Teaching the Dog to Heel

13.05 in Dog, heel, home, new, puppy, teaching, the, to, welcome, your

Basic Dog Training

- The Heel Command

It never ceases to amaze me how many people I see being pulled along by their dog while out "walking". What amazes me more is that most of these people blame their dog for this behavior. If they only realized that the problem is on the other end of the leash.

If your dog pulls on the leash, youre kidding yourself if you think youre the "master". Dogs are smart, and they will take advantage of a situation if you allow them to.

The worst part of this situation is that it only takes a short period of time to teach your dog to heel. Since walking with your dog is something that youll be doing every day, from the very beginning, it only makes sense that the "heel" command be among the first that your dog learns.

When your dog obeys the "heel" command, not only does it make it easy on your arms while out on walks, it also helps ensure that Fido is safe and behaved while out in public. It also lets him know that youre the boss, which is imperative in the human-canine relationship. And in those instances when a cat or other small animal runs out in front of you, it allows you to retain control when your dog wants to follow its instincts to chase the other animal.

For those unfamiliar with basic dog training, the function of the "heel" command is to have your canine companion walk alongside you, rather than in front of you. When a dog heels correctly, the leash remains slack, and Fido matches your pace, not vice-versa.

At this point, youre probably saying to yourself "That sounds great. But I bet its a hard thing to teach." Actually, its pretty straightforward, and like most dog training, it usually is taught by combining strong positive reinforcement and short but firm corrections.

Start out by putting your dog on a short leash, and have some small treats available. With the dog by your side, facing in the same direction, hold a treat in your hand. Issue the "heel" command using a firm, yet gentle voice. Proceed to walk forward. If the dog responds by walking along with you, praise him with an enthusiastic "Good Boy" (or Girl), and reward him by giving him the treat. If he doesnt heel, dont try to coax him with the treat. Consistency is important, and Fido needs to realize that hell get his treat when he displays the correct behavior. Remember to always reward him when the desired action is carried out. If youre lucky, a few repetitions of this series of actions will be all thats needed to teach your dog to heel.

With a little patience, this method will work well for many dogs, and will also help you to form a close bond with your pet. However, some dogs are a little difficult, and may be a little harder to train. This does not mean youve got a bad dog. It just means youll need to work a little harder to get the desired response. In this case, youll need to utilize some additional, corrective techniques.

As before, call the animal to your side and position him next to you, again facing the same direction. As you did earlier, voice the "heel" command, and walk forward. The dog will probably not walk with you. Instead, he will likely try to go off on his own. To correct this behavior, apply a firm but short correction on the leash. Never, never, pull your dog. Let the collar return to a slack condition.

Repeat the exercise, and if your dog obeys this time, praise him enthusiastically and reward him with a treat. Fido will quickly learn that to disobey the "heel" command results in a period of discomfort, but walking alongside at your pace gets him a tasty treat and a lot of vocal praise. It may take a few days, but if you are consistent in your training methodology, and reward him accordingly, Fido will soon be responding eagerly to your "heel" commands, and corrections will no longer be required.

About the Author:
Nick Bulka operates a number of pet related sites, including Dog Training and Pet Guide

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com

 

Nick Bulka operates a number of pet-related web sites. Visit his sites at http://www.petsupplyguy.com, http://www.dogtraininginstruction.com, and http://www.pet-guide.us

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Welcome Home Your New Puppy

07.04 in Dog, home, new, potty, puppy, training, welcome, your

The First Thing on

the agenda

Please Dad, Mum, can we have a puppy

Ops, to late, your have already done that one.
After all who could have resist that loveable
bundle of  fur ??? After all the children just had
to have a new puppy, and didnt you have one
when you were young 
They just had to have a new puppy. 
If you have had one before its probable you
consider yourself the expert on puppy rearing.
Remembering the thrill of your first puppy, and
excitement when it was first brought home.
Its big sad eyes looking up at you, the urge to
pick it up and hug it. Perhaps this is your
dream puppy, the one you never had when
you were young. Your children are going to
have that special friend you were denied. It is
then the moment of truth hits you, how little
you really know about the welfare of this new
member of the family. Its now the fear of
realisation hits you as it makes its first little
mess on your new carpet The reality of the big
responsibility  of this new baby. Not a toy, a
member of the family, that needs the love and
understanding everyone else  needs. After all
it is hoped this latest member will be part of
the family for a long time. The good with the
not so good. But long after it has left you, there
will be the memories  of that little puppy that
will linger forever. Like a new baby, one of the
first things to do is to insure it is well protected
from diseases, which as with a little
baby means its first injections. Make an
appointment with your local veterinarian, he will
advise you on all the treatments your puppy
will need while growing up and in its later life.
Its also important that a young puppy is used
to be handled by your  veterinarian as it will
alleviate its fears if it need to return in
distressed circumstances.

 

The fun of Housebreaking your new friend. 
Yes we have our new puppy home, and while
at first it may even be funny when the first accident
on the carpet happens, realisation needs to
kick in right away that our new puppy needs
house trained.  The first thing we all need to
understand is that this six to eight week old
bundle of furs does not know the carpet is a
carpet, and sees nothing wrong in its actions,
its a little very frightened baby that needs
taught new behavior. The second thing to
remember, its hard to teach an old dog new
tricks, so training needs to start right away.
The most proven way is the punishment
reward method The new puppy isnt aware of
house rules so will relieve itself when needs
must.The poor souls only thought is its own
need to do so. Which is the easy option.Now
lets see what we can do about this. We want
to have a clean Home, so how can we achieve
it. Puppies will be puppies so to enable us to
keep house clean we need to understand the
puppy. What indication it gives  prior to the
mess and what brings  them on. Lets start with
stimulence due to playing, exercise or excitement.
With this problem lets try to play with the
puppy in a safe place, trying not to over excite
it.The next problem is the messier one. once
again understanding your puppy. After meals,
exercise and even playing or drinking. Seeing
it crouching or straining is the most sure way of
knowing. It is at this time you need to get your
puppy outside  by carrying it or walking it outside 
quickly, teaching it where to go when the need
overcomes it. The training is governed by
two things, how dedicated we are in watching
it and in knowing  that on the puppies side, its
just complete convenience, meaning you need
to be in the right place at the right time. The
puppy is an animal of habit. Good habits last,
bad habits are difficult to change.
Congratulating it on a good job done will make
the puppy more co-operate and a little treat
will allow it to remember even quicker. The
more the puppy is helped in not making little
mistakes the more likely the training will be
quicker. Its not the puppy which needs to be in
the right place at the right time but ourselves.
Ever watchful.
When accidents happen its important you act
quickly by scolding the puppy, letting it know
by the tone of your voice you are not happy,
allowing the puppy to see your distain, and
swiftly removing it outdoors. Remember
puppies are like little children they will alway
try to get away with what ever they can. It is
you as the owner who needs to take charge,
you are no longer just the Mum or Dad but the
pack leader as well. Each breed of dog has a
different temperament, so its to late if your
puppy isnt what you expected. Some are vocal
others are highly strung or aggressive those
things you need to consider before bring it home.
If you want a peace full home choose a quiet
puppy. I am no expert on all puppies but there
are some things that work with them all. Like
humans they respond best to Love

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Welcome to the Bravo Dog Training Blog!

09.16 in blog, bravo, Dog, house, puppy, the, to, training, welcome

Welcome to the first, the only, blog for Bravo Dog Training.  Written by Mary Majchrowski, CPDT-KA (Thats Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed.  Quite a mouthful, huh?).  Get ready to experience the best dog training tips, how-tos and solutions.  Happy Thanksgiving, check back soon!

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