Heel/Leash Manners Exercises

(1) Adding in distractions: You can use toys or food on the ground like we did today. Or refer to this Distractions Chart if you need some ideas! You can place your distractions on the ground in a straight line and heel past them, place the distractions in rows, like a tunnel, and heel through them, or scatter your distractions on the ground and heel any way you want around them working on tight turns, heeling past the distractions, etc. Work with 'warmer' heeling distractions - set up (safe) situations where you can heel right up to new distractions without a warm-up and expect your dog to hold the heel position.

(2) Continue practicing your goal setting with 'heel': Goal Setting. As your dog is able to heel around your neighborhood or typical walking area, see if you can challenge them by working somewhere 'new'!

(3) 'Leave it' + Heel: Leave it Polishing - focusing on Part Four - heeling past temptations. You can practice this with all kinds of food: dog treats, dry food, human snacks (Goldfish, crackers, popcorn, etc.), trash, etc. 

The MOST important thing I want you to focus on is:   "Progress.  Not Perfection.” Especially in terms of the heel position.   

A dog takes many, many, many successful repetitions (think thousands) of any new skill for it to be muscle memory for them.  That means, it generally takes about 2 months of practice for a dog to be 'familiar' with a command (having immediate recognition of the verbal word or hand signal or physical cue from the owner), then another 2 months for them to form a strong association with the action and the command (building reliability), and then another 2 months or more for it to become cemented into new habit for the dog.

So, if your dog is struggling with 'heel' - there is nothing wrong with working in a colder location (goldilocks rule!), for fewer heeling steps. Keep training short and sweet and fun, instead of getting hung up on perfection. 

Remember - progress, not perfection right now! Too often, we get so hung up on correcting the dog, we forget to praise/reward them when they get it right. So as you move back a few steps of 'reteaching' exactly where the heel is, in a cold location, be sure you are praising and randomly rewarding when he/she is where you want.