When you walk with your dog on the leash…

Have you ever had a dog or knew of someone who has a dog and when they go for a walk with their dog, the dog is walking the dog owner and not the other way around.

When you have a dog, training your dog from a young age on is important. It is not difficult to train your dog to walk heel. 

My friend Jennifer has two dogs, and when she walks with her dogs she is exhausted. She nor her husband have trained the dogs to walk heel.

The two dogs both are a kind of a mix a white/black dog called Vanshi, and the black one called Choc every time they go for a walk it is crazy it is like heavy weight lifting on the move, as both dogs pull so strong and it is a struggle to keep them under control.

These Dogs are so distracted in sniffing, looking and peeing everywhere marking the trees and the streets that they do not pay attention to Jennifer. They do not listen at all.

Then the accident happens. Jennifer’s mum walked the dogs and pulled her so strong that she fell and broke her hip. Not enough she had to wait for someone to find her. It was wintertime and cold.

Walking with your dog should be fun. Train your dog to walk on a leash.

Many Dog Owners when walking with their dog walk in despair and in the process strangling themselves.
This is one of the most common problems dog owners face when out for a walk, and there is a good reason for this.
If the dog believes he is the leader, the decision-maker, he thinks it is his position to be at the front of the pack, and this is why you will see dog owners getting pulled everywhere by their dogs struggling to keep their dog or dogs under control.

Will all these Gadgets like choke chains and shock collars help?

What many people do in these situations is end up resorting to gadgets and tools like choke chains and shock collars try to keep that dog to heel.

But the problem here is you don’t actually stop the dog from wanting to be in front, you actually force him into a situation where he can’t get in front of you.

What those gadgets do is actually just adjusting the problem but not solving the problem. There are plenty of books and Information available and I can highly recommend the  DIY Dog Training “Secrets to Dog Training. Stop your Dogs behaviour problem.” Click here

Train your dog how to walk heel.

Jennifer, my friend, got herself a certified dog trainer to help her to walk with her dogs so that they stop pulling and try to strangle themselves. Both Jennifer and her husband do not have the passion to do the dog training themself.

I went with her through the training, and I will tell you how we got Choc and Vanshi to stop pulling on the leash and how both dogs learned how to walk heel.

Download our “D.I.Y 100 Dog Training Tips Checklist. “Click here 

What Every Dog owner needs to know.

What every dog owner needs to know that out on a walk there are loads of different smells and site distractions which keeps the dog’s attention from being on us. ( it is like a kid in the candy store)

It is tough to train a dog out there if we want to train a dog to heel than the best place to do it is where the dog feels safe, where the dog feels happy, and the dog feels relaxed and to do that you have to go back a few steps.

The psychology of an animal.

Every animal on the planet has psychology including the dog, and the tapping into that psychology of an understanding of why the dog reacts the way they do is the key to training your dog.

If you ask an intelligent question like what is in for your dog when he follows your training? Of course, your dog likes to be rewarded, and the practice should be relaxed and fun.

Make it as comfortable as possible for the dog to learn.

Did you know that there are only three things we need to train a dog walk heel?

We need a leash, lots of patience and food rewards now with food rewards dogs are a little bit picky, and they don’t like certain treats and biscuits, so I always cover my basis by that and bring out my secret weapon.

Grilled sausages the secret weapon of every dog trainer. No dog will resist that treat.

The Process. Teaching A dog to walk heel.

Stage one. Repeat and Repeat the basic.

Picking up the leash then calling the dog to you,  a lot of times the dog will not actually come to you, what in a sense is not right if you take the dog anyway out for a walk. You have to think about this… If the dog is not listening to you in the house or home it is not going to listen to you outside. Do you agree?

With stage 1 we pick up the leash, and we call the dog over if the dog becomes a little bit overexcited, we put the leash back down again.

The reason for this is if we can’t keep the dog in a calm state, we can not move on to stage 2.
A lot of owners don’t realize this, as a problem. They put the leash on when the dog is overexcited and the dog is the first who runs out the door and the owner is dragged behind. Now we do it with Choc.

The trainer is calling Choc over to him and try to put the leash onto Choc.
He comes and sits down, soon as the leash is on, Choc is fighting the leash. That means Choc is trying to take away the power of the walk from the trainer.

What Choc is telling the trainer is, I am taking you for a walk.

Choc is trying to make decisions for the trainer, so if that happens, you must take the leash off and start this process again until Choc understand it and gets it perfectly right and doesn’t bite and fight the leash.

Only then we can move forward. Now that we have got the dog on the leash we can move to stage 2.

Stage 2: Stop, Start, Change Direction

What we do is a little thing called, stop, start, change direction in the house. What the trainer does is to encourage the dog to be by my side up and down in the rooms we are in.

Every time that choc pulls the trainer forward, he stops stands still, and then he changes the direction again, every time Choc gets it right the trainer encourages Choc with food reward and praise.

Importantly keep the leash loose do not hold on too tight, that puts tension on your dog.

After a couple of trips up and down and around the house, Choc started to get it and went around the house with the trainer without mistake or pulling on the leash.

Choc is ready for stage 3 going out in the garden ( If you do not have a garden use an outside area what your dog is familiar with)

If you can walk with your dog without him pulling constantly the leash it is a pleasure moment you share with your dog. Dog training is not difficult and everyone can learn it.  I can highly recommend the Training “Secrets to Dog Training. Stop your Dogs behaviour problem.” Click here

Step 3: The Garden with different smells and distractions

Out in the garden, Choc still feels comfortable and safe, so it is a great place to train Choc.
When a dog is stressed you can’t get any information into their brain so keep doing the training when they feel comfortable and keep the building of those foundations.

The Trainer started to go around in the garden, and every time Choc got it wrong, he showed him what he wanted calmly and patiently.

It was actually very relaxing, and I have to say I did not believe that Choc would do it so fast. Again every time Choc does it right, he will get the food reward and the praise what is very important in making progress.

The great thing about this is there is no tugging any jerking on the leash necessary. Choc is following the trainer because he wants to follow him. When Choc continues to get it, then we can move forward to stage four.

It is like when a child learns how to ride a bike, you should work with your dog the same way one step at the time guiding them from the beginning to the end until they get it right.

Download our “D.I.Y 100 Dog Training Tips Checklist. “Click here 

Stage 4: walking out the door with your dog.

This stage walking out the door is when Choc really tests the trainer and if Choc pulls the Trainer 100 times than the trainer goes back 100 times until Choc understands he is not going anywhere by pulling the trainer. Choc also has to understand that he has to wait in a sit position when the trainer is open the front door to go outside.

Choc and Vanshi both got it after I lost count at 37 times, 5 sessions later but now we are out the door. yeah…

Stage 5 Leaving the house.

Choc and Vanshi tested the trainer more than 37 times and 5 sessions later we are finally at stage 5, the walk can start.

I have to say I am excited as to see how much improvement the dogs made in a short period.  Jennifer, my friend is nervous and lost her cool. She got a time out form the trainer as the dogs will take over her energy.

As the trainer progresses many times Choc is questioning the trainer, and he answers Choc the same way by coming back, and Choc loses ground. I am surprised Vanshi is following so quickly with me, and it is a pleasure to train her.

We got back from the walk, and Choc was trying a few more times to let the trainer know he is the boss, but when we came back, Choc for the first time would not run into the front door he actually sits and was waiting until the trainer went in first. Wow, what an improvement.

Dog Training is easy the only thing you need is time, passion and treats. I can highly recommend “Secrets to Dog Training. Stop your Dogs behaviour problem.” Click here

Stage 6: Find a quiet outdoor place for more training.

Choose a quiet outdoor spot with a few distractions such as not many people cars, or dogs for teaching and guiding your dog one step at a time is essential.

Always remain calm convincing and consistent.

I can see that the Trainer is going back soon as Choc tries to pull the leash or try to walk with the trainer.
I have to say I have learned a lot at the same time. I also have fun and enjoy the training. We are not yet finished we continue.

I have followed the same rules with Vanshi, but it is so much easier with Vanshi, she follows in no time it is a pleasure training her. She follows so easily compare to Choc he is a handful and has a strong will.

Stage 7: A Residential Street to train your dog walk heel.

As you progress and the dog is learning to find a quiet place like a residential area which has a few more distractions. Step by step increases the distractions.
The work is ongoing keep going and keep it up. If you come across other dogs, keep a reasonable distance so that you can focus on the task in hand.

I have read a few dog training books and I found them interesting but the best one is the secret of dog training. 

Only when the dog is ready, then you can progress to a place with more distractions keep guiding your dog to stay positive and create every attempt by your dog to lead you.

As you can experience the more distractions or potential threats, the more the dog will react in this case keep correcting your dog.

If your dog appears anxious, then go back to a place where you both feel comfortable and progress again from there keep going until your dog feels safe and accepts you as the leader.

Train your dog when you have time do not rush.

Remember to teach your dog when you can dedicate quality time to the task it will not be easy when you are in a hurry and trying to take your dog for a walk. The more rushed you are, the less time you are likely to have to offer attention to detail.

If you haven’t got time waiting for a time when you do have time.

You have to remember as you start to make progress of each individual step, and the dog becomes less distracted at all the smells, sights and distractions out on the walk, and they are walking heel it is so pleasant to see the improvement.

Always come back and repeat the steps, so the dogs know you are in control.

Final stage: The Park. Test your dog and see how good he can walk heel. A big day.

Finally, you have gone through all the stages, and the dogs follow the leader by their own free will.

There is no need for Choke Chains and Shock Collars if you have the passion give your dog the proper training, and if you do not have the time then get professional help. It is so much more comfortable having dogs who accept you as the Pack Leader instead of your dogs taking over you.

You will find that your dog starts following you wherever you want to go when there are other distractions around the dog will look at you as the leader. If you concentrate on this process and take your time, you will realize it does work, you.

Don’t shout, get aggressive or use choke chains or shock collars.

Download our “D.I.Y 100 Dog Training Tips Checklist. “Click here 

Vanshi was a faster learner, and she got it very quickly. Jennifer is so happy to have two dogs who do not take her for a walk. Now she is walking her dogs. The shoulder strain also has gone.
One thing always to remember is that when you give a dog a treat for training do not give him that treat in-between. The treat for training should be a special treat. I learned great dog training techniques.

I never thought that dog training classes can be so much fun for me. I know when my husband walks first time with our dogs he uses an instant dog training leash. 

Walking with dogs or a dog does not mean it has to be like heavy weight lifting. It is a pleasant experience and walking with your dog will be fun.
I hope you enjoyed this blog on how to train your dog to walk heel. Please let us know how you train your dog and what kind of treats you use.

All Yours

Melanie

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