# Attentive Heel Training and Clicker Work



## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

In the unending pursuit of focus while heeling, I have had a problem with my dog retaining focus when I stop and she auto-sits. She tends to quickly glance around while in the process of sitting and this gets worse in the ring.. and I get points off for SS (slow sit).

Sooo.... I bring the clicker back out and go back to off leash to be sure she understands first and foremost WHERE heel is, and what the reward is for autosit. Still had the problem of looking all over the place while sitting (and that is trouble LOL). She is, BTW, Very very quick in her leaving focus. 

My solution was to signal that I am about to stop, she slows (and is attentive) then I click and delay the food delivery. Since I am spitting food at this point, she knows where it comes from.. so I slow, stand up straighter, click and then stop.. delivering the food when she sits. Because she knows I will be spitting food at her after the click, she has been holding attention thru the auto sit and getting better and better at it. 

I have been proofing this all over the County.. and the improvement has been marked. I suspect part of this is her learning physically HOW to maintain attention while auto sitting and part is the reward delivery (and wanting to hurry that up). 

Last night in class I explained what I was doing and discussion ensued as to exactly WHAT behavior I was marking with the clicker. I said, "continued attention in heel position" but the question then became "does the dog understand what I am marking." Ultimately I am not sure she is understanding or being lured. 

Ultimately I am not sure the dog does know. I plan to continue this as described until she is reliably keeping focus during the auto sit and then fading the food. If the training falls apart with the removal of food, then it will be obviously a lure. 

Just tossing this out for comments on the "click - delay - feed" method I am doing.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

I've got nothing for you as admittedly, I am retraining Strauss's heel for the fourth time. I too am having trouble with this. I do not spit food, but he knows where it comes from, and when I remove the food I have trouble getting him to maintain contact (this is a problem throughout the entire routine at this point, most unfortunately).

I'm interested in the responses.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

A couple of exercises to try if you're not already doing these:

One step forward, halt; two steps forward, halt; three steps forward, halt.
Halt on the fast pace. 

Try the Sylvia Bishop method......speed everything up.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

I am doing that Tooney. We do the steps.. and the speed (speeding it up helps a LOT) and then we do a lot of transitions... (Ooops.. I just lost you.. No treats... ). 

I have heard breaking with the dog w/o reward EVERY time the dog breaks with you works too. I also want to try the stay and release to food to build drive (Linda Koutsky). 

I have seen IMPROVMENT (very exciting) with the proofing.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

I noted improvement too when I put food in both hands and held them in various positions with the dog "to front." Dog KNEW I had the food in my hands but could get none of it until she looked at my face. Randomly fed from either hand (no pattern.. dogs really latch on to patterns).


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

TooneyDogs said:


> A couple of exercises to try if you're not already doing these:
> 
> One step forward, halt; two steps forward, halt; three steps forward, halt.
> Halt on the fast pace.
> ...


Both Tag and Auz maintain a better position and MUCH better focus if we're going fast.


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## ssg (Jan 1, 2010)

There are basically 2 elements to great focus heeling,

1. The right dog (genetics matter).
2. Training technique.

To do it the right way it takes a good 6-8 months (practice daily 3 times with short sessions). The first few months are just focus training. Basically the proper heel position is taught with food reward, left hand position is key as you want to imprint the proper position. You do this against a wall. For most high drive dogs food is replaced by a toy (there are rules for when to make this switch). For many months you have the dog work against a wall and just 1-2 steps. At the same time you train side stepping and the back command (heeling when walking backwards). As you can see it is a pain staking and slow process but the result wil last for the dogs lifetime.

Many people do it the short cut way and then have problems. I would recommend the training DVD Obedience Without Conflict, The Game by Ivan Balabanov or Focussed Heeling by Michael Ellis. Happy training.


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## ssg (Jan 1, 2010)

When 1 and 2 are met then the result looks like this
http://www.hundesport-huber.de/Videos/videos.html


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

ssg said:


> When 1 and 2 are met then the result looks like this
> http://www.hundesport-huber.de/Videos/videos.html


Great vids!! Thanks for posting those.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Yes. That is what we are working towards. One of my trainers has a Doberman that just went Best in Breed and also HIT in protection work AND got a leg on her UD.... 

The Doberman heels much like that but not as close (Schutzhund has the dog work closer to you.. AKC wants the dog to never touch you but to be very close). 

As I continue my work, I am getting closer and closer to that ideal. Last night I trained under the woman with the Doberman and since my practice (as described above) she said I had made "marked improvement." 

Progress. I am very pleased that I have made PROGRESS. 

We have a fun match tomorrow.. a seminar next week (with Linda Koutsky, the author of "Balance Point" in Front and finish Magazine) and the week after that we have another trial. 

Atka and I have MUCH work to do in the next two weeks!!! I want people to see her (who have been watching us) in Novice and say she has made strides ahead in her heel work. If not, then we will work some more!!!

Last night, I got something I really liked. I recalled my dog to Front and on the finish she lept straight up in the air and around to finish. Might not be "right" but I REALLY want that exhuberance and so I heavily rewarded this exhibition.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the importance of footwork and head and eye position.

Focus is absolutely essential for proper heeling. You - the handler - maintain that focus by _ consistent_ footwork and _consistent _ head and eye movement during every part of the heeling exercise. 

One approach to proofing focus is to introduce doodling ('rally turns') into your training heeling patterns. If you are being consistent with your footwork and head/eye positions, your dog will not be confused by, nor will lose focus, during U-turns, 360's, or 270's in addition to the regular right-, left-, and about-turns. Of course, that means that *you also* have to learn the proper way to make those turns. 

Also, watch your arm position and movement. In most venues, you are allowed to keep your left arm stationary against your body during heeling. Take advantage of that if it is allowed. It is far easier for your dog to focus on your eye and head position when that left arm isn't swinging in front of his face every other step. 

Keep that focus strong, and the halts will be much easier. Of course, you will still have to teach the proper positioning if you want to score well. But that is much easier to do when you have a solid sit on the halt and a solid move out, and those parts of the exercise are based on focusing. Don't worry about the crooked sit on the halt until you have the other parts solid.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Yes. All of this. I took one class that was ONLY foot work and we practice it. Body position and keeping your upper body quiet is so important. I have a rolling and sometimes unsteady gait as the result of knee surgery so I have to pay particular attention to my position. I center my left hand on my stomach just below my navel.. elbow tight to my side. 

I also lower my head and then look in the direction of a turn I am going to.. turns to the right, left shoulder comes forward; turns to the left, left shoulder comes back. When we turn she has been taught "back" (as in back up) and so a turn to the left when she focuses I get her head away from me and say "Back" and she will move her back feet in a very nice left turn (for a Novice dog). 

WHEN I have her focus AND I don't tangle my feet AND I keep my upper body quiet, I get a very very nice heel. We do one step, halt; Two steps, Halt; Three steps, SLOOWWWW oor FAST and then I release the dog if she is attentive. I also do not always do 1-2-3 steps.. I mix it up.. sometimes 4 steps, one step, two steps.. FAST/SLOW and release my dog. 

I have not been worrying about position as much as I have focus. The issue I have dealt with by clicking before and feeding after (not how you techinically use the clicker) during the halt and sit has kept her focus on my face during the process of stopping and then sitting. She has been "all over the place" with her eyes when I halt and slow to sit.. which is points off. I HAVE been giving her adequate warning that we are about to halt Standing up straight.. three short steps.. and then halt. 

With focus, she is MUCH better.. especially when I am much better. Tho she did a lovely about turn last night while MY about turn was a foot tangled mess.. Good dog made up for handler's clumsiness!


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Can we trade dogs, please? I can't do one step two steps with Strauss. He barks...and then after that he vocalizes through the rset of training.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

No. You cannot have my dog! LOL

Train "quiet." Ask for "quiet" if he barks. If you have trained "quiet" and he still barks you haven't trained "quiet" (well enough). 

Everyone says GSD's are so "barky" but I have not had that experience with ANY dog I have ever owned. Quiet is important to me. I no more want to hear a dog barking for no good reason than I want to hear children shrieking for no good reason. High spirits, exhuberance etc. do not need to be accompanied by NOISE.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

We've been doing that for probably 4 years. All I get is a bark in response to "quiet". He's just not a dog that shuts up...corrections make it worse. I've just not been able to get him to stop vocalizing.

He vocalizes about just about everything (when working in drive).

We've been working on it even more lately, but he doesn't seem to be connecting the reward to his silence.

When he's in his vest, he's quiet, but when I work him in drive (obedience) I get barking, whining, shrieking, and screaming (dependent upon the activity).


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Have you tried putting him in his vest and training obedience? Just an idea. You have to come up with a new idea.. something different.. and try that.. if it does not work.. somethin else.. Dog training REQUIRES new ideas from the trainer cuz all dogs are different. 

The definition of a crazy person is someone who repeats the same action over and over expecting different results. I have decided most dog trainers are crazy by this definition..... (and yup.. sometimes that is ME too).


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

> Have you tried putting him in his vest and training obedience?


I did consider that...but my fear is that if I put him in his vest and kick him into drive, he'll transfer all that energy to the vest, and then I'd have an SD who was no longer functional.

BTW, I'm very glad you and Atka have made so much progress


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

ssg said:


> When 1 and 2 are met then the result looks like this
> http://www.hundesport-huber.de/Videos/videos.html


This is beautiful work, with outstanding focus from the dog, and teamwork between dog and handler. Very pleasing to watch.

Altho I do not prefer this style of heeling, one has to admire such precision, teamwork, drive and focus.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

We were in a match today.. and we were NOT like that video... 

I did not have my head wrapped around the work and Atka was all over the place as a result.. and the two runs we did were not pretty. 

I did add her to the OOS and she did that with the Open dogs. One corrections for sniffing... and that was that. 

She wanted to work this afternoon so she got her dog food one kibble at a time for a lot of heel work, attention at heel, about turns, circles left, signal recalls, drop on recall work.. walking stand and then signals for down and sit and then recall both to front and to heel postion. 

See her work at the match you would wonder if she is ready for Novice...
See her work tonight and you would wonder why she is not in Open....


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