One of the basic obedience lessons that a dog owner should train the pet is the heel command. This command ensures the safety not only of the dog but of the pet owner as well. Moreover, a dog owner would surely be very proud to have a well trained and well mannered dog walking by his/her side. People keep dogs for protection as a big dog walking beside an elderly person would make wrongdoers think twice to carry out their evil intentions.
So how can you teach the dog to heel? Contrary to what other dog owners think, training the dog to heel would not be a very tedious task. Being intelligent animals, dogs will respond well to training that uses positive reinforcement. By using positive reinforcements, a dog owner can lure the pet to respond well to training because dogs have an innate behavior to please its master. So instead of reprimands and harshly pulling on the leash, the dog will be enticed to respond to training by giving the pet a lot of praises and using the dog's favorite treat as positive reinforcement.
The objective is to train the dogs to always stay by your side while walking or running. Fasten a leash to the dog's collar. You can position the dog to your left or right side but this heel position must be consistently used so that the dog will not be confused. Use one hand to hold the leash and the other hand to hold the treat that will be used to lure the dog.
Let the dog smell the treat in your hand to gain the pet's attention. Start walking while holding the treat just in front of the dog's nose. The dog may cross your body to get to the hand holding the treat. Quickly yank the leash and say NO in a firm voice. Let the dog take the heel position and continue walking. Give the heel command and continue walking. Give the dog a treat if it obeys the heel command and continued to walk by your side. This process must be repeated over and over again but be sure to make the training sessions short.
Walking the dog can be a stressful task for owners of dogs that pull on the leash so that it would appear as if the owner is being walked by the pet. Dog owners can prevent this highly stressful situation from happening by training the dog to heel.
So how can you teach the dog to heel? Contrary to what other dog owners think, training the dog to heel would not be a very tedious task. Being intelligent animals, dogs will respond well to training that uses positive reinforcement. By using positive reinforcements, a dog owner can lure the pet to respond well to training because dogs have an innate behavior to please its master. So instead of reprimands and harshly pulling on the leash, the dog will be enticed to respond to training by giving the pet a lot of praises and using the dog's favorite treat as positive reinforcement.
The objective is to train the dogs to always stay by your side while walking or running. Fasten a leash to the dog's collar. You can position the dog to your left or right side but this heel position must be consistently used so that the dog will not be confused. Use one hand to hold the leash and the other hand to hold the treat that will be used to lure the dog.
Let the dog smell the treat in your hand to gain the pet's attention. Start walking while holding the treat just in front of the dog's nose. The dog may cross your body to get to the hand holding the treat. Quickly yank the leash and say NO in a firm voice. Let the dog take the heel position and continue walking. Give the heel command and continue walking. Give the dog a treat if it obeys the heel command and continued to walk by your side. This process must be repeated over and over again but be sure to make the training sessions short.
Walking the dog can be a stressful task for owners of dogs that pull on the leash so that it would appear as if the owner is being walked by the pet. Dog owners can prevent this highly stressful situation from happening by training the dog to heel.
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Sarah's Dogs provides more information on how to train a dog to heel and dog first aid.
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