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Heeling isn't judged as strictly as in obedience- his is pretty close to good enough already. Most of a novice rally course is turns and exercises at the halt with heeling just being the way to get from sign to sign. During turns leash tension can sometimes help diagnose if there is an issue with lagging too. It's very obvious that leash tension is usually my fault, not my dog's. I practice sometimes with the handle in my pocket and the handle in my hand. Easy to get points off for a tight leash so best to practice now. Novice is done on leash and how you hold the leash can make a big difference to how your dog works. You will probably want to start practicing heeling on a 6' leash for novice. You can be, and are encouraged to be, a bit goofy with rally, and even praise enthusiastically in the ring! Remember it's all about having a dog that looks like it is having fun, with points for that. I really like how he returns his focus to you when he gets distracted. Great start on a nice heel, and a challenging environment to heel in. I am still working my dog in novice so take the following with a grain of salt, I am new too. I'd be teaching it in your basement, kitchen, living room, then try to take it to the driveway, etc, long before you ever take it on the road. That's a very high distraction environment I'd assume. I think trying to teach it as part of your walk might be a problem.
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For instance if your dog is in heel position and you're constantly feeding them from your body, their head will turn into where they anticipate the treat coming from (across your body perhaps) and the butt will swing out.Īlthough I don't care for the super heads up heeling, Michael Ellis and Forest Micke have good videos out there for teaching. Then you have to fade the lure.īe careful where you reward from because the dog will drift that way. First reward sitting in heel like Stonnie does, then try for one step forward with a lure, then two, whatever your dog can maintain. I'd start by luring it alongside a wall to keep the dog nice and straight.
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I've never seen anyone teach heel in a tight circle like that before teaching heel in a straight line.