Dutch Shepherd Forum

I've just realized that I need to teach Zane a real heel. He's a very nice walker on leash, so up until now, I haven't bothered - he just walks near me and stops to sniff every now and then (which I'm fine with). But, now that it's nice out, we're jogging in the morning and he needs to learn to run next to me and not stop suddenly under my feet just because he smelled a piece of pizza (we walk until he's empty, then we start running, so he doesn't need to stop to pee).

Obviously, we'll practice at a walking speed first and work up to running, but do you have any methods you can recommend? Links or book/video recommendations would be awesome, thanks! Weirdly, I've never taught a dog to heel (despite having had several dogs), so I have no idea how to do it!

I was just going to post this same question. Remington will stay within 8 feet of me when walking off the leash but as soon as the leash is on he pulls. We start obedience class on Friday so I'm sure they will help me learn how to teach him to heel but I thought I would give it a try before since he already knows so much. He just was never leash trained the original owner would take him out without one. Hopefully someone has some good tips. I would also like to know if I should use a choke chain for training or if I should just do the stopping everytime he pulls thing. I read somewhere that Dutch Shepherds do better with a calm hand so I wonder if a choke chain would be a good idea or not.

alexis wrote:I've just realized that I need to teach Zane a real heel. He's a very nice walker on leash, so up until now, I haven't bothered - he just walks near me and stops to sniff every now and then (which I'm fine with). But, now that it's nice out, we're jogging in the morning and he needs to learn to run next to me and not stop suddenly under my feet just because he smelled a piece of pizza (we walk until he's empty, then we start running, so he doesn't need to stop to pee).

Obviously, we'll practice at a walking speed first and work up to running, but do you have any methods you can recommend? Links or book/video recommendations would be awesome, thanks! Weirdly, I've never taught a dog to heel (despite having had several dogs), so I have no idea how to do it!

There are a variety of options, but I am a fan of starting with a head collar. It gives you complete control of the nose and allows you to control the dog's speed without using corrections. Once the dog has the concept of where it should be and that it should maintain pace with you, you can work on switching over to a flat or correction collar if needed.

pdlucky wrote:I was just going to post this same question. Remington will stay within 8 feet of me when walking off the leash but as soon as the leash is on he pulls. We start obedience class on Friday so I'm sure they will help me learn how to teach him to heel but I thought I would give it a try before since he already knows so much. He just was never leash trained the original owner would take him out without one. Hopefully someone has some good tips. I would also like to know if I should use a choke chain for training or if I should just do the stopping everytime he pulls thing. I read somewhere that Dutch Shepherds do better with a calm hand so I wonder if a choke chain would be a good idea or not.

Since you plan to attend a class soon, I would wait before getting any equipment and see what your trainer recommends. Regardless of recommendations, I would avoid a choke chain altogether. The only use I see for chokes is if I am working a dog that I truly believe may try to eat me. A choke gives me the option to literally choke a dog out if I need to. Other than that, I prefer teaching aids and then a prong IF correction is needed (and at some point it usually is).

Odin heels like a champ with the gentle leader. When he is on his flat collar, he won't heel at all. He pulls. Why? Doesn't make sense to me. He doesn't need a prong collar because the gentle leader works great for him, so why do I want him to heel on a flat your're asking? I think he should know heeling on both collars.

Any suggestions?

My goal and from what I have seen with a friends doberman that you can once you teach them to heel teach them to walk in a heel without a leash on. Does anyone have any experience with training this?

Ha ha, its funny you say that...Sugar isn't a huge puller, but she stays in position when she has her martingale collar on (used only when I walk her) but if I take her out with just her flat collar, she tries to get ahead of me and just isn't as consistent...I rarely have to correct her with her martingale collar, so its like she knows - wearing this collar means heel, the other collar doesn't!

I also have her heel without a leash on, and she does ok with that too, but not quite as consistent. I do need to give reminders, then she falls back into position. We are working on this...

One trick we would use to start off lease was to have two leashes. When the dog hears the "click" they know they are off leash, so the back up catches them if they decide to take off or ignore you.

we walk until he's empty

Thalie always has some, she always marks, even after three hours of biking.

Thalie wants to have a trail back home!!
I had a GSD bitch once who would lift her leg like a male to pee on a low bush. (She was top dog here.)

alspyce wrote:I had a GSD bitch once who would lift her leg like a male to pee on a low bush. (She was top dog here.)

My family had a female standard poodle--all of 40 pounds--who would do the same thing. She was, by far, the most challenging dog I've ever dealt with, but she turned into a great dog and I still miss her.

Christie M wrote:There are a variety of options, but I am a fan of starting with a head collar. It gives you complete control of the nose and allows you to control the dog's speed without using corrections. Once the dog has the concept of where it should be and that it should maintain pace with you, you can work on switching over to a flat or correction collar if needed.

Thanks Christie! I've used a head collar before (on the aforementioned poodle) and it's been helpful. I guess my question is even more basic - how do I communicate to Zane where I want him to be (move him into position on leash, or do you train a "come to my side" command?) and what do I mark/reinforce and when? He's usually tractable enough on a leash that I'm not even sure I need a head collar if I can show him what I want him to do - I'm just not sure how to give the instruction without just luring him along next to me. Or, do you just lure the dog into position and give treats as he walks nicely next to you without getting distracted (we do that sometimes already if there's something on the street I don't want him to notice)?

I have noticed that with Remington that if I don't get his excess energy out he does not even try to learn to heel. Should I exercise him first and just let him pull on the way down to the field or off leash, which he is much more well behaved off leash, and then work on heeling once he has calmed down? I have arthritis in my knee and have to wear a brace when I walk and the extra pulling he is doing is making it considerable harder on me. It seems like walking him down off leash and letting him get his energy out then try training would be more productive. However I want him to walk good on a leash on the way to the park not just after so maybe training should be after so he is more receptive.

felixone123 wrote:Odin heels like a champ with the gentle leader. When he is on his flat collar, he won't heel at all. He pulls. Why? Doesn't make sense to me. He doesn't need a prong collar because the gentle leader works great for him, so why do I want him to heel on a flat your're asking? I think he should know heeling on both collars.

Any suggestions?

use both together, so he forget's the link, now it's: gentle leader=heel, flat collar=pull. So mix it up, make him wear both, and practice, switch leash between the collar/leader and vice versa untill he heals on either one, maybe it'll work? It Worked for Ivil (on flat collar/choke rope, hmmm, nasty word, choke rope...it's just a smaller rope positioned high on the neck, so you can use very subtle corrections)

Thanks!! will try that - wearing both collars.

we've been practicing with a harness + halti on Zane's shorter walks. He's heeling (sort of), mostly trying to rub his face on my legs to get the halti off. So, no pulling, but we clearly still have to get him more used to the second collar.

Maybe you could try putting it on him when he eats or is doing something else he likes that distracts him from it to get him more used to it?

Odin rubbed his face wherever he could with the halti to get it off. Takes a little time to get used to. He now has stopped rubbing. In the beginning, I did leave it on in house for a while. Made him eat with it, etc. Was not happy, but he got over it when he realized I was not taking it off when he gave me that sorrowful look.

felixone123 wrote: Was not happy, but he got over it when he realized I was not taking it off when he gave me that sorrowful look.

ah! You horrible two legged creature! Poor Odin

felixone123 wrote:Thanks!! will try that - wearing both collars.

I've been having Odin wear both collars on our walks now. I start out on the gentle leader,then I'll switch to the flat and then back and forth. He's doing really well on the flat collar!! I will continue with this for a while just in case.

Don't forget rewards for a job well done. Makes training alot easier for everyone involved.