These #heel hacks are going to be SO basic for anyone who actually knows how to train a heel, but for me training my first sports dog, they were so helpful.
**A note that these worked for my dog, a brittany spaniel. These #hacks might not be the best course of action for a dog with different engagement, focus, or drive. Don't @ me, I stand by my methods for my dog.**
In no particular order, here are my foundation hashtag heel hacks:
decide what you want your heel to look like before you start training. prancy? jump into heel position? touching your leg? eye contact 100% of the time? all valid, but decide what you want before you start and keep that picture in your brain. be realistic though.
train a pivot right away. we (shoutout to miles who actually taught it) used the bowl method. mav has zero rear end awareness, but you need a pivot for a truly nice heel and the bowl method works great.
train a stationary heel position. treat SO MUCH when it looks like your goal (hard eye contact, touching leg, tight sit, whatever). i used the pivot bowl to start but faded it really quickly so he didn't depend on it.
train a "get into heel position" (finish). start with one side and get it fairly solid before working on the second side. i personally think a right finish is easier than a left finish. i give different cues (get around / get in) but you don't have to. i shaped it but you can lure it with a hand touch.
give treats generously and consistently when the dog is giving you the heel you want. mav has received literally thousands of treats and kibbles for offering a nice heel position.
watch where and how you're treating. you can very easily throw off your dog's position and cause crowding or forging by giving treats in the wrong position. (at the beginning) i hold treats in my left hand and bring my hand to mav's nose so he doesn't move from heel position. i have not had any issues with treats affecting his position, but i know this is one of the most common issues people face.
if the dog is distracted, pause training. i usually ask for something easy like a nose touch, then release so he can go check out whatever was distracting him. i don't care enough to force him through his distraction (although i used to, and it made him not want to engage with me at all).
teach heel off leash if you can, but practice heeling with the leash on a variety of gear too!!! treats in your left hand, leash in your right hand, and keep the leash loose. i don't use a leash to teach heel position but i do practice at least once or twice a week with a leash on.
(this #hack sucks but) literally practice every day. we live and train mostly in a tiny apartment and we practice 5-15 steps of nice heeling every night for dinner kibbles.
I don't use body pressure to teach heel, it just doesn't interest me and i don't mind spending extra time shaping it. with that in mind:
i don't use a wall to keep the dog straight (EXCEPT when i was teaching back up, because mav has no rear end awareness). i shape it with hundreds of reps and treats. if he heels askew, i just ask him to fix himself and he does.
i don't use a platform or the edge of the carpet or anything. i don't want a slightly crooked mat in a trial to throw him off so i don't (purposefully) train any association with lines on the floor.
i only work on heel for tiny, tiny portions of time in a session (45 seconds at a max). for example, I'll do 10 seconds of heeling, then some spins, then some position changes, then a bow, then a jump, then 10 more seconds of heel, then pivots, then fronts, then stays. i keep it SHORT and heavily rewarded and that's how i get nice dependable engagement.
For my next dog, here are some things i'll do differently than mav (mav was my first puppy and my first sports dog, i simply did not know better):
rear end awareness. that dog will know where her butt is is2g.
pivots and stationary position much sooner - mav didn't have this until he was almost 3 years old.
more turns. not even pivots, just working on keeping my dog's attention when i change direction. this was a battle with mav since he was a baby and i only fixed it a few months ago.
That's really it! These are extremely basic foundations and tips (not even hacks) but i didn't know it until i tried it. It takes a long time to get a nice heel, and even longer if you're getting prancy with it, and even longer if you're lazy like me and only do 45-60 seconds of heeling a day.
Be generous with treats and be patient with the both of you.
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