# Dooming myself to Failure?



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I never ask my dogs to do our competition heel on a regular walk. We practice our competition heel a lot, but that's not what our walks are for.

Just spend some time practicing what you want your rally heel to look like -- make that a training exercise.

Also, consider calling it something different from your regular "don't pull me" walk work. For example, my "don't pull me while we're walking" word is "close" and my "attentively heel right at my side" word is "strut".


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I think if you ask your dog to heel on your regular walks you will allow your standards for what you accept as appropriate heeling to lower.

As long as my dogs aren't pulling on walks I am fine with that. They learn the difference between when they are supposed to be performing and when they're not. Not only will they be given a command, but with experience your whole body posture will be different. Without saying a word while my dogs are with me I can use the same type of walk as I do for heeling and suddenly my dog's heads will pop up and they will be prancing beside me.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree with the above answers - but do have one suggestion that helps me and my guy with our heeling. 

First - Learn how to 'release' your dog. 

When you 'release' your dog, you have a set word, like 'OK', and you are the one who looks and moves away out of heel position. 

If you have a rough heel or are in the beginning stages, you should probably just work on it at in controlled environments, where you don't have to compete very much for your dog's attention.

If you are past all that, then you can pick a couple spots during your walk where you pull treats out and go into a quicky heel pattern (L or T) or exercise out there on the road, or wherever you walk. <- You go into 'training' mode with your dog and give him all of the body language and verbal cues so he knows he is training and has to pay attention. 

Then you release him from training mode (that "OK" word) and go back to lollygagging or a relaxed walk. If you exaggerate your body cues when training as opposed to your normal movements when walking, your dog is going to know the difference.

>>>> But to your question, no - personally speaking, I would not expect my dog to heel for 1-3 miles straight. That would be exhausting for both of us. And it could kill whatever good heel he has, because then he'd hate doing it.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I personally think that it wouldn't be fair to your dog to not allow him any "down" time where he's not working. I think what you are doing is just right.


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

I'm with fostermom. Initially, when I took Maggie into her first basic obedience class, we practiced until the cows came home. On our walks around the neighborhood, I would make her heel and then stop at each and every mailbox to make her stop and sit. We did that for six weeks. Now that she is older I really enjoy just walking with her. If she starts to pull on the leash, I immediately stop and it gets her attention. She will look at me and sit. I too make her sit when someone approaches. When she sees another dog, she will first sit, then lie down and wait for them to get closer. It's all part of the learning process. We took the summer off from formal classes, but will resume in the fall with the goal of CGC in the future.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

BTW, my answer (and I assume many of the answers) was based on the fact that you are talking about rally. I see no problem if someone wants to have their dog heel with them on walks if their "heeling" just means staying at their left side. But if we're talking competition style heeling that is very different. When I ask my dogs to heel I expect them to give me their total attention. I see no point in making them give me their full attention if we're just going out on a walk.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Ranger is a puller on walks...I use the term "heel" because I expect him to stay with his head/neck by my hip when we walk anywhere. I do not expect the fancy heel work with head up for our walks! Just for him to pay enough attention that he's not lagging behind trying to pee on something and not far enough ahead that he's not paying attention if I decide to stop. I don't have a command for it...it was "heel" but I found that he eventually tuned me out since i was using it so much (we had a lot of problems with walking on a leash when I got him). Now I just expect him to walk next to me politely. If he doesn't, he gets a little correction to remind him. 

We're working on fancy heel work but that's not a "walk" for us...more of an exercise. We haven't done very well with it so far...Ranger's a slinker when he walks. Head and chest low...


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## kgiff (Jul 21, 2008)

Loisiana said:


> BTW, my answer (and I assume many of the answers) was based on the fact that you are talking about rally. I see no problem if someone wants to have their dog heel with them on walks if their "heeling" just means staying at their left side. But if we're talking competition style heeling that is very different. When I ask my dogs to heel I expect them to give me their total attention. I see no point in making them give me their full attention if we're just going out on a walk.


This is what I assume too. My dogs' walks around the neighborhood are pretty much exactly what you describe. They are allowed to meander and lollygag and whatever else they feel like doing as long as the aren't pulling and don't stop my forward progress. 

My youngest I've taught both a walk on my left side heel and I'm working on teaching a formal obedience heel for rally and obedience. I will when I'm only walking him, occasionally make him practice one or the other for a couple hundred feet or so, but there is no way I would expect him to do this for the entire walk.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

I'll put in my two cents. I use totally different hardware when I'm taking Mac for a walk around the neighborhood, versus going to an obedience class and practicing obedience.

On our walks, she's on a thick English slip lead. What some might call a kennel lead. But it is long, thickly corded, soft in my hands, and she doesn't pull--she walks in front of me, beside me, to my right, to my left, sniffing here and there, but we make forward progress. If we stop to say hello to a dog or person, it's because I've decided to do that. If we stop to smell the roses, it's because I've decided we're going to do that. To be honest, it's so hot here in South Florida, I don't allow her to stop, unless she has to answer nature's call.

For obedience, we use a regular buckle collar and leather leash. If she's hit a rough patch, or I have, then I have either a choke chain or pinch collar--but I've rarely needed to use them.

I would use, if you haven't already, two different collars and leashes for your daily walks versus your obedience work outs. On your daily walks, I still would expect obedience--no pulling--you decide when the stops are made--continue to make forward progress. If Mac were to get used to stop and greet a frog, that could get deadly here in South Florida--we have the boffo toads that emit a poison and if the dog licks it in some way, it can possibly cause a seizure and death. I have been using "leave it" as we walk past the toads who stare at us -- it is difficult, but I still believe that during a neighborhood walk, a dog must be obedient.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

I agree with Loisiana, I think it would cause you formal heel to suffer. I actually thought about doing some formal practice with Selli yesterday during a walk, but I realized that during a formal heel, I want her looking up at me, not looking at where she is going. If we are walking on an uneven surface, it is unfair of me to expect her to watch me as I want her to do and if I am letting her look at where she is going, it is lowering my standard for the formal heel.


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## acupofteha (Jun 28, 2010)

Hello, I am not into competitions so I do not have a formal heel, I do however have two walking types "working" and "lollygagging" I use two different leeds a longer one for the lollygagging walk, and a shorter one for a working walk. I also use "go" when on the long leed, and allow her to do as she wishes (to an extent) but on the short one shes on my left side, paying attention to where I am. 

Good luck


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## windfair (Jul 19, 2008)

Thanks for all the tips - I will use two different leads and collars - one for work and one for play.


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