# Heeling issues



## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

When practicing heeling, it takes a lot of work to get Marge in to a trot rather than a pace. I really have to drive. I've been getting better at it, though. My instructor suggested that a trot is better because the dog drives around rights and abouts much better in this gait.

However, even when she IS trotting, she always seems to slow down around the rights and abouts. Not just lag. She changes her pace and slows down. Sometimes even goes in to a walk. She has VERY nice left turns, but anything to the right, I totally lose her. 

Now, if I wave a cookie in front of her face or have her touch my hand as a target, she won't do this and WILL drive around me. So I'm not sure what it is.. miscommunication, structural issue, not understanding what heel really means, or what.

Any ideas?

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with obedience yet. I enjoy training it, and Marge likes certain parts of it for sure (fronts and finishes are her favorite, she does well with figure 8s, she seems fine with stays, and she looooves all the little stuff like the whole routine of setting up & getting rewarded for eye contact etc), but she seems to find heeling really tedious and repetitive and if I can't get her motivated about it, I'm going to give it up and just stick to Rally and Agility. No fun for me to train her in something she doesn't want to do.. the fun is what it's for, IMO.


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## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

Don't all answer at once, guys.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Not knowing how you taught "heel", I'm not sure what to conclude on that. It could be you're offering the reward too far back so the dog doesn't know how to make the next approximation of the behavior forward. However, my feeling is the dog is anticipating the turn and you're giving an unintentional cue before the turn. I'd have someone evaluate that.


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Also too, a lot of dogs find heeling boring and repetitive. I keep heeling short and lots of halts, turns and about turns. I also throw some rally moves in there for the turns, about turns, and pivots just so it isn't like we're marching around the yard/ring/etc. You have to make heeling fun and exciting...and I do a lot a reward in both food and play to keep heeling fun and motivating.

There are a lot of fun games you can play with heeling...here's a link for example. 

http://www.sthuberts.org/petpouri/articles/Rally.asp

I bet there's a lot of other resources out there for obedience games too.


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

My dogs love to heel. I keep heeling sessions short, we do a few a day, we will walk just maybe 5-10 steps, do a turn or two and that is it. Rewards are usually a ball toss or tug. Try doing just 2-3 steps and then one of your problem turns and reward her by tossing a ball or tug toy in the direction she should be moving (so fowards). With Nash, he tends to forge a bit so I throw the toy backwards, Lloyd tends to lag so I toss the toy forwards. Work on your problem areas (the rights and the abouts) without doing long heeling sessions, do very short ones with just one or two rights or abouts. Make sure your footwork is correct and your are not pointing your shoulders at her. You should turn your shoulders away from her and not look at her to speed her up. Try baiting with a toy and hold it into your chest as you do the turns, turn your shoulders away like you are trying to hide the toy from her.


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