Adding Duration to Your Walks
From a training standpoint, duration refers to the amount of time your dog can maintain the requested behavior. In this case, it's the length of time that the dog has to be next to you to earn his click and treat. Once your dog starts to catch on to getting clicked for coming back to your side, you can then raise the criteria to his coming back to your side and staying there for a step or two.
Eventually you will build the length of time the dog must walk next to you to several minutes, until the dog no longer wants to pull. Remember, duration refers to the length of time the dog must do the behavior before he gets rewarded. Practice having him walk with you for different lengths of time around a variety of distractions until he can trot happily next to you under any circumstance.
Changing the Variables and Distractions
Practicing in a new environment — with people, dogs, cars, bicycles, and other distractions — is critical to the reliability of the behavior. Changing too many of these variables at once, however, will make your dog's behavior of walking next to you fall apart. To help your dog to learn to stay with you despite the distractions, change one variable at a time. The variables involved in heeling refer to how close or far you are to the distractions and how intense the distractions are (one person, a crowd, kids, adults, people with dogs, wildlife, cars, bikes, and so forth).
The length of time you choose should be random so that your dog does not pick up on a pattern. It is probably best not to increase the length of time all at once but instead to skip around with low numbers and then gradually increase the time as the dog catches on to the game.
By controlling the variables and working slowly to introduce distractions while you maintain your dog's ability to walk at heel, you will teach your dog to walk nicely on a leash regardless of the distractions in the environment. Don't ever be afraid to stop the training session and make it easier for the dog to be right if things are going badly and your dog could use some extra help.
Controlling Heeling
There are two major variables involved in teaching your dog to heel: the distance to the distraction and the intensity of the distraction. The distance between your dog and the distraction is too close if you can't get the dog to perform the behavior. If this is the case you should back away from the action to a point where your dog will perform the behavior well. Once your dog is working well, you can decrease the distance between your dog and the distraction, bringing him closer to the action when you are sure he can handle it.
Setting your dog up for success is the key to becoming a good dog trainer. Here are some ways that you can set your dog up for success:
Reduce the intensity of the distraction (quieter, slower, less of it) as needed.
Use your best treats; training is difficult, so make it worth his while.
Offer a high rate of reinforcement in a new environment.
Slow the rate down (click and treat less frequently) for longer versions of the behavior (dog stays with you longer), and when the dog starts to be able to perform the behavior reliably.
Choose what distraction you will start with and set it up so that your dog can be successful. The intensity of the distraction has to do with its speed, noise level, and quantity. The intensity is too high when your dog can't perform the behavior because he is too distracted. The solution to this problem is to tone down the distraction by making it go slower or quieter or having less of it.
Common Distractions
Another consideration when you are working around distractions with your dog is the type of distraction you are working on. There are three major categories of distractions: things that move, things that smell, and things that make noise. Let's talk about each in turn:
Things that move: This category incites your dog's prey drive, his desire to chase after things that move. Every dog has a different level of distractibility, but most dogs find things that move irresistible. Examples include cars, bikes, squirrels, runners, dogs, motorcycles, balls, and kids.
Things that smell: The majority of dogs are motivated most by their stomachs, so for the hunting breeds especially, the “nose to the ground” behavior can be quite a challenge. Examples are food, animals, other animals' feces, and wildlife.
Things that make noise: Some dogs are more sensitive to sound than others. The average dog is simply curious and will get over it quickly and learn to ignore sounds if you slowly change the variables, distance, and intensity.
Always be sure there isn't a physical reason why your dog won't walk with you. Check his feet for cuts, make sure the pavement isn't too hot, and ensure his feet aren't stinging from salt-treated roads in the wintertime.
Distractions need to be worked into the training gradually. If distractions are too frequent or intense, the dog will get overexcited and be unable to concentrate, and no real learning will occur. It is important that you pay attention to your dog's excitement level and tone down the distractions so that he is able to absorb the lesson.
The Mule Impersonator
Laggards often plant their butts and will not move forward. They will not move or follow you with any amount of coaxing or cooing. You can use several tricks to get these dogs to follow you:
Put tension in the lead but don't pull. Make sure the leash is hooked to a regular collar, not a training collar.
As soon as your dog takes a step toward you to steady himself, click and treat and lavish with praise. (Some dogs take a while, so be patient.)
Repeat this every time your dog stops. Don't go back to him; simply ignore the wrong behavior and pay attention to the right one instead.
Within ten minutes or so, most dogs give up their stubborn-mule impression and go with you. Some dogs may need you to do this over several sessions before they give up.
The Bigger the Paycheck, the Less He Will Pull
Teaching your dog to heel can be time consuming and boring — for both of you — if you don't come up with ideas to make it more interesting and fun. One way to make things more fun is to hide the rewards all around your training area before you start your session. It will be such a surprise to the dog to be rewarded with a delicious treat or an awesome toy that she wasn't expecting to be pulled out of the bushes. The element of surprise will make you far more interesting to your dog, and it will make your dog much more willing to learn to walk with you.
