Dog Training: Dog Obedience With A Twist - Part 3

Dog Training

Toe heeling and leash training...the old fashioned way!


Hey Dog Loving Friend,

How are you doing...I just wanted to clarify a few points from previous article in Part 2.

Be the leader and he will follow, allow me to explain.

You start with one simple strategy by building a pattern of familiarity.

Your dog instinctively watches you and his behavior is to anticipate your next move.

I always teach the dog to do both a swing and around finish.

Simply, that is to say teach him to stay both to the right and the left.

OK. Start with the "snap toe to toe" and give the command.

Let's say you've selected to do a "swing" finish, the idea is he always stays on the left side of your body...

Next thing to practice is "around" finish...toe to toe

You give him the command and he goes to the right behind your body to the heel position on the left.

Let's break it down one step at a time from the beginning:

• Give the dog the selected command
• Then step three full steps backward
• Then pause slightly
• Repeat the same number of steps forward
• Use the leash as guidance
• Target his behavior
• Use food as a lure
• Free shaping...

It all depends on what you want as the end result...

On the "swing" finish, the whole idea is to keep him on your left side using the above strategy while you're moving backward and forward.

TIP: You want to be moving in a straight line while slowly reducing the intensity of the training support as he begins to get better and more confident in his behavior.

When working on the "around" finish, the movement requires that you provide the leadership and guidance first on the right side and then switching to the left side of the guidance once he passes behind your body.

As your dog improves, drop off one step at a time from the initial strategy.

Take your time and give him at least 1-3 weeks depending on how much work you are putting into it...

Thanks for reading, I appreciate you.

Dog Training...success made easy and fun!