Teaching your puppy or older dog to heel can be easy and fun. Use this directed shaping technique to help your dog learn to love to walk beside you.
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How do I know if my pup still needs to learn this skill?
You know you need to add this to your to-do list if when you take your dog for a walk you feel like instead, your dog is the one walking you! It can sometimes be hard to motivate yourself to get up and go for a walk. But it is even harder to get motivated and enjoy a walk with your favorite companion if they are constantly pulling and tugging you in every direction. At SitStay, we offer a wide variety of dog training tools that can help you to train your dog to do pretty much anything, including learning to become a respectful walking buddy.
A leash we recommend for dogs who like to pull is this Freedom Flex by Tough Pup
Adding changes of pace
Once your dog understands how to heel when moving, you can start to teach changes of pace.
First, walk about 15 or 20 steps at a normal pace. You can then move a few steps a little more slowly. Praise and give a treat reward after a few slower steps.
During another training exercise, walk 15 or 20 normal pace steps, then move a few steps more quickly. Again, praise and reward when your dog keeps up in heel posiiton.
TRAINER TIP: It helps to practice changes of pace without the dog before training with the dog.