Category: Common Problems, Performance Events ¤ Author: Melinda Johnson ¤ Title: Analysis of Methods for Teaching Heeling ¤ > >Now, the answer to getting dogs walking on a loose leash in 6 or 8 weeks >somewhat efficiently lies in establishing a good verbal deterrent to >pulling Let's analyze some methods for teaching dogs that pull on the leash (forge) to heel: 1.) The Jerk-and-Progress-Forward Method Each time the dog forges, the handler gives a leash pop, then continues to walk forward. The leash pop is a (usually small) P+ (something bad provided stuns/decreases behavior), followed by a moderate-to-big (depending on how badly the dog wants to advance) R+ (something good provided rewards/increases behavior) of getting to progress forward. Each time the dog pulls ahead of the handler, he gets a small punishment (dogs' necks are pretty tough!), followed by a bigger reward. Small P+ Moderate-to-Big R+ 2.) The Be-a-Tree Method Each time the dog forges, the handler stops all progress. This is a SMALL P- (something good removed stuns/decreases behavior) in that progress forward halts. When the handler begins to walk again, the dog gets a moderate-to-big R+ of getting to progress forward (something good provided rewards/increases behavior). It might take the dog awhile to realize that he has lost anything with this method, because his progress forward is merely halted for a little time. Small P- Moderate-to-Big R+ 3.) The Walk-Backwards Method For this, we use a training set-up at first. The dog's owner (or child of the owner) goes 15-20 feet away from the dog, squats down and waggles a hotdog, calling, "puppy-puppy-puppy!" (never use the word "come" or the dog's name). This makes the dog VERY tempted to progress by engaging a lot of emotion in the dog. The handler picks a starting line and begins to walk forward. As soon as the dog begins to forge, and *every* time the dog forges, the handler backs the dog up all the way to behind the starting line. The dog loses *all* the ground it's gained every time. This is a BIG, and very obvious P- (something good removed stuns/decreases behavior). The handler waits for the dog to collect himself and make eye contact, then progresses forward again. This provides a BIG R+ of getting to progress forward (something good provided rewards/increases behavior) -- big because the dog REALLY wants to reach the target. Each time the dog forges, the handler backs up all the way to behind the starting line (BIG P-). When the dog can go maybe 7 steps toward the target, the handler clicks and treats (BIG and immediate R+) every few steps. When the dog reaches the target, he gets a jackpot when the child or owner loves up dog and feeds the entire hotdog (BIG R+). This entire lesson is repeated 2-3 times (with 2-3 jackpots) until the dog will walk the entire distance the first try on a loose lead, using eye contact with the handler (you can c/t for eye contact, if you like). This entire lesson takes about 10-15 minutes the first time, before the dog will walk quietly on a loose lead toward the big distraction. Each subsequent time that the handler/owner walks the dog and the dog sees something it wants to make a dash toward, the handler backs up to behind an imaginary starting line and repeats the process. After doing this on a few walks, the dog gives up forging permanently, realizing he just can't get what he wants by forging. The reward for heeling on a loose lead? Getting to advance toward the target (Chase a squirrel or cat? Get to greet a friendly dog?), provided the target isn't an impending dog fight , in which case the handler can head the other direction and substitute a different R+ (food, scratch, play a game, etc.). Big P- Big R+ Big P- Big R+ Big P- Big R+ Big P- Big R+ Big P- Big R+ Big P- Big R+ JACKPOT!! This is why, in my experience, the Walk-Backwards method is by far the most successful -- and permanent (without the need for a verbal cue, but you could use one if you like). I use it in private consultations with client's dogs and have had 100% success with it. The clients report continuing success. You can read about the backing-up method in much more detail in Lana Mitchell's excellent post on the Keeper Page. Happy Holidays, Melinda Johnson mailto:mjj@accessone.com