One of the most basic dog training tricks you can teach your dog is how to heel. Heel training for dogs should be done as soon as possible. Most dogs are only capable of walking on a loose leash a couple of times. If your dog does not heal properly, he will end up pulling and straining himself. Heels can be tricky because they need to be tight for your dog to heel properly and you need to encourage him to heel. Here are some dog training tips to help you train your dog properly on how to heel.
When using heel clickers to teach your dog how to heal it is important to remember that you should click the clicker before you put your dog in his crate. It is best to start off with treats and praise when you are trying to get your dog to heel. Be sure that you do not use the heel clicker when he is already barking or whining. Once he understands what you are asking, he will begin to understand that a heel command needs to be followed.
Using heel clickers to train your dog how to heel is also a good way to teach him tricks. The clicker works by sounding the click and then giving a treat reward. If you want to teach your dog to shake hands then a click and treat are not enough. You must start using a hand shake command when your dog begins to heal.
When you begin dog training using the heel clicker and treats, it is important that you never hit your dog in the behind or give him any sort of punishment. This will teach your dog that the click means punishment and he will be afraid of you when you get close to him. A good rule of thumb is to always use positive reinforcement when training your dog and rewarding him when he behaves well.
When I am teaching how to teach my dog to heel, the first thing that I always tell my dog is, “Hands up!” He does his walk and doesn’t even look at me like I am the intruder, so I simply say, “Hands up!” It takes a little bit of time for him to realize that he is not being praised or rewarded when he keeps his hands up. He may start to feel a bit later. During this time I usually encourage him by saying, “Good boy!”
Another important part of dog training with the heel command is to have your dog understand that you are in charge. The dog training videos that you find on the internet will usually show you how to teach my dog to heel with this one simple gesture. You just put your arm around him with his legs hanging down and you give him the heel command while keeping your arm straight and your heel fingers pressed against his backside.
It is important to use the heel clicker a lot. This is how you reinforce the behavior. He will learn to heel whenever you use the heel clicker and not without it. Also, once he starts using the heel clicker consistently, you can start to raise the bar for him by teaching him more difficult dog training tricks with the clicker.
Teaching your dog how to heel is one of the most important dog training techniques that you can teach him. If the heels on cue, you reward him with praise and a pat. He should keep his heels on the ground until you say “Flush!” This lesson is important because if you don’t get your dog to heel on cue, you will never be able to get him to do it. Learning how to teach my dog to heel can take a lot of time and energy, but with consistency and patience it can be done.