Common Heel Command Problems

Dog pulls ahead.

In achieving success with the "Let's Go" command, you should now that timing is very important. Correcting your dog should be done exactly at the same time as your dog starts moving in front of your knee. When doing this after this stage, your dog will find it difficult in understanding what the right position is that you want him to take in. This can be quite tough in doing as many dogs move forward so fast that it might be even more difficult in getting the timing right. Here it might be a good idea to issue the "Let's go" command; make a 180 degree turn and then move forward.

All the turns that you can do are good for your dog, especially the left about turn seeing that they can be done while your dog is moving forward. You might trip over your dog if his shoulder is at the same level as your knee.

Dog lags behind.

If your dog trails behind you it is important that you do not correct him as this will cause them to lag even more. There are many reasons causing a dog to lag. It might be a problem with your leash being to long and hitting him in the face all the time, or your corrections might be too harsh - causing the dog to be frightened. Another reason might be your dog struggling to keep up with your pace, or he might be a bit unsure about what you want from him.

Try to ensure that the leash and the collar is the right length and size, and also that the dog is not being injured in this process. A choke collar should not have more than two to three inches of space when it is tightened to its max. If the dog is not comfortable with this type of collar you might have to consider a collar that can't tighten around the neck of the dog. Many dogs will get scared of these collars, and eventually they will not want to walk at all.

If the dog is comfortable with this and if you know that he can keep up with your pace, you can then up your pace. When you slow down if your dog slows down, he will take advantage of this. It is important that you take the lead here; otherwise your dog will dominate. If you come across as being hesitant, your dog will not take your lead. Give your dog enough praise while you move along.

If you move the lead across your legs and put your right hand in a steady position on your right and keep it there your leg will pull the dog up and release it again in a steady rhythm that your dog will react positively towards. If he maintains this pace, you should give him enough praise - and eventually sit down with him and praise him even more. As you continue this, tour dog will soon be walking alongside you at whichever pace you want him to.

Dog stops.

If your dog decides to stop, you should just keep going and not stop with him. Do not look at your dog or say anything about it - just keep walking. If you dog then starts to walk again, sit down and ask him to stand and then give him some more praise. You should not go toward the dog, as he will see this as enforcement for him to stop walking. A dog in this situation will probably jump up and down a bit - see that you are not giving him any attention and then eventually will stand up and start walking again.

If you get them to get up after they have stopped, you will just make your own task a lot harder. You can always put a collar with a buckle on your dog, tie it to your leash and then get them to follow you while walking through the house. The floor has a good surface which will be nice for his feet, and you won't be covering long distances. He will in the end see that it is better to follow you than to oppose.

Dog jumps up.

If your dog jumps up, you should take a step to the side and then make sure that you correct your dog. This is the best method to follow if your dog jumps up while he is on the lead - this will give you the best results. You may need to do this a few times before it will sink in.

Dog puts foot over lead.

This usually takes a smart dog to do this, but also a way to show its owners that he can stop them. Do not stop and disentangle him, as he will keep on doing this. Just keep on walking as he will then hop after you and then untangle his paw on his own. Do not give him any praise for doing this. Just unhook his foot, and keep going. Eventually your dog will come to see that this is not the right way of doing things.

Dog cuts in front of owner.

Make sure that you do enough turns before your dog tries to cut in front of you - this will teach him to stay behind you. Always walk through him if he is blocking your way - if you move around him, he will keep on doing this. He your dog does this the next time - place your left hand on the leash halfway down and move it to the left quickly in a snappy movement. If you have a very large dog or if he is standing completely in front of you - take a turn to your right hand side. If you do this, the dog will be put automatically to your left which is the right position.

Dog cuts in back of owner.

There are two methods that you can follow to stop this behaviour. With the first method you should simply keep walking while at the same time pulling the lead to your right hand side. Eventually your dog will return to the right place. The second method is to stretch to your back with your left hand and correct him to your left while you keep moving. Similar to all the other corrections, timing is also very important here. If you correct the dog as he is trying to cut in front of you, it will be a lot easier.