A formal heel is an amazing thing to behold: dog right at your leg, staring attentively up at you while you walk. It’s something even non-dog people can appreciate. You may feel it’s something you and your dog can never accomplish, but it’s actually easier than you think and can even be fun with the following tips.
What Is “Heel,” Anyway?
First, let’s define what we are looking for. Knowing what you want the behavior to look like before you start training is crucial to having a good plan. The exact placement of the dog in a heel has changed over the years. Today, a dog in heel is a dog who’s very close (but not touching) his owner’s leg with his shoulder at your thigh. The dog should have regular eye contact with his owner, showing attention and focus. If you are going to compete, your dog needs to be on the left side. If you are not, you can choose to teach your dog to heel on either side, or both.
Tips For Teaching Your Dog To Heel
Be prepared to work on this for a while, it does take time. Train in short sessions, just ten minutes or so; it’s easier on you and your dog. Start on-leash inside your home with little to no distractions.
First – start with attention. Your dog needs to be paying attention to you in order to stay by your side, so start with this. One game that works well is waiting for your dog to offer eye contact and then praise/reward when he does. This teaches your dog that paying attention to you is rewarding. If he ignores you, do nothing. Once he is doing this well, begin to move around and see if your dog still gives you attention. If you turn your back, will your dog walk around to the front to keep eye contact?
Second – the heel position. Next, you need to teach your dog that being by your side is the best place ever. There are almost endless ways of doing this. You may have to try a few to see which one your dog understands best. One of my favorites is a game where you drop your leash (or remove it if you are in a contained area) and just walk in a circle, ignoring your dog. Any time he moves to the heel position, you praise/reward the entire time he is in that position. If he leaves, ignore him. This is teaches your dog that moving into heel position himself and staying there means lots of rewards.
Third – add distractions. Once your dog is falling into the heel position and staying there, you can add a cue if you wish. It’s also time to start adding distractions and duration (time you expect your dog to stay at your side in attention). Add both of these separately and slowly. If your dog fails to give you attention or to get into heel after several seconds, you may have made your distractions too hard, so go back and make it easier; same goes for duration. Build up slowly and try to release your dog before he breaks position on his own.
