Walking To Heel Without A Leash

Sometimes people don’t realize that it’s easier to train a dog to walk to heel off the leash at first, rather than on it.

Here’s why: Dogs are social creatures and they like contact with people.

This means your dog is often quite happy to walk along with you anyway, and won’t run off just because he can.

Most dogs and puppies also like to follow the scent of food treats, so it’s a clever idea to carry these food treats while you’re training him.

This will give him extra incentive to stay with you when you’re outdoors.

Does your dog ignore your heel command?

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Here’s The Steps:

With your dog to your left side, hold his collar with your left hand and keep a food treat in your right hand. Say your dog’s name to keep his attention.

While you’re walking in a straight line, with your dog following the food reward, give the command “Heel”. Keep your left hand low and ready to grab your dog’s collar so he walks to heel – remember that you’re training him to associate the word with the action.

Give the command “Wait”, and kneel to your puppy’s right side, remember to hold the food treat low down so he has no urge to jump up. Put your left hand (with your palm down) under your puppy’s body to prevent him from moving away.

Next: Bend your knees and hold the food treat near your dog’s nose. Make a right turn and repeat the “Heel” command. Your dog will speed up to walk around you.

You can now apply the same instructions vice versa to make a left turn. Your dog will follow like before.

Good luck, and have fun.