Teaching Heel & Under

When I go on service dog training visits to client's homes, one of the questions I ask is "does your dog know what 'heel' means?" The answer is usually something like "I think so". At that point I find out by saying to the dog: "Fido, heel". If Fido knows what the word means, he will come to my side. If he does not ... I may as well be talking to the wall.

Recently, this lovely black Lab helped me demonstrate how to attach the world "heel" to a specific behavior. Notice that I work her near a wall or a piece of furniture. Why? I want her to walk in a straight line next to me and sit next to me without swinging her butt out. Also, each time we stop, our toes should be aligned.

Practicing lots of off-leash heeling indoors will soon have you walking your dog through your neighborhood, on-leash, at heel - making you very proud and your neighbors very jealous!

Dee Bogetti, Service Dog Trainer/Consultant