Heeling and when to apply

[dsyriopoulos]

I have a question. I already own 2 dogs (one 7 yo dogo argentino) and a 3yo akita inu. When we go for a walk they usually walk as they want - I have never really trainned them for heeling - right and left and so on, though they never pull. The concern I have always had (and here in Sweden nobody gave me any serious answer) is very simple. When we go for a walk, both of them take some time for their needs and by that I mean that they will not pee/poop right after we stepped out of the door, but during our walk. I have been told that you need to give the dog sometime to get relieved and then do whatever you want to do. Does this apply to heeling too, or heeling is more like a status quo kind of walking? Should I have the dogs follow me non-stop on heeling position, or I should have them ''loose''/''free'' and apply the heeling whenever needed or whenever I consider it?

 

Thank you for your time.

[JMFS]

Hello!

 

If it's not a safety concern then I'd say it's personal preference. For myself, I like my dogs to be by my side as I'm less likely to trip over furry friends or get tangled in leashes. If you saw our first 15 minutes you'd think Momo wasn't trained one bit because he's an absolute mess from excitement. Gertrude would pull if I allowed it, but a gentle correction gets her right by my side. With Momo there is a Lot of stopping or turning around to go the other way to remind him he's following me, not the other way around. We could walk a mile and still only be 75 feet away from the house! He's that dog who's heaving and coughing because he's pulling so hard. He doesn't go on many walks because I exercise him in the yard or pool so his walking manners need improvement. He used to be pretty good and it only took about 10 minutes to get him into a good rhythm, but with having a large yard now that's changed.

 

As far as letting them do their own thing it depends on what type of walk it is. When we do our 2 miles in the state park it's 100% business because I'm working towards a 12:30 minute per mile walk and we have 1:40 min yet to shave off our current time. That 12:30 is definitely not going to happen if my pooch is off smelling the flowers or going potty. I make sure Gertrude does her potty stuff before we leave for the park so there's less chance of needing to stop. Momo doesn't get to go on this one because it's Far too hot for him with all his fur, and I'd be at a 32-minute mile with him. When we walk around our neighborhood I stop every quarter mile or so to let them have a sniff break so it's a much more leisurely stroll. I still have them heel because I don't enjoy being pulled and because the road is narrow so I need them under control when cars or other people pass by.

 

That's my input on the matter. :) Adrienne has some cool facts about heeling and why people started having dogs heel on the left as opposed to the right.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Greetings, and welcome to the forums!

This is a very good question and you may have different responses based on who you ask.

 

There are no general rules of thumb on how walks should be conducted, but generally formal heeling is mostly for when you need your dog next to you. Now, this may vary based on where you are walking your dog and the type of stimuli/situation you are likely to encounter. For example, in a city when walking on a side walk, you expect polite behaviors (like you may not want your dog sniffing every person that walks by or your dog walking back and forth in a disorderly manner); whereas on a country road, you may have a more relaxed style of walking and can even invest in longer leashes. This is why it helps to have the heeling on cue, so that you can ask your dog when to apply it.

 

The type of dog can also make a difference of what type of walk is expected. Service dogs/therapy dogs for example are expected to work and do a lot of heeling in stores, sidewalks and hospitals.

 

Attention heeling (with the dog looking up at you) cannot be obviously done on a whole walk and we shouldn't expect our dogs to do that, but it comes handy when you are passing by a distraction (like another dog/ dogs barking behind a fence) and you want your dog totally focusing on you. It also comes helpful for behavior modification, allowing the chance to create positive associations with the trigger (dog is fed high value treats upon spotting a dog and looking at the owner).

 

If your dogs do their business on walks, it's a good idea allowing them to sniff around to encourage elimination. It also helps a lot if you can put the peeing/pooping on cue so that your dogs associate the action with the word. Here's how to train it, if interested: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/potty-on-command/

 

Nowadays, more importance is being given to allowing dogs to 'be dogs.' There are more and more dog owners who dedicate the whole walks to the dog. Dogs aren't allowed to pull the owner, but dogs are given multiple opportunities to sniff around and read all the 'pee-mail'. I personally like to put sniffing on cue. When we were in the city, my dogs were expected to do polite heeling (and occasional attention heeling), but once we reached a grassy area they were told "go sniff!" and they were happily exploring and marking/eliminating as needed until when we resumed the walk and they were asked again to "heel."

 

The tread Jennifer mentions on heeling dogs and what sides to use and the history behind it can be found here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?190-What-side-should-the-dog-be-trained-when-teaching-heeling

Edited August 21, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli

[dsyriopoulos]

Hi! Thank you for the detailed reply :) The link is like a gift from heaven!!! I have always to find some help regarding that! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Glad you are finding the information helpful, happy training!