Answer: heeling
Heeling
Answer: Stop all forms of correction in heeling, because correction can make
a dog feel discouraged, and discouragement leads to slowing down and
lagging. Praise when the dog is in heel position does not make up for
it.
Formal heeling is a complex exercise with several
components. If you are having trouble, break it down and work on one
aspect at a time.
Stop doing about turns and stops (especially
into the drop position) in training, for the time being. Turns and
drops are inhibitive and tend to "bring the dog down". Heel in a
straight line, then release your dog by giving a release word followed
by throwing food or a toy forward, or jumping forward and playing with
your dog.
Be aware of your body language. Try not to look over
your shoulder at your dog. The more you slow down and bend towards you
dog or look back at a lagging dog, the more the dog will lag. Speed up,
keep your eyes forward and move in a more animated way. That will
encourage your dog to move with you, and then you can reward him for
being in position.
Positive training methods require you to
think precisely about what you are teaching your dog. "Heeling" is an
ambiguous term. Break it down into units of behaviour. Heeling can mean
"coming to the heel position", being in the heel position, being in the
heel position and paying attention to you, maintaining the heel
position as you walk, maintaining it for an increasing time or distance
etc.
So assuming that you start with your dog in heel
position, "heeling" means "maintain position and attentiveness as we
walk". This is a continuous action. So they way to train is to start
with a very small amount and gradually increase it. Reward your dog for
going a couple of steps, then release. Very gradually increase the time
and distance that your dog can maintain unbroken position and
attentiveness. Reward and release.
If you continue for too
long at a stretch, especially for too long without a reward, your dog
will lose attention, then lose position. I don't like going on for too
long, because this allows the dog to drift in an out of position,
instead of getting it right for a short time, and building up to a
complete heel routine, performed correctly. I don't like encouraging
the lagging dog because you end up teaching them to make mistakes and
correct themselves.
Heeling can be taught by a process of
shaping, in other words, reward your dog for getting it right for a
very short time and distance, and build up.
As your dog learns
to heel for longer, I like to introduce a variety of rewards. Praise
for being in position, food reward for eye contact, and a quick release
to play with a tug toy for a moment as reward for maintaining the heel
pattern for longer, then resume heeling again.
