How to Teach a Dog to Heel? – Itsaboutdog

Here’s a breakdown of How to Teach a Dog to Heel, with key takeaways:

What is Heeling?

• A trained behavior where your dog walks closely by your side, matching your pace and stopping when you stop.
• It makes walks safer and more enjoyable for both you and your dog.

Why Teach Your Dog to Heel?

• Reduces pulling and leash tension.
• It prevents your dog from chasing distractions, getting lost, or encountering hazards on walks.
• It Promotes a stronger bond and better communication between you and your dog.

How to Teach Your Dog to Heel

1. Choose the Right Environment: Start in a quiet place with minimal distractions.
2. Lure and Reward: Use treats to guide your dog into position and reward them for each successful step.
3. Introduce the “Heel” Cue: Use the word “heel” consistently as your dog begins to understand the behavior.
4. Practice Makes Perfect: Short (10-15 min) sessions several times a day will reinforce the behavior.
5. Gradual Progression: Slowly increase distractions and the duration of the heel as your dog improves.

Key Takeaways:

• Consistency is Key: Regular practice sessions make heeling a habit.
• Positive Reinforcement: Reward success with treats, praise, or play.
• Patience is Essential: Every dog learns at a different pace.
• Start Early: Puppies over four months old can begin learning to heel.
• Consider a Professional: A qualified dog trainer can help customize a training plan if you’re struggling.

What Is Heeling?

Heeling is a process that most dog owners adopt to help their dogs learn to behave appropriately while walking on the streets.

During this process, the dog has to pace with the owner, and it has to stop while the owner stops and has to walk while the owner walks.

It is a type of training in which the owner teaches the dog to stride by its side according to the owner’s movements.

A dog that knows how to heel never behaves unpleasantly in the streets and always avoids wandering away or pulling the leash.

This process makes the pet and the owner’s walking session smooth and comfortable and provides a stress-free ambiance they can enjoy from the core of their hearts.

Why Should a Dog be Trained to Heel?

A dog should be trained to heel and to behave appropriately on the roads while having a walk. A dog owner who wants their dog’s actions properly controlled can opt for the heel technique.

If a dog knows how to heel, it will probably lead to a safer walking experience. The dog that knows how to heel doesn’t chase after other street dogs while walking, used to avoid running unnecessarily on the road, and doesn’t chew the toxic things in their surroundings, which are harmful to them.

How Much Time Does it Take to Train a Dog to Heel?

While training a dog to heel, it’s quite a lengthy procedure. Some dogs are slow to grasp new skills, and some are active. That’s why it depends from breed to breed and their intelligence level.

However, an approximate time is mentioned in the surveys, and it takes 2 to 3 months for a dog owner to train his dog on how to heel.

However, if the owner doesn’t provide regular practice sessions, it can take 2 to 3 months. The time consumption of this training is based on the pet’s grasping skills and the owner’s rate of consistency.

How to Teach a Dog to Heel?

As we know, there are many procedures that people worldwide follow. But still, the preferable method for dog owners is the “lure and reward.” So, we will discuss the steps to learn the “lure and reward” method.

A dog owner must follow the correct procedure to make the training to heel a dog smooth and more manageable. The steps that the dog owners can rely upon for teaching their dog to heel are discussed below:

Choose the Right Location

Selecting the right ambiance for your dog’s training is an essential part of the training. You can go to a distraction-free area, where cars and vehicles don’t run, and a place with no people. A place like the garden in your house is the best choice.

Take a Handful of Treats

We all know that giving treats to a dog is the best way to make them understand what is good for them. If they are doing work, treating them correctly after doing the job is the best way to make it a habit. So don’t forget to keep treats with you to reward your dog.

Take the Correct Position

After completing the above steps, the owner has to take the proper position. For the training, the owner must stand so the dog falls on its right side.

Give a Command to the Dog

After taking the right position, you can hold the treats in your left hand and command your dog to sit.

Make sure your dog is aware of the cue word sit. This is because if your dog is not familiar with the word sit, his mind will get blank after hearing this and will not be able to understand what exactly it has to do.

Reward Your Dog

If you notice that your dog rapidly sits after hearing your command, then make sure to reward your dog.

This will make it understand that something good will happen, and because of this, it has a reward.

Check the Mood of Your Dog

The skill of learning how to heel is quite difficult for the dogs, which can make the dog frustrated and anxious during the training,

So, it’s essential to check the dog’s mental state, and if it seems nervous, you should take a break for a while.

Introduce the Cue Word Heel

The owner must ensure that the dog is familiar with the word heel, and if it’s the first time, then first introduce the cue word heel and make him understand what he has to do after this command.

Make the Command Heel

After making your dog familiar with the cue word heel, it’s time to make it a habit. Hold a handful of treats before your dog’s nose, cause the command heel, and slowly step forward. It will make the dog understand what it has to do.

Reward the Pet with Each Step

Keep moving forward slowly, and if you notice that the pet is also walking just according to your steps, give him a treat at each stage; it will help them know that they were doing it correctly.

Repeat it for Some Time.

After you confirm that your dog is doing it correctly, make it a practice and repeat it up to 10 – 15 minutes twice or thrice a day daily until the pet becomes perfect in it.

Correct the Pet’s Irresponsible Behavior

Sometimes, the dog may lose focus and concentration over the training, wandering away and stopping walking. All you can do is call its name strictly and tell him to come to the right position, and it will understand what he has to do next.

Practice it for 1 to 2 Weeks.

Now, we are done with all the steps to be followed, but the owner has to make it a habit for their dog to practice heel by giving treats to them with every step. Treating is necessary because it will help the pet develop its interest in learning the thing.

A Final Test

After you get the confidence that the pet can walk properly in the street, it’s time for a final test. Take your dog for an outing on the street and watch his way of walking.

If you notice that the pet is walking in the way you trained, then he has learned to heel, or if the pet is still walking unpleasantly, then it needs some more practice of the habit.

These steps are based on the experiments done by the cynologists. So, a dog owner can entirely rely upon these steps to teach his dog how to heel efficiently.

Is it Possible to Train a Dog to Heel without Treats?

As per the research on various breeds, training dogs to heel without treats is possible. To do this, all the owner has to do is reward the dog with his favorite things, like toys rather than treats.

Ensure you reward your dog at each step during the training; you can give him compliments or cuddle after the pet successfully follows your commands.

This is enough because love and care are all a dog wants from its owner, which can also be replaced with treats.

What is the Correct Age to Teach a Dog to Heel?

If your dog is a pup, you shall care for its age. Training a dog before age can affect its mental health as its learning capacity develops after a specific period.

As per research, if you are a puppy owner and want your dog to learn the best manners, you can start training the pet at four months. This age fully develops the dog’s learning capacity, so this age is preferred.

So, this is the end of the article, and we have discussed all the necessary things to make you understand the facts. Therefore, we hope you know how to teach a dog to heel.