|
 "Heel"
prevents pain, suffering, hollering and lawsuits. Once a dog
is taught the "heel" command, further training progress
is not far afield.
The command "heel" is used to tell a dog to walk close
to the side of its owner. A dog should not be lunging ahead or
lagging behind when on heel. Many dogs will want to demonstrate
dominance over their owner and run whichever way they please
instinctively.
Teaching heel will eliminate many problems while walking on the
busy UI campus or jogging through a squirrel-filled countryside.
Several techniques can be used to teach a dog to heel. However,
dominance over a strong-minded dog must be established in any
technique used.
"You've got to be the boss," Dick Chapman, member of
the Snake River Gundog and Sportsmen's Association, said. "The
trainer has to be 'alpha dog.' If you don't get that established,
you're not going anywhere. Heel is a very good thing to start
them on. I feel no dog should be in public without a lead."
Chapman uses a silent lead method developed by Rick Smith, a
professional dog trainer. Not one word needs to be said by a
trainer when using the silent lead. Heel is taught by securing
a stiff rope, similar to a lasso, around a dog's neck.
The object is to annoy the dog with the lead when it tries to
stray from the trainer's side. When a dog is in the desired position,
pressure is released.
Once a dog learns to heel at a trainer's side, then the command
may be introduced, Chapman said. As a dog walks at heel, say
the command, "heel." The dog will soon associate the
verbal command "heel" with walking at its owner's side.
"Silently" heeling a dog is a 180-degree turn from
previous methods used. "The command is 'heel' and should
be given frequently. The command should be accompanied with a
quick slap by the trainer against his left leg," Will Judy,
author of "Training the Dog" said in his book. The
sixth edition of Judy's book was published in 1943.
"Every time you snap the leash, be sure to give the command
'Rex - Heel!' Every time you give the command 'Rex - Heel!' be
sure you snap the leash," John Kellogg said in his book
"John Kellogg's Book of Dog Training," published in
1970.
Both books use a technique of repeating the heel command while
enforcing the action of heeling, and both reflect a common training
method used until more recently.
A stick may also be used to teach a dog heel. Nancy Berger-Schneider,
a law student at the University of Idaho and co-owner of Covey
Run Kennels, suggests starting a puppy at 12 to 14 weeks old
on the heel command. "It's (heel is) easiest to teach with
a puppy fairly young, but it depends on the dog," Berger-Schneider
said.
Some dogs mature sooner or later than others do, and training
may need to be delayed until a dog is mature enough to obey the
heel command.
Hold a dog on the left side with a leash, if right-handed. The
idea of heeling a dog on the left side came from right-handed
hunters, who carried their guns in the right hand. In such a
way, a hunter could control both dog and gun at the same time,
Berger-Schneider said.
Hold a three to five foot stick at least a half inch in diameter
in the right hand. The stick is used to tap the front legs of
a dog as it gets out of position. If a dog lags behind, tap the
hind legs.
Exaggerate left turns by stepping in front of a dog. Such an
action keeps a dog from getting ahead of a trainer. The dog also
stays aware of the trainer's position. Pull on the lead to direct
a dog into a right turn.
"After a few sessions, I generally don't have to use the
stick," Berger-Schneider said. After three 10- minute sessions,
Queen, Berger-Schneider's German shorthaired pointer, learned
the heel command.
| 
Heeling a dog is easy, really