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The one most important thing you will want to keep
in mind with this command is, you have to make yourself
more interesting than anything else around you during
your walks. Give your dog a reason to stay with you,
talk to him, give him a "sit" command, stop, make him
lie down for one second, make it an interesting walk.
The most common reason for dogs forging ahead of their
owner is they become bored, or their owner allows them
to smell at everything along the way, so before you
know it "Rover" is pulling you along wherever he wishes
to go. Without realizing it, the owner is also allowing
"Rover" to be in charge of his own destiny.
You should begin your walk by telling your dog "Heel";
use his name first to get his attention and be very
enthusiastic as you give the command. Now, do not forget
to talk to him so he pays attention to you, praise him
when he is in the correct heel position, which is dog
on your left, his right shoulder should be in line with
your left hip. If he forges ahead, stop, make him sit,
resume your walk and repeat the "sit" as needed.
Training Tip
If your dog insists on pulling ahead, work with him
in small counterclockwise circles. This will encourage
him to pay attention to you as you are walking. Do not
let him smell the ground as you walk — this will encourage
him to not pay any attention to you. Play with him in
your backyard and allow him to burn off some excess
energy before you try to take him out for a controlled
walk (somewhat like allowing children recess at school
before class). Another bad habit to allow while walking
your dog is eliminating wherever he chooses. You should
only allow him to eliminate in a specific area of your
backyard. By allowing him to just eliminate anywhere,
some dogs will turn this into a "marking" behavior,
therefore claiming the entire neighborhood. Your dog's
new job is to mark everywhere he can pick up the scent
of a strange dog. This type of behavior is also known
as a "leader" behavior which is allowing him to have
that feeling of being in charge, and could also lead
to "territorial."
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Reprinted with permission by Ralston Purina
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