Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (3)

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Dog Training 101

As you become more familiar with dog training you’ll discover there are two extremes of personalities in dogs – the introvert and the extrovert.

However, there are many degrees in between those two extremes as there are dogs in this planet.

Regardless of where your dog’s personality lies on that scale, once you have given the dog training command to heel you must start walking and continue walking. Encourage your dog to accompany you if necessary. Correct his heedless rush with absolute right-about turns if necessary.

But, you should never, ever give in during your dog training if your dog decides to not follow your command and just “sit this one out”.

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Click Here Now – -and watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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Dogs learn by associating their actions with a pleasing or displeasing result. Therefore, the dog who tries to take advantage of the new shortened leash by surging and keeping a strain on it comes to a sudden discovery that you still have the situation very much under control. As soon as he can cause the leash to tighten, he will take his eyes off you, only to feel the sudden jolt of your right-about turn.

By using the reserve slack in your hand properly, your dog will realize that the leash is no different than the long line, except that he must pay even closer attention since the six-foot leash gives him less time to react than the fifteen-foot long-line. He’ll realize how much more pleasing it is to walk at your side so that he can see which way and when you’re going to change direction. Your left hand giving him a pat on the head when he’s in the correct heel position is also more pleasing than the sudden jolt that he gets when not in the proper position.

On the other hand, your introvert dog, one that stands as if he had feet glued to the cement, suddenly feels the slightly displeasing effect of the short, sharp jerks of the leash. Hearing your enthusiastic tone of voice and seeing your left hand pat your leg invitingly will do wonders to make your pet choose the more promising alternative. The moment he does, he will discover the warm, affectionate praise and pat on the head to be far more enjoyable than the series of sharp jolts he experienced as a result of his initial reluctance to walk with you.

You may have to spend each of your fifteen-minute training sessions for the next four days in this simple leash introduction so the introvert-type will walk without any reluctance or fear and to stop the extrovert’s heedless rushes by your unannounced change of direction.

Don’t Be Afraid To Use Too Much Pull

Let me describe a scene of what an extrovert dog may do when prompted with a distraction. Picture a dog tied to a tree on a twenty-five foot rope lying in loose coils on the ground. He is sleeping comfortably under the tree when a cat walks by past the dog at a distance of about twenty-seven feet.

The dog wakes up, spots the cat and rushes recklessly to pounce on the poor cat. The dog will be stopped two foot short and very abruptly too. After regaining his composure, he will still strain and tug to try and get the cat. But, unless he’s a total fool, he will not make that reckless rush a second time – not while still tied to a tree. But does he blame the tree? Of course not.

You are not as firm as a tree, so don’t be worried about hurting your pet. Your objective during the dog training should be clear. Your dog should walk at your left side, neither lagging behind nor surging ahead.

Always remember that the leash should be slack. Eventually, you’ll be heeling your dog without the leash and you will realize the importance of that slack.

If your dog is used to feeling a tight leash restraining him in the heeling position when dog training, he’ll be long gone when you walk him without the leash later on.

Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (2)

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Dog Training 101

As you begin, position your dog during the dog training at your left side while keeping the leash short. Leave a belly of reserved slack, with your right hand, look at your dog, say his name, then command “Heel”!

Begin walking, starting with your left foot. Walk briskly in a straight line, with confidence in your movement. Your dog will lose confidence in you if you wander aimlessly.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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Remembering his experience on the long-line, your dog may walk alongside you fairly comfortably, but the odds are that since there are now only five to six feet connecting the two of you, during your dog training he will react in one of the two following ways:

1. He will either rush forward past you in an attempt to keep a tight strain on that leash, or
2. He will hold back and be hesitant to walk with you at all. After all, this six-foot training leash is new to him.

If your dog is one that takes off like a marathon runner in a race, either surging ahead or out to the side in an attempt to keep the leash tight, simply open your right hand, release the slack you’ve been holding in reserve, and immediately do a right-about turn and walk in the opposite direction. When your dog is back in the proper heeling position, give him praise and a pat on the head with your free left hand. If you have a small dog, bend over to his level and give him his pat while continuing to walk.

Each time he surges ahead, release the slack as you do and definite right-about turn. Without slowing your pace, pick up some reserve slack and place it once again in your right hand in preparation for his next heedless charge. Your left hand is free to reach down and give him a pat on a head when, and only when, he is in the proper heeling position. That is, at your left side with his head and neck area about even with your left leg. Each time you place the reserve slack in your right hand, be sure to leave a belly of slack in the leash between you and your dog.

An Alternative Method Of Dog Training For The Introverted Dog

If your dog has an introvert personality, one that is reluctant to walk with you, you will need a slightly different method. The introvert dog just doesn’t quite understand what’s going on with this new piece of equipment and he’s as reluctant to get involved as a person being taught how to play a new instrument. This type of dog needs a little encouragement and a show of enthusiasm on your part, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

Use your free left hand to pat your leg as you give your dog a little talk of encouragement. Use short, forward snaps on the leash to help inspire your dog to walk with you. Watch closely as he begins to discard his reluctance during your dog training and praise him enthusiastically and warmly.

This shows him three things. First, that you are pleased. Second, that everything is alright. And third, your dog training has been effective because  he has made the right decision.

Dog Training: Correct Heel Methods (1)

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Dog Training 101

Once you have reached the level in training your dog where he is not fooled by distractions or temptation, you are then ready to proceed to the next level of dog training – how to heel correctly.

If your dog cannot walk comfortably at your side, there is no way you’re going to teach him anything about being obedient. He must learn to heel properly and focus his full attention to you.

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Click Here Now – -and watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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You will be using a six-foot leather training leash for this phase. During this stage of training, you will teach your dog to walk beside you like a gentleman. He will learn to automatically sit at your side when you stop.

A Dog Training Must – No Punishment Needed

The right attitude cannot be achieved if your dog is mistreated or abused. To restrain or choke the dog on a short, tight leash, to hit him in the chest, or to smack his face with the end of the leash while trying to teach him to heel will result, among other things, in a completely negative attitude in the animal.

Your Starting Position When Dog Training

To begin, you will notice that your leash has a loop in one end. Place your right thumb through that loop. With your left hand, grab the leash at the middle section and place it in your right hand. Notice that the dog is on your left side, but that the leash is held in your right hand. This will seem a little awkward at first, but your left hand will be doing other things.

Do not form the habit of trying to restrain your dog at your side by holding him up close with the left hand on that leash. Remember, you want to train your dog, not restrain him. Forget about everything that you were told or read about restraining a dog tugging at your side in the hope that he will get the idea that this is where you want him to walk. That idea will never occur to him.

There is an important characteristic of an untrained dog on a leash that will become obvious to you during this stage of training. This dog wants to feel a tight leash! If there’s a slack in the leash, he has no way of calculating its exact length. On a tight leash, he can lunge and pull and go through all kinds of twists and turns, because he has the security of feeling where the other end of the leash is.

Therefore, it is very important from a dog training perspective that you don’t give in to your dog’s wishes by walking him on a tight leash.

Dog Training: Train Your Dog To Become A Good Neighbor

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Their world may not extend beyond a couple of blocks – but nevertheless, dogs are an integral part of society and as a dog owner, you have a serious responsibility when it comes to dog training.

You must mold your dog into a good neighbor – not a nuisance or a menace. Left to its own devices, a dog naturally might enjoy destroying someone’s precious lawn, chasing other animals or having a loud dialogue with the midnight moon.

These and lots of other behaviors your neighbors will hate, of course, never strike your dog as anything but fun, unless you have employed dog training and supervised.

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Click Here Now – -and watch Chet’s Free Dog Training Video.

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This is your responsibility. Certainly you don’t want your dog’s behavior to become a point of contention between otherwise compatible neighbors.

To begin with, no dog should be allowed to roam indiscriminately. Most people are reluctant  confront the owner of an offending dog, but no one appreciates canine trespassing.

You must use some form of dog training  because dogs lacking human supervision will often leave destruction in their path, and you are liable for your pet’s activities.

Don’t let bad feelings start because you have given your dog a free rein.

Furthermore, you put your dog’s life at risk every time you allow it such freedom. Your pet may attack or be attacked by other animals – wild (think about rabies) or domesticated. Chances are, at some point, the dog will be hit and perhaps killed by a car.

A free-roaming dog is more susceptible to picking up parasites and disease. And it may simply disappear one day, leaving you to wonder whether it has been abducted or killed. Sadly, these are common occurrences.

If you want to keep your dog outdoors, an exercise run or a sturdy fence around your yard is mandatory. Hopefully, if your dog is a barker, your neighbors live a good distance away. However, in the densely populated urban and suburban areas in which most of us live, it is simply unacceptable to permit a dog to bark endlessly. You are going to have extremely unhappy neighbors. Breaking the barking habit can be a real problem; you can try working with a trainer to come up with a solution, or you may simply have to keep the dog indoors. Certainly, it is unfair to make other people suffer while you’re away.

Remember, barking is both natural for dogs and a learned behavior in certain situations. To correct unwanted barking, you must catch the dog in the act and administer a stern, forceful correction.

You cannot correct undesirable behavior via dog training unless the dog is actually caught in the act of performing it.

Dog Training – 2 Simple Steps Ending Your Dog’s Pestering Problems

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Many dogs are described as “perfect pets,” except when they’ve had no dog training to stop becoming constant, good-natured pests when guests visit or the owners’ attentions are diverted, such as during telephone calls, reading or watching television.

If scolded or punished, these dogs react by coming back for more. Though their dog does not develop problems of aggression, submissive wetting or self-mutilation, the owners would like to curtail the pestering while preserving the pet’s generally pleasant personality and behavior.

The following 2-step dog training process usually meets these objectives. It does not use punishment or scolding, yet curtails the pestering behavior.

1. Command the dog to Sit (praise). Down (praise). Sit (praise) and Down (praise), then release it after 4 commands. Do this until all 4 dog training responses are performed quickly (within 5 seconds for small and medium-sized breeds, 7-8 seconds for large breeds).

2. Whenever the dog begins pestering, the target person initiates the sequence of 4 commands, as outlined. If a set of 4 commands does not calm the pet, the commands should be continued until the dog noticeably slows down in executing them. Then it may be released from the dog training.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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Leash Training 101 – Do You Have The Right Mindset

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Leash training your dog is much more than actually following a few steps and guidelines.

It’s the actual mindset of the owner that is the single most important element.

Success or failure, joy or frustration – all depend on how you approach your dog’s leash training sessions.

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Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

If you’d love to discover EXACTLY how to get your dog to stop urinating on your carpet and actually ring a bell when he needs to potty. . .

Train puppies to NEVER chew on furniture or expensive rugs – even when you aren’t there to supervise. . .

Learn simple techniques for getting any dog to stop barking at strangers or from begging you to let him back inside –

Plus a TON more step-by-step dog obedience strategies THOUSANDS of regular people are already using, check out –

The Hands Off Dog Training Method

————————————————————–

Start your leash training off on the right paw, so to speak. If you have a puppy that is unaccustomed to a leash and collar, let it first adjust to the feel of a buckle collar only.

Once it is comfortable wearing the collar, snap on a short, light line and watch while it drags that around. Leave the line on for 10-minute leash training sessions a couple of times a day until your puppy no longer pays attention to it.

For an older puppy or adult dog that you have had fitted for a head collar or prong collar, again, let it have time to adapt to the feel of this new device before snapping on a leash.

Do not leave specialty collars on an unsupervised dog. Because both prong and head collars tighten with pressure, a dog can suffer serious injury if the collar catches on an object. Pay close attention to your dog during these get-comfortable sessions.

It’s important that you approach training with the right attitude, because teaching leash manners requires absolute consistency on your part. Every walk becomes a training session, whether you plan on it or not. There is no such thing as “We train when we walk after work, but all the other walks are just walks”.

This is a difficult concept for people, as we are impatient, hurried, and often doing something other than paying attention to our dog as it walks.

While your dog is learning, there should be no rushed walks, no stops to chat with neighbors, no using the time to make a call on your cell phone, etc.

You can’t expect your dog to become mindful of you during a leash training session if you consistently ignore it.

Likewise, recognize that your dog doesn’t pull on the leash to aggravate, annoy, punish or get back at you – it’s simply a matter of cause and effect. The dog is thinking: I pull, you follow, and therefore, I get to where I want to go.

You must reshape this thought process. Put emotions aside when leash training, view your lessons as an opportunity to forge a new relationship and decide that from this day forward you and your dog will learn how to enjoy your walking time together!

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