Teaching a Puppy to Heel
Below is a brief, unedited video clip of my 12 week old puppy ‘Phender’ during an imprinting session where I am building his understanding of walking with his head up. There are no real expectations placed on the puppy during this training session, simply just a game of play with a water bottle. Any item of value (i.e. treats, toys, etc) can be used in place of the water bottle that I am using with Phender. Phender just happens to love playing with a water bottle.
As I am walking with Phender, I an using the water bottle as a focal point for his attention. I am keeping the water bottle up high to imprint Phender with the concept of looking upward at the handler while walking. Many dogs will naturally look at their feet or the ground while walking, and later in life Phender will be learning to heel with his head up. I am building these core skills now so as to ease the transition to advanced obedience later in life.
I am also working with Phender next to a curb. The purpose of the curb is two-fold:
- The curb acts as a distraction, and Phender tries to avoid falling off the curb, but also he will tend to over-compensate and move away from the curb. I am keeping him in the position near the curb with the water bottle, and this acts to distract him from the curb, and ultimately he will learn to ignore uneven surfaces while walking.
- The curb acts as a boundary to teach him how close to my body he should be walking.
Remember, the point of this exercise with a young puppy is strictly exposure. He is being exposed to the concept of learning, rather than actively learning certain tasks. Very soon, his formal training will begin in which case much of this imprinting will begin to become very useful.
