so she could understand when it's OK to 'meet' another dog and when it isn't. Again, pre-empting the situation can help a lot, issuing a 'walk on' command when you initially see another dog approaching that you don't want to meet consistently will deliver results eventually. Also, when you do let them meet, you need to make it clear that you are the one bringing them to the meeting, rather than them bringing you and also, you are the one who decides when it ends.

I know some people who swear by gentle leaders for leash training or harnesses so these are other options you might want to explore.

mel123

Bluefrog wrote: »

I have quite a bit of experience now with my two in this area.

I'm not gone on the treats idea as when you don't have them you won't be able to depend on the dog obeying plus there are the dietary concerns - if I fed my two every time they've pulled me they'd be the size of St Bernards by now Dogs really do thrive on structure and rules and are happiest when getting some leadership from you and the reward of some attention and affection when they do well seems to me a much healthier option long-term than some food-based bribe.

When walking, I find that a change in direction, no matter how small, consistently applied will eventually do the trick but its going to take quite some time before you see results. Even when they do start showing signs of 'getting it', I have also found that just like ourselves, they can have some days where they seem to take a few steps back in their progress - (everyone has days when they're not 100%) and you just have to work through these days and not let them dishearten you or be inconsistent with your approach.

When you start out on the walk, I think its helpful just to take some time to let the dog settle again after the excitement generated by knowing they are going for a walk before you start - have them sit for a little calming time. If they are a bit calmer they are more able to focus on what you are trying to get across to them.

Initially when I took the pup out (boxer too), I would have never gotten anywhere by just changing direction/stopping though so I used a glove, gesturing him back with it front of his face when he was pulling and a little sideways leash pressure to get him out of the surge ahead mode. After a few days the leash pressure alone was enough to remind him where he should be in relation to me. If you let them get into that 'surge ahead' mindset it's much harder to snap them out of it so preventing them getting to that place is definitely the way to go.

The elder one had a similar issue pulling to meet other dogs. A big white lunging dog is not very reassuring to other dog owners! I found that socialising her with other dogs really helped there and making the rules clear enough so she could understand when it's OK to 'meet' another dog and when it isn't. Again, pre-empting the situation can help a lot, issuing a 'walk on' command when you initially see another dog approaching that you don't want to meet consistently will deliver results eventually. Also, when you do let them meet, you need to make it clear that you are the one bringing them to the meeting, rather than them bringing you and also, you are the one who decides when it ends.

I know some people who swear by gentle leaders for leash training or harnesses so these are other options you might want to explore.

Thanks for the advise. Just as a matter of interest, woudl you be able to walk with your dog off a lead? i would love to be able to train my dog to walk off the lead and not have to worry about her running off. as you know boxers are just hyper so wondering if this is wishful thinking?

Bluefrog

I think it depends a lot on where you do it - main thing for me is consideration for other people, their kids and pets and the safety of my dogs and myself. You can never 100% say your dog will behave a particular way no matter how well trained. Anyone who claims otherwise is deluded. I have even seen guide dogs lose it on occasions!

So I think finding places you can safely walk them off-lead is the way to go. I think that little bit of extra freedom reinforces the bond between you and them as well and builds trust on both sides.

I see a few people round my area walking their dogs on the street off-leash and frequently the dogs will run over to mine which I personally find irritating as, as I said above, I want to be the one who decides who my dogs meet. There is also the danger to the dogs themselves in an uncontrolled situation and I think it's a pretty irresponsible practice though I'm sure there will be some here who disagree.

Finding somewhere safe where you can work on socialisation and building the obedience to return on command is definitely my recommendation. My elder dog has improved a lot in this way since I've gotten her and happily the pup follows but I'd never let them off anywhere where I can't control the situation enough to prevent anything seriously unfortunate happening.

I noticed that you're in the same general area of the city to me and have PM'd you with some local info you might find useful.

mel123 wrote: »

Thanks for the advise. Just as a matter of interest, woudl you be able to walk with your dog off a lead? i would love to be able to train my dog to walk off the lead and not have to worry about her running off. as you know boxers are just hyper so wondering if this is wishful thinking?