Heel

Walking is extremely beneficial
for your dog, and for you!
Teaching your dog to heel is a valuable skill
which makes everyone happier and healthier in the long run!

Heel simply means
that your dog will walk close by your side
without lagging behind or lunging ahead

The great thing about teaching a dog to heel
is that the dog is under very close control in this position
You can communicate with the dog quietly and easily
and reward him quickly and easily

Training

The most important part of teaching your dog to heel
is getting him to maintain his attention on you
For this reason, it’s best to work on this command
in short (5 to 10 minutes), frequent, intense sessions
Regular sessions will bring rapid results

Heeling is a very challenging lesson
and, more than any other,
it will require your patience,
consistency and persistence

The process of training a dog to heel
goes through four key stages

Establish heel position
Moving positions
Walk at heel
Add distractions

Establish heel position
What we want to do
is get the dog into the heel position,
let him know that this is the position
we are looking for
and reward him for being there

Start in a quiet room or yard
with no distractions,
no other dogs, no kids, no toys,
just you and the dog 

Quick Tip
If you position yourself next to a wall
with just enough space between you and the wall
to accommodate the dog, it will help to keep him close to you
and in the right position

Have a treat in your hand
and lure the dog into the correct position next to you
by moving the treat in a big circle
Make sure the dog is really close to you
before praising the dog and giving the treat

Repeat this step before starting to move
Take a few steps give the heel command and wait
for the dog to take position

Moving positions
When your dog mastered the first step
start moving around and try to keep your dog’s attention
ideally the dog will be purely focused on you and looking up

You will want to keep the dog’s focus 
so don’t be shu with treats
When you start moving around give treats every few seconds
and slowly reduce the amount of treats
Keep attention to your timing

Walk at heel
When your dog is following in position
try moving around and decrease the amount of treats
while keeping your dog’s attention
When your dog is closely following and focused
you can move on to the last step

Add distractions
Repeat all training steps but now
try to do it in an area with lots of distractions like the dogpark

When giving the treat your hand should always
be next to your leg, the spot where the dog heels
Do not reach but only give the treat
when the dog is in the correct position
the dog should focus on and follow you