A dog that doesn’t heel or walk properly is extremely difficult to walk. In fact, not only is it hard to walk a dog who doesn’t walk the way he should, but it can be dangerous for the dog.
Running into the street, after other dogs, squirrels, the ice cream truck, whatever he sees that catches his attention, all of the possibilities can be dangerous.
Teaching your dog to “heel” makes a much better walking experience for both of you.
If you’re going to go by formal training protocol, your dog should walk to your left side, but if you’re not planning to turn your dog into a show dog, and you’re just trying to get your dog to behave and walk nicely with you, either side will work.
Proper Set-Up
In a proper heel walk, your dog’s head should be even with your hip. If your dog is small he won’t reach your hip, of course, but the idea stands.
His head should be in line with your hip. He shouldn’t be in front of you or behind you, but right next to you. There should be plenty of slack in the leash.
Use the same command to get him into position, but don’t use “Heel”. You’ll use that later. Try “Right Here” or “Line Up” or something similar.
Reward him when he follows the command and lines up with you when you give the command.
Start Walking
Once he’s learned your command to line up properly, reward him. Once you have him consistently lining up, it’s time to move on.
Always start walking with the same foot, and it should be the foot on the same side as the dog. Give the “heel” command as you take your first step, and reward your dog immediately if he stays in line.
Take a few more steps, and reward him again if he’s still in line. Remember, it won’t be natural to him at first, just like it wouldn’t be natural to you to remain in a straight line all the time.
As you keep walking, give your dog a reward every so often as he stays in line with you. You should always be slightly ahead of your dog, but not fully in front of him.
Every time you take your dog for a walk, you should think of it as another opportunity to train him to walk properly. Make sure you always have plenty of treats for him, and reward him when he walks as he should.
If he falls behind, lunges, starts pulling ahead, or does anything else you don’t want him to do, don’t yell or yank the leash.
Simply stop walking where you are, and when your dog focuses on you again, give the “Line Up” command, get him back where he should be, and start the heel walk again.
It will take some time to get your dog to understand exactly what you’re asking him to do, but with some patience and an appropriate amount of positive reinforcement, your dog will be walking nicely next to you in no time!
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