# Heel training is extremely hard....



## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

I've been trying heel training 30 mins everyday in an open area, people pass by ocassionally, but not much. The training has been a nightmare to me and my puppy.

Ok this is what I did: let the puppy be on my left side, with leash on my right hand, shorten the leash. 

Everytime I say "heel" and start walking, she drags me to fly. Then immediately I say "heel" or "no" and if ------->
(1) I try to drag her back, she cries, and stands backwards or orbits, seems to be totally confused. If I force her into the right position (my left side), she will stay, with or without my praise, she can never stay more than 3 seconds, then she will always always start dragging me again. Repeat, repeat, repeat, etc.

(2) I stay where I am, and wait for her to come back... She will never back to my side. I've been trying toys, treats, calling her name, tapping on my left leg... nothing will grab her attention for more than 3 seconds. Then she will orbit or stare into the distance, cries, totally lost. 

Her reaction makes it impossible to walk forwards, not even a step.

I also tried to run a little bit, release the leash or so, in that case it's better. She will run closed to my side for several meters before she gets confused or distraction by anything...even a building. That's not a "heel" right? 

I tried "heel" inside the house, much better...well, even if I do not say "heel" or anything, she will follow me anyway if inside the house. She is a puppy. So that's not a training in my mind...

What can I do?


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

30 minutes is WAY too long for a young pup or even an adult! Short training sessions (like 5 minutes) work best for young pups. Start out by shaping the behavior before you even put a name on it. Heel means nothing to her right now. Make it TOTALLY positive, no coercion. Give lots of rewards, whether it's a toy or food. 

Do you have any videos or books to help you? Are you attending a class right now? Do you have the basics like sit, down, come, stay, etc. down already?


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow30 minutes is WAY too long for a young pup or even an adult! Short training sessions (like 5 minutes) work best for young pups.


That's what I'm thinking after those frustrating tries. But how about walk her? Do I just loose the leash and let her drag when I walk her everyday?



> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowStart out by shaping the behavior before you even put a name on it. Heel means nothing to her right now. Make it TOTALLY positive, no coercion. Give lots of rewards, whether it's a toy or food.
> 
> Do you have any videos or books to help you? Are you attending a class right now? Do you have the basics like sit, down, come, stay, etc. down already?


I've taught her sit, down and come. Actually she will sit and stay inside house without any command...







She enjoys following me, sitting and looking at me very very much.

We're not attending any class now.... I'm pretty much rely on this forum.









My camcorder is broken otherwise yup I should've taken some videos. That'll be better for you to see. Sigh, sorry for that...


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## darga19 (Mar 4, 2009)

WWWAAAYYYY too long!

practice only about 5 minutes a couple times a day and end each session with a play romp.

I started out with building a really good "watch" command first. That's the way my training group teaches it as well. Once Marshall could watch (sitting in heel position at the side) for minute or so...only after building REALLY good eye contact and focus...then we started heeling.

I starting teaching "fous" at a still position...replacing "focus" with "fous". Then using high value treats and holding under the chin to keep eye contact...just start using "fous" (or "heel" in your case) as you start walking. Start with the dog in heel position, watching you. Don't walk slow. Reward as pup makes/keeps eye contact, and ***ALWAYS***reward at your hip. Never when the dog is out of position.

Because Marshall had such a good "focus" command built up first, he learned heeling very quickly. I was able to heel him past 5 or 6 houses on my sidewalk without breaking eye contact after only a couple of days. After a good foundation then start working on distractions and turns and take it to different areas.

Another HUGE thing is that you have to really be the most interesting thing around for the dog. Loud, up beat, happy, fun, voices, cheering on as the eye contact is made, keeping your dog focused on you is the toughest part of it IMO.

Good luck and keep working at it!!!


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Yes yes, I just realized the importance of "eye contact" yesterday after I posted another thread! Previously I just unconsciously let my puppy look at me.

I will try your method. Thanks!



> Originally Posted By: Christian2009WWWAAAYYYY too long!
> 
> practice only about 5 minutes a couple times a day and end each session with a play romp.
> 
> ...


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Not only is 30 minutes way too long for a young pup, but what are you doing to actually show her what you want? I may be reading wrong, but it sounds like you're just putting her on leash, telling her to "heel" and assuming she'll somehow know what heel means without ever being taught, and then getting frustrated when she doesn't know what you want.









In early stages of teaching heel, you should be using treats to lure her into heel position, associating that position with the "heel" command, and praising and rewarding with treats when she gets it right. When she gets it wrong, just ignore her and use the treats to get her back into position. She needs lots of repetitions in a positive manner that will allow her to learn what behavior earns reward, and to associate the command with that behavior. Lots of short sessions of 5-10 minutes is best.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I meant do you have books or videos on training to help you.









I would sign up for a positive based training class for puppies. In the class you will learn how to hold a leash and practice leash walking with lots of distractions. 

Is there a large (safe!) area you can take her to on a long lead? That way she can run around and explore and have free time. I find that's a great thing to do before a start a walk because it tires them out. 

For walks you have a couple of options. You can use the tree method, the turn around and go in the other direction method and combine that with calling her back to you and giving her a very yummy treat (like real chicken). 

I do not give the pup/dog the full length of the lead but instead I hold one part of it in one hand and the other part in the other hand. My hold is firm but I am relaxed, if that makes sense. I do not jerk on the leash constantly or keep tension on the leash as this encourages them to pull. I have done this with full grown dogs (since I don't adopt puppies anymore) and it works great. The main ingredient though is patience on your behalf. It can be a slow process with some dogs.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

A few things....

1) 30 minutes is too long. Even when I'm training my adult for a trial we do maybe 10-15 minutes a day the week leading up to the trial. It is the quality of the work and not the length of time that counts.

2) I wouldn't use the command until *after* the dog knows what you want. Right now "heel" means nothing to her other than her getting confused and hitting the end of the leash. So basically right now you are naming the behavior you *don't* want.

3) Avoid tightning up on the leash. The dog should heel freely and not need a tight leash for control or direction. If there is pressure, then she's not quite getting it yet.

4) Heeling is not at all natural for a dog. Good heeling takes a long time. I would start at home with eye contact. Our SchH trainer says "if you can train your dog to look at you, you can train him to do anything you want". Work on developing eye contact which is basically rewarding the dog for focusing on you rather than anything else. I would not even start taking steps until the dog can consistently hold 10-15 seconds of eye contact in front and at your side. You don't want to start developing the heel until you have the dog focused on you, so you won't need the tight leash and the corrections. My pup is 9 months old and we've *just* started heeling this week, but because we have done work on his focus and developed a working relationship, he will already quite a ways without having to be commanded or corrected.

5) You say she will follow you in the house, that's a good start. Reward her for this type of behavior, and if you are outside playing and she looks at you or comes back to check in, reward this as well.


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## dd (Jun 10, 2003)

One way to slow her down is to loop the leash across her chest. She will interpret the leash swinging in front of her as a barrier and slow down. It's a great technique for dogs that pull. (You will need to hold the leash with both hands).


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## slaen (Apr 27, 2009)

This is what worked for me.

Go in your backyard or a playground.

Put her on a leash and give her the length of the leash. Start walking in one direction if she runs ahead or pulls then you change direction. When you change direction do it calmly, dont correct her or tear her head off. Just keep your leash in your hands behind your back and just walk. She will put up a fight and fuss but what you need to establish here is that she needs to learn to follow you and read your body language. So when she fusses or cries just ignore it she is crying to get her way just like a baby would. Once she learns fighting and fussing wont let her get her way she will realize its easier to just follow you.

Once she is following you around without fussing then shorten the leash keep it in your right hand and give her some slack in the leash. Let the leash drape in front of you and as you walk your left shin will do the corrections for you, keeping her in postion and keeping her next to you. But try the above first, just get her to follow you around. If you notice as you walk things on the ground are distracting her, just walk faster. Dont give her time to think about grabbing something in her mouth. This worked like a charm for me.

If you want I can try to record a short video of it for you tonight so you can see. 
Kye is 13 weeks now and he walks like a pro in crowded areas and around children and dogs and he does not pull.

I hope this helps.

Also the above poster is correct. Let her make eye contact with you. If she has a favorite toy you can use this to your advantage while training. Hold it in you left hand at your side so she follows you. Make it a game for her and it will be a lot easier. And when she is at your side praise her with a good girl and get her excited to hear that praise.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

I did use treats and toys to lure her... and praise her when she is on my left side... but I could be too impatient. I assumed she knew it. You're right, I should be much more patient. "Heel" is a very complicated command to her, I can tell. It's even complicated to me. Starting to walk, back to my side and turning right/left---> all using the same word "heel"? If I were a puppy I'll get confused.



> Originally Posted By: Chris WildNot only is 30 minutes way too long for a young pup, but what are you doing to actually show her what you want? I may be reading wrong, but it sounds like you're just putting her on leash, telling her to "heel" and assuming she'll somehow know what heel means without ever being taught, and then getting frustrated when she doesn't know what you want.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowI meant do you have books or videos on training to help you.


My brain swam.











> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowI would sign up for a positive based training class for puppies. In the class you will learn how to hold a leash and practice leash walking with lots of distractions.


Ok I'll think about that!



> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow Is there a large (safe!) area you can take her to on a long lead? That way she can run around and explore and have free time. I find that's a great thing to do before a start a walk because it tires them out.


Yes there is, a lawn. Now I have a looong lead I'm just waiting for her Frontline then I can bring her to the grass.



> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow For walks you have a couple of options. You can use the tree method, the turn around and go in the other direction method and combine that with calling her back to you and giving her a very yummy treat (like real chicken).
> 
> I do not give the pup/dog the full length of the lead but instead I hold one part of it in one hand and the other part in the other hand. My hold is firm but I am relaxed, if that makes sense. I do not jerk on the leash constantly or keep tension on the leash as this encourages them to pull. I have done this with full grown dogs (since I don't adopt puppies anymore) and it works great. The main ingredient though is patience on your behalf. It can be a slow process with some dogs.


Thanks! I'll try!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

A lot of people will train "heel" meaning "dog at my left side" so that it doesn't matter whether you are moving, stopped, or turning. If you say "heel" it means "dog, stay at my left side." This is how I am currently training my 9 month old puppy. "Fuss" means get at my side and stay there until I say otherwise. "Hier" means get in front of me and stay there. He's better at "hier", so I can say it and he comes running and sits right on my feet, then if I start running backward, he moves with me, keeping his face on my belly. Then ideally I would say "fuss" and he would flip to my left side (working on that flip finish right now).


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

You're right I'll keep these in mind. The key is eye contact. I'll focus on eye contact training right away. Thanks!



> Originally Posted By: LiesjeA few things....


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: Liesje2) I wouldn't use the command until *after* the dog knows what you want. Right now "heel" means nothing to her other than her getting confused and hitting the end of the leash. So basically right now you are naming the behavior you *don't* want.


Totally agree. Also, do you really need a tight heel right now, (which takes a LOT of time and training) or do you just want her to politely walk on a loose leash and not pull? For me, with a young puppy, that's what I'd be working on right now rather than worrying about heel position. I use two different commands ("let's go" for loose leash walking) so the puppy is not confused. You can also work on having her sit automatically when you stop, luring with a treat at first, and practice about face turns (I say "this way" to signal a turn).

As others have suggested, do very short sessions of heeling, maybe just a few steps at a time, rather than expecting her to heel for long distances. If you want to go back and forth between the two, after heeling, have her sit and make eye contact, and then release her and use your LLW command.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I have a question. Are you teaching a formal obedience heel, or do you just want the dog to walk next to you.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeow The main ingredient though is patience on your behalf. It can be a slow process with some dogs.


My puppy learns things very fast. She even knows using litter box (don't laf, hehe). When I say "pee pee," she will go into the box and pee. She learns it within a couple of days. It took several months for my poodle to learn the "pee pee" and "poo poo" commands even she had already known where to relieve herself.









So, I believe the heel training is totally my fault. I didn't follow the right way to train her. I'll correct that right away!


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Oh... I just want her walk next me... 



> Originally Posted By: BlackPuppyI have a question. Are you teaching a formal obedience heel, or do you just want the dog to walk next to you.


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## darga19 (Mar 4, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Liz SOh... I just want her walk next me...
> 
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: BlackPuppyI have a question. Are you teaching a formal obedience heel, or do you just want the dog to walk next to you.


Sounds like you just want her to stop pulling while you go for a walk.

This is much different than heeling...

The heeling I described is to maintain eye contact between you and the dog while walking....formal heeling.

You can practice loose leash walking for more than 5 minutes at a time btw!







It doesn't require even close to the amount of mental energy and concentration that formal heeling does.

Nice insight BlackPuppy.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

When you are walking your pup, periodically call her and as soon as you see her respond (even if it is just a tiny head turn or a change of pace in her walking), click/treat/praise. Be generous with treats in the beginning. Pretty soon your pup will get the idea that sticking near you and paying attention to your movement and your voice means she is going to get good things from you.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Jason LinWhen you are walking your pup, periodically call her and as soon as you see her respond (even if it is just a tiny head turn or a change of pace in her walking), click/treat/praise. Be generous with treats in the beginning. Pretty soon your pup will get the idea that sticking near you and paying attention to your movement and your voice means she is going to get good things from you.


so true. Remember a recall is a chain of behaviors. Initially, it's asking too much to call the dog and have her come all the way back to you. This is where it helps to train with a marker sound or word. So, if your dog is some distance away and you call her, initially you would mark as soon as she turns her head. As you practice, you raise the expectations until eventually she needs to acknowledge you and run all the way back to you before the mark and reward.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Sounds good, I'll try. Thanks!



> Originally Posted By: ddOne way to slow her down is to loop the leash across her chest. She will interpret the leash swinging in front of her as a barrier and slow down. It's a great technique for dogs that pull. (You will need to hold the leash with both hands).


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Yes yes you're right. Like I said my puppy seemed feeling much more confortable if the leash was loose. She'll follow me in that case. Or if I speed up---which might seem like I'm running towards something interesting----she will follow me. 
But I only tried "loosing a leash" or "running" twice, coz I thought those were wrong.




> Originally Posted By: SlaenThis is what worked for me.
> 
> Go in your backyard or a playground.
> 
> ...


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Ok, I'll try loose leash walking. Still will try to get her eye contact as much as possible, right? 



> Originally Posted By: Christian2009 You can practice loose leash walking for more than 5 minutes at a time btw!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do you mean my puppy?










> Originally Posted By: Christian2009 Nice insight BlackPuppy.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Have been trying to catch her tiny head turn.







It's hard but it's fun. 
I've got a lot of faith in how to walk her next time (tonight). Cannot wait to back home seeing her happy little face!











> Originally Posted By: Jason LinWhen you are walking your pup, periodically call her and as soon as you see her respond (even if it is just a tiny head turn or a change of pace in her walking), click/treat/praise. Be generous with treats in the beginning. Pretty soon your pup will get the idea that sticking near you and paying attention to your movement and your voice means she is going to get good things from you.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: Christian2009
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: Liz SOh... I just want her walk next me...
> ...


Hey, I asked about that almost a half hour earlier!
















Seriously, though I think you're right to just focus on loose leash walking right now. You can also practice in less distracting environments, such as around the house, marking and rewarding her for not pulling. And for that, I don't care about maintaining eye contact as long as they are aware of me at the other end of the leash, and look at me occasionally. 

You mentioned running with her - it's also a good idea to use speed changes as well as directional changes when teaching her to walk on leash. I cued mine with "fast!" or "sloooow" when I was going to walk at other than a normal pace for a minute or two. You want her to be aware of where you are and what you're doing and adapt to that, so don't be too predictable, so she'll learn to keep an eye on you. 

One thing I've done that has worked very well is if Halo gets out in front of me, I back up, pulling her towards me, and calling her. As she approaches I mark it and either turn and go the other direction so that she's now perfectly in position at my side and I can mark and reward or praise her, or I start walking briskly forward so that she is again on a loose leash, roughly in heel position. Mark and reward, or big smile and praise. Someone else posted a video that shows this technique, I've got it bookmarked at home, I'll post it later. 

And the head turn that Jason and Lies talk about is something I like to work on a lot around the house. It's sometimes referred to as a whiplash turn because ideally the second you call her name you want her head to whip around towards you. A good game for this is to have a handful of treats. It's fine if she knows you've got them. I toss one a short distance across the room saying "find it", and as soon as she gets it I call her name, and mark the exact second her head starts to turn towards me. She runs back for her reward (I hand her another treat when she gets to me), and then toss a treat again. As she gets better at it, toss the treat further away so she has to run after it. (Also a great way to wear her out!) Do this as long as you want, as often as you want. 

And to make it even more fun, once you toss the treat and she gets to it, call her name and RUN to another room in the house. She should come charging after you - mark it and give her a treat when she gets to you, toss another, and call her name and run away again. You'll build a very fast and enthusiastic recall if you play this game with your puppy often - Halo had by far the best recall in her puppy classes. I could call her out of a play break and she would turn immediately and charge towards me, no matter what she was doing. I usually use my recall word for this game, so it's a little different from the whiplash turn where she's just responding to her name. Once she's consistently coming to you, ask for a sit right before she gets to you and then wait for that to reward her.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6bX1zq5HBg&feature=related


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Two things that our trainer has us do in class for loose leash walking:

1. Backups. Basically, we start by walking TWO steps forward, then we (the person) takes two steps back. Now initially, your dog is just going to keep going forward. But the second they realize they can't go forward anymore and turn towards you, mark it and reward it. Just do it over and over. After a while, the dog becomes trained to be more in tune with you, so they know when you are stopping and back up with you. Why do this? It's helpful later on, when you start adding in distraction. For example after we have trained it for a while, we get two dogs on opposite corners of the room and start training them so we can eventually walk directly past. But we start just TWO steps forward and two steps back. Then three, four, five... until eventually the dog is more in sync with us and desensitized to the other dog and we just walk past.

2. Step-intos. This is taking two steps forward, then sort of pivoting into your dog so your dog either backs up in front of you or sits (some dogs just sit, lol, which is fine). This is also a good thing to practice because you can use this sort of "body blocking" if your dog starts to get distracted. Just pivot into your dog so you are blocking the view and the ability to go forward, and get the dog's attention back.


Both of these help give you more control and more options to redirect your dog back without have to pull on the leash.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Cassidys Mom
> Hey, I asked about that almost a half hour earlier!


Hand!











> Originally Posted By: Cassidys Mompractice in less distracting environments, such as around the house, marking and rewarding her for not pulling. And for that, I don't care about maintaining eye contact as long as they are aware of me at the other end of the leash, and look at me occasionally.
> 
> One thing I've done that has worked very well is if Halo gets out in front of me, I back up, pulling her towards me, and calling her.


O.K. I'll try another environment and the back up way. So pulling doesn't hurt? Pull but not drag?



> Originally Posted By: Cassidys MomAnd the head turn that Jason and Lies talk about is something I like to work on a lot around the house. It's sometimes referred to as a whiplash turn because ideally the second you call her name you want her head to whip around towards you. A good game for this is to have a handful of treats. It's fine if she knows you've got them. I toss one a short distance across the room saying "find it", and as soon as she gets it I call her name, and mark the exact second her head starts to turn towards me. She runs back for her reward (I hand her another treat when she gets to me), and then toss a treat again. As she gets better at it, toss the treat further away so she has to run after it. (Also a great way to wear her out!) Do this as long as you want, as often as you want.
> 
> And to make it even more fun, once you toss the treat and she gets to it, call her name and RUN to another room in the house. She should come charging after you - mark it and give her a treat when she gets to you, toss another, and call her name and run away again....Once she's consistently coming to you, ask for a sit right before she gets to you and then wait for that to reward her.


These two ideas ARE great. Sounds very fun to me too. I'll defenitely try.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Thanks! 

The puppy is so cute! ^_^




> Originally Posted By: Cassidys MomHere you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6bX1zq5HBg&feature=related


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

Fun. Haha, got new homeworks to do for today.











> Originally Posted By: LiesjeTwo things that our trainer has us do in class for loose leash walking:
> 
> 1. Backups. Basically, we start by walking TWO steps forward, then we (the person) takes two steps back. Now initially, your dog is just going to keep going forward. But the second they realize they can't go forward anymore and turn towards you, mark it and reward it. Just do it over and over. After a while, the dog becomes trained to be more in tune with you, so they know when you are stopping and back up with you. Why do this? It's helpful later on, when you start adding in distraction. For example after we have trained it for a while, we get two dogs on opposite corners of the room and start training them so we can eventually walk directly past. But we start just TWO steps forward and two steps back. Then three, four, five... until eventually the dog is more in sync with us and desensitized to the other dog and we just walk past.
> 
> ...


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I don't yank on the leash, but if she stops and I start backing up, there will be some gentle pressure on the leash. I back up a few steps while I call her to me. Think of it as penalty yards - pulling forward actually makes us go backwards. Moving towards me relieves the pressure on the leash, and I walk forward again. So pulling = either no forward movement or penalty yards, relieving pressure on the leash = forward movement. (I love the puppies in that video too!) 

The games that I described are a lot of fun. I like to toss the treats across a hardwood floor so they roll quite a ways, and as the puppy gets better at it, you can launch them pretty far. I had Halo running RIGHT past one of my cats to get the treat and then charging back to me - she was literally a foot away from Emmy, and completely ignored her. It's fun and fast paced, and dogs love it. And getting your dog to chase you around the house, well, they love that game too! And it's great to condition your dog to chase you rather than having you chase them.


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## Liz S (May 14, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Cassidys MomI don't yank on the leash, but if she stops and I start backing up, there will be some gentle pressure on the leash. I back up a few steps while I call her to me. Think of it as penalty yards - pulling forward actually makes us go backwards. Moving towards me relieves the pressure on the leash, and I walk forward again. So pulling = either no forward movement or penalty yards, relieving pressure on the leash = forward movement. (I love the puppies in that video too!)


I tried yesterday night and I think my puppy feels much more better now. I just dare not give her too much to eat---she's already ate a lot! Oh, wait, she's eating her poo poo....crazy girl......


















> Originally Posted By: Cassidys Mom The games that I described are a lot of fun. I like to toss the treats across a hardwood floor so they roll quite a ways, and as the puppy gets better at it, you can launch them pretty far. I had Halo running RIGHT past one of my cats to get the treat and then charging back to me - she was literally a foot away from Emmy, and completely ignored her. It's fun and fast paced, and dogs love it. And getting your dog to chase you around the house, well, they love that game too! And it's great to condition your dog to chase you rather than having you chase them.


Haha, how do you know.. I'll stop chasing her then. I like both chasing her and letting her chase me.


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