Question of the day: What is the most difficult command to teach your dog? ANSWER: Heel, and here is why. Barrie Hoytt of House of Hoytt Dobermans puts it this way; Imagine being in your car or SUV driving down the road, all while you are on your cell phone chatting with a friend, drinking a coke, eating a snack, listening to the radio in the background, and watching your surroundings. Basically you are on auto pilot while cruising down the road at 70 miles an hour in a 2 ton vehicle. When you teach a dog to sit, down, come , stay or do tricks, they are expected to do one task. This requires little brain work, just compliance. The previous commands may take time, but are easily understood by your dog in time with consistent positive praise. Heel is like driving a car for your dog. Your dog must train his brain and senses to ignore innate drives to investigate. he must learn to take in those inviting scents without giving in to the urge to explore. he must pass trees and bushes, ignoring the message of dogs who have passed this way before him, and he must resist the urge to chase any object that triggers his prey drive. Your dog must do all of these things while staying in his lane and remaining at your side, all while in motion. Many people rush through this vital command and do not allow their dog to become so comfortable with Heel that it becomes second nature any time they have on their leash. This is why so many people have dogs that pull on the lead, stop at every bush, and require frequent redirection. Sherlock dog training uses positive motivators that ensure the handler is more interesting than anything else when we begin training this command. The key to success is to always be consistent. What you expect today, you expect every time. Once the work is done on heel everything else will begin to fall in place.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 01:33:53 +0000
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