# How do you teach/correct a heal?



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

There are many ways to teach heel, but with a puppy, targeting your hand is best& most fun. Just get some really tasty treats and hold your palm nicely out to the pup. When she sniffs and touches your palm with her nose, click(if you use a clicker) or say YES and then give the treat. Do this a bunch of times to make the pup understand that your palm is a sweet spot. Touch, treat, touch, treat. No need to tug or "pop" the pup.

Once the pups has this idea, then it's time to try with the pup on your left side. Don't worry about sit or anything else yet. Just keep the treats in your right hand and offer your left palm to the pup. Don't bribe by keeping the treat in your left hand, but do say yes or click as instantaneously as you can get your timing and dish up those rewards. Then try it walking a few steps. If she gets out of position, don't correct her, but don't treat either. Make it fun.

Once you can walk with the puppy touching your left palm like a pez dispenser, and she is on your left side, you can start asking her to sit whenever you stop. Most puppies love doing this once they catch the idea, and the first time you get it, throw the pup a party with a "jackpot"(a bunch of great treats).

Add the word "Heel" only once the behavior is well understood by both of you. If you are going to compete with the puppy in obedience, then you might not want to teach the automatic sit.


----------



## lea Noel (Jan 14, 2009)

So would I practice this while walking on a leash? Or would you practice just at home or in the yard first? 

Thanks so much!! I am considering getting a clicker, I think they make alot of sense. We have mastered the sit, stay, paw, and she is almost totally housebroken.......but I think the clicker would be great to use as we move on!


----------



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

The clicker is lots of fun bc it makes communicating to easy and clear. Tally starts wagging his tail when he even sees the clicker. It amazes me how much it makes dogs enjoy learning. 

LibertyME and FlyingQuiz can explain this stuff MUCH better than me.

Yes, start on a leash just to stay focused, but don't use it to pull or force in any way. Break it down into tiny goals and steps, so the pup always succeeds in pleasing you. 5 or 10 minute sessions- first, just the idea of touching("Targeting") your plam for treats until youre sure she understands, Next, doing it while sitting. Next, sitting on your left alongside your leg, etc. It takes some skill/practice to get the treats/clicker and leash all working at once lol.


----------



## lea Noel (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks! I can see it now, I will be all tied up in the leash, clicker in one hand treats in another, laughing hysterically! 

Thanks again for the tips!


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I'll just second what LJilly laid out there, since she already said it far better than I could. Having trained leash skills both the way she described and with more correction-oriented methods, I can say from experience you get better skills and happier participation if you use a lure/targeting method that's positively reinforced.


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I will absolutely second the idea that you get great, happy, animated, joyful heeling with positive methods!  (See the link in my signature for footage of my boy heeling in the obedience ring -- he's a VERY HAPPY HEELER!)

Do a Google search for the Choose to Heel method. Might give you some good info to start with. In the meantime, practice walking him with his entire ration (a meal's worth) of kibble in your left pocket. Keep some in your hand as a lure in the beginning and feed a piece every step or two. Over time, you'll be able to increase the # of steps and start to conceal the kibble in your pocket, etc. If he's eating a meal by hand at your left side, he'll quickly learn that it's great to be in that position! Start this at home - inside. Then outside. Then in front of your house, etc. Gradually add distractions at a level he can handle. And remember that at this age and stage of the training game, you're goal is to TEACH, not CORRECT. He doesn't know what you want yet, so corrections are grossly unfair.


----------



## lea Noel (Jan 14, 2009)

Great Info Guys Thanks!!!  I might need bigger pockets.....he he he.......


----------



## Bogart'sMom (Sep 16, 2005)

Choose to heel really works well. My one Trainer tought us this method also. The clicker is an awesome tool to teach new behaviors.
For every day life I tell him with me on or off leash when I want him close to me. For that he doesn't have to exactly heel but can be alittle in front or behind me. For competitions I tell him READY (getting his attention) and then HEEL so he is right by my side preferable looking up at me keeping his attention on me. I have these two comandes so he doesn't get confused and with the "with me" he knows he is not allowed to say hi to someone coming toughts us. It helps keeping my social butterfly with me since some people don't like being greeted by a big fluffy doggy:.
The attention training I like though and at that age food is a very good motivator. I also only use a basic Flatcollar on my dogs or even an Harness when Bogart was a puppy. He never pulled on the harness but walked very nicly on it. 
All the best,


----------



## Kohanagold (Nov 5, 2008)

Are you wanting a competition style heel, or a "walk nicely on your leash beside me" heel? 

The differences between the two basically boil down to focus. If you want a competition style heel, the dog is intently focused on you, while walking alongside you. You walk with a sense of purpose. It can be quite "labour intensive" for both you and the dog. 

I'm not saying that you cant have both, but what I am asking is what you are looking to achieve. For me, "heel" is very structured where the dog is in stride with me, looking intently at me and at each halt, the dog sits smartly at my side. I dont ask for long stretches and when I get a little jog of the type of heeling I want, I stop and reward that. It is important that you acknowlege it. I break it down and start with teaching a "watch" where the dog simply sits at my side and stares up at me and is rewarded for it. Then I teach the "take off" where I only take a step or two and the dog is required to go from a sit to moving in pace with me AND intently watching me. I also teach the dog to heel from a stand, so the other 2 pieces dont come into play, where the dog is beside me and I say "Heel" and start walking with purpose for a few steps and reward as the dog is moving with me. If the dog looks away, the second s/he checks back in with me, I reward. Its okay to glance away, but they must always look back and refocus. If there isn't a check back, I say "watch!" and when they look back then, I reward. If they dont look back, I often keep walking and when they're back in beside me, I say "oh there you are!". I dont believe in harsh corrections, but I do believe in correcting behaviour that you dont particularly care to have. Sooo... if the dog decides to forge ahead, I do a quick 180 degree turn, dont yank the leash, but let it get tight as you continue in the opposite direction. For that, I put my leash hand tight against my hip so as to not inadvertantly "jerk" the leash and the dog will quickly realize its no longer with you. 

Now, if you're wanting a "heel" that simply means "walk nicely on your leash and pay attention to me, but not necessarily with a lot of intensity", I would still use lots of reward and turning if the dog is forging, but I would not insist on the dog looking at me. Just walking nicely beside me is good enough. This isn't as hard work as a competition heel (which I never ask for if we're just going for a leisurely walk) but the dog does know that it needs to be in beside me and not running all over the place. I like to have a "watch" command, but it isn't necessary for this, nor is the "take off". Its rather low key and low pressure. For this, I dont use the word "heel" because I do want both, but you can if you like and if that is what you're out to achieve. Personally, I dont put walking nicely on leash to a command... its just expected of my dog when I put the leash on.

With a puppy, I do a lot of luring and plunk the food right at the end of their nose. They know its there, I know its there... its no big secret. I've found that keeping the food in the right hand encourages the dog to swing its rear out and can also lead to crooked sits. I'm not saying that some people dont have good success with it, but that's just what I've found in the dogs that I've had and watched. They learn that the food comes from the opposite hand (provided the dog is on your left). So I personally keep it in my left hand, leash in the right and use the food to keep the dogs attention (remembering that their attention span is very short) and interest. 

I hope that helps some. Good luck! BJ


----------



## lea Noel (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks so much! I am just looking for a walk beside me heel! 

We live way out in the country, on a quiet road, with not alot of traffic, so she typically gets to have quite a bit of freedom when we walk. However, I do want her to know that when someone else is approaching or another dog for instance, that she needs to come back a bit and stay close. 

She already USUALLY stops and sits when a car comes. We started this one really early, because there are not sidewalks here, so I like both her and my kids to stop when a car is coming. Its the "whoo HOoo, a kid or a doggie is coming" charge that I want to get a hold of! Ha!

Thanks again everyone.


----------



## Kohanagold (Nov 5, 2008)

HAHAHA.... yes... that can be difficult (Sydney STILL has that "OMG, a KID!!! Its a KID!!! Lets go say hi". She's 5 1/2 now. That's years, not months btw. LOL.

But what I've found works is to start with your own kids. She knows them, and they're a bit less novel than kids she doesn't get to see all the time. Start with them standing in one spot and not looking at her. Sometimes telling them to pretend to be a post works well. Take the puppy and simply walk by. She will likely want to stop and say hi, but keep walking. When she feels the leash go tight, she will realize "where're they going?" and will hopefully run to catch up to you again. PRAISE and reward that! The idea is to praise her for getting back close to you. When she figures out the game (and no longer stops to want to see your child), then get the child to be a "tree" (and be patient... it could take a couple days to get there) where they stand there, still dont look at her, but hold their arms out like tree branches. This is simply to introduce a very slight distraction, and same thing... dont stop and lots and lots of reward for catching back up to you. If she doesn't go to visit, dont forget to reward that too. Sometimes we think "they get it", but really, what you're looking for is her being with you. That's what gets her the reward and that becomes the game. 

If that seems to be going really well, then I'd ask a friends child to help (but go back to the beginning again) or a friend of one of your kids. When that becomes a non-issue, I'd go back to your child, but this time, have you and the the dog cross paths with the child. Tell them not to stop, or look at the dog and just keep walking. When that becomes easy for her, then I would add in the eye contact between the dog and the person of interest. It sounds like a slow process, and it can be, but you know your puppy is smart and I'm sure she will pick up on the game fairly quickly. Once she is doing very well with crossing paths, if the word you want to use is "heel", when she checks back in with you again, tell her "good girl! good heel" and reward. It isn't until I have the behaviour basically shaped that I really think seriously about giving it a name. But for this, you do kinda want a name, so that you can tell her "puppy, heel" when she's being approached by something that you want her close for. 

Does that make sense? I hope so! If not, feel free to ask. Good luck! BJ


----------



## lea Noel (Jan 14, 2009)

That makes perfect sense! I would have never thought to start with my kids!! Thanks! Nice way to get the whole family involved in the training too! 

Yay! I am excited now to start! Thanks guys!


----------



## lea Noel (Jan 14, 2009)

Hey I just noticed your link in your Siggy.....I think we checked you out when we started looking for a puppy! Ha! You didn't have any puppies at the time though......

Geesh.....wish we had waited for one!


----------

