Teach your dog to “heel” on cue so she will walk close to your side with a loose and slack leash. “Heel” makes navigating crowded or narrow areas easier.
Leash walking and ‘heeling’ are sometimes thought to be the same thing, but they're two separate skills. Leash walking means moving around with your dog on a leash, but you and the dog can be at varying distances from each other. In "heeling," your dog walks right next to you, keeps your pace, and doesn’t walk in front of you, all with a loose and slack leash.
You don’t have to keep your dog in a heel position through the entire walk, since a walk should be a time when your dog can sniff and look around the environment. An entire walk in a “heel” position would be quite boring and frustrating for her!
There are times, however, when you might want your dog to walk close to you, such as when weaving through a crowded stretch of sidewalk or directly passing someone on a narrow path. Think how much easier that will be if your dog learns how to walk next to you.
Teach your dog to “heel” (lure the behavior)
- Start indoors in a quiet area that has room for you and your dog to walk and get some treats that your dog likes.
- Have your leash nearby, but don’t clip it to your dog’s leash or harness yet. Your dog might get too excited at the sight of the leash to focus when you’re first starting.
- Decide which side you would like your dog to walk on. You will consistently lure her on that side. Switching sides at this stage can be confusing, which will slow your training progress. Stand next to your dog, with her by your side.
- Put a treat in your hand and show your dog the treat, but don’t give it to her yet.
- Hold your hand with the treat right in front of your dog’s nose, and take one step forward. When your dog follows the hand and walks with you, click or mark with "yes" and give her the treat. If you have a small dog, you can smear a spreadable treat, such as peanut butter, canned dog food, or squeeze cheese, on the end of a long spoon. That way, you can lure your dog forward without bending over so much.
- Repeat this a few times, and then begin to walk forward three to four steps before marking and giving your dog the treat. This will teach your dog that following the food in your hand and walking next to you brings good things. Encourage your dog with some praise as you walk.
- Next, hold the hand with the treat at your side, a little above your dog’s nose, and walk forward. When your dog walks a few steps alongside you, click or mark with "yes" and give her the treat.
- Repeat this exercise several times, gradually increasing the number of steps you take.
- You can then try this exercise with the leash clipped to your dog. It will be best to practice indoors or in the garden for a few training sessions before trying this on a walk.
Add the cue
- Start by luring your dog with the treat in your hand held close to your side, as you’ve been doing. Repeat this a few times so that she knows what behavior to do.
- Next, say “heel” just as you start walking, and reward your dog for walking with you.
- Repeat this several times, always saying "heel" before you start walking. Vary the direction and distance that you walk, turning left, right, or doing a figure eight, saying "heel" as you turn.
If your dog walks ahead of you, stop and lure her back to your side with a treat. You can also tap your thigh to prompt her to return to your side.
Fade the food lure
You will want your dog to heel even when you don’t have a treat in your hand, so it's important to stop using the treat as a lure. You will still give your dog a treat when she does the behavior.
- Keep your treats in a pocket or a treat bag that you can hook onto your clothing so that your treats are easy to reach.
- Start by luring your dog with your hand held close to your side, as you’ve been doing. Remember to say "heel" as you start walking.
- Then, continue the exercise, keeping your hand in the same position but don’t have a treat in your hand. Walk a few steps, and when your dog follows you, stop and give her a treat from your pocket or the treat bag.
- Continue to practice, varying the number of steps between treats.
Bonus: add a “sit” when stopping
You might want to teach your dog to sit every time you stop when your dog is doing the "heel" behavior. You will, of course, have to first teach her to sit when you ask.
- Repeat the exercises above, saying the "heel" cue as you’ve been doing.
- Then, stop walking and immediately ask your dog to sit. When she sits, give her a treat.
- If your dog circles in front of you to sit, that’s okay at first, and reward her anyway. Remember that your dog has received a lot of rewards and good outcomes for sitting in front of you, so this seems a reasonable thing to do from her point of view. The next time you try this step, have your treat lure ready at your side and, just before you stop and say "sit," hold a treat at your side and just above your dog’s nose. Your dog will likely sit at your side in order to stay near the treat.
Troubleshooting
- Make sure your dog can heel indoors before practicing during an outdoor leash walk, where there are many more distractions and it's harder for her to concentrate.
- If your dog is continuing to pull and walk ahead of you, focus first on leash walking without pulling before training the ‘heel’ behavior. Also, heeling requires a considerable amount of impulse control, especially when a dog is excited to be out on a walk. Make sure your dog is getting exercise, running, and play opportunities at other times of the day and not just on the walk.
- If your dog will walk only a few steps in the "heel" position, that’s okay at first! Keep practicing in quieter areas to build up duration.
- If your dog isn’t interested in the treat, use a higher-value treat such as a bit of meat or cheese.
- If your dog is lagging behind you, she might be tired or scared, or she might not have enough space next to you. Practice again in an area where your dog is comfortable.
