Heel
Basic Manners · 21 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to walk at your side and sit when you stop walking, until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Heel'.
A heel is a focused, precise position, with Your Dog walking right at your side and paying attention to you. It is a great foundation before loose-leash training, because it builds Your Dog's attention and an overall bias to walk beside you, and it is the ideal position for keeping Your Dog focused on you when passing distractions or triggers on a walk.
**Recommended Gear:** A well-fitted harness is the most comfortable option for Your Dog on a leash, and a flat collar is best kept for ID tags or as a backup attachment. A no-pull harness, which clips at the front, gives you extra leverage and redirects Your Dog without any pressure on their throat. It is especially helpful for heavy pullers, for dogs strong enough to pull their handler off their feet, or just to boost success while you train. If Your Dog is unsure or afraid of wearing a harness, work through the Harness plan first.
For this plan you will also need:
**- A Release Cue:** such as "Okay, Go Sniff!" to tell Your Dog that they are done heeling and free to walk in any position. Always releasing Your Dog from a heel will help them learn to keep heeling until released!
Training steps
Lure and feed every 2 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Hold a treat (lure) in front of Your Dog's nose at your pants seam in heel position and then start walking. Reinforce Your Dog every 2 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure and feed every 3 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Hold a treat (lure) in front of Your Dog's nose at your pants seam in heel position and then start walking. Reinforce Your Dog every 3 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure and feed every 4 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Hold a treat (lure) in front of Your Dog's nose at your pants seam in heel position and then start walking. Reinforce Your Dog every 4 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure and feed every 2 steps while making a right turn
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Practicing turning right with Your Dog in heel position. Reinforce every 2 steps.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure and feed every 2 steps while making a left turn
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Practicing turning left with Your Dog in heel position. Reinforce every 2 steps.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure and feed every 4 steps while making right and left turns
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Practicing turning right and left with Your Dog in heel position. Reinforce every 4 steps.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Start fading the lure, hold it halfway between Your Dog's nose and your hip, feed every 4 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Hold a treat (lure) halfway between Your Dog's nose and your hip. Start walking and reinforce Your Dog every 4 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold the lure at your hip, feed every 3 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Hold a treat (lure) at your hip. Start walking and reinforce Your Dog every 3 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold the lure at your hip, feed every 4 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Hold a treat (lure) at your hip. Start walking and reinforce Your Dog every 4 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hand signal, feed every 3 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Prompt Your Dog into a heel position by patting the hip where you were holding the treat. Once Your Dog is beside you, start walking and feed every 3 steps as long as they stay in a heel position.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add the verbal cue
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal. Feed every 3 steps.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Feed every 4 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Feed every 6 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Feed every 8 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Feed every 10 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Feed every 15 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Feed every 20 steps
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Say the verbal cue 'Heel', then prompt Your Dog to heel with a hand signal.
Success: Your Dog heels.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure a sit when you stop
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Continue feeding every 20 steps, but randomly stop walking and lure Your Dog into a sit beside you.
Success: Your Dog sits.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Cue sit and then lure into heel position
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
If Your Dog sits in front of you instead of beside you in heel position, lure them back behind you and around to sit in the correct heel position before feeding the treat.
Success: Your Dog sits in heel position.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Cue a sit when you stop
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Continue feeding every 20 steps, but randomly stop walking and cue Your Dog to sit. If Your Dog moves out of heel position to sit in front of you, count it as a fail and continue walking to reset their position for another try. You can also Drop or Split to spend more time luring Your Dog into the correct position.
Success: Your Dog sits in heel position.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add an auto sit when you stop
Setup: Your Dog is on or off-leash.
Continue feeding every 20 steps, but randomly stop walking and wait to see if Your Dog sits beside you automatically.
Success: Your Dog sits automatically when you stop.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Good job! You've laid a strong foundation for Heel.
Now it's time to proof Your Dog's new skill. You can restart the plan using proof steps, or play games with the goals you just earned. Practice both in different locations and around distractions.