Dog Care and Obedience Training

Heeling. Heeling in dog language means having your dog walk alongside you on your left side, close to your leg, on lead or off. Keep your dog on your left side. Hold the leash in your right hand and pass it through your left hand to your pup. Use your left hand for corrections, which are made with sharp, quick jerks on the leash. When corrections are not needed, the leash should always be loose. Using the dog's name and the command "Heel", start forward on your left foot, giving a tug on the lead to get the dog started. Walk briskly, with even steps, going around in a large circle, or straight line. While walking, make sure that your dog stays on the left side and close to your leg. If he lags behind, give several tugs on the lead to get him up to you, then praise him for doing well. If he goes ahead, stop and jerk the lead sharply and bring him back to the proper position. Always repeat the command when correcting, and praise him when he does well.

The "Sit". This is taught with the dog at heel position. When you give the command "Sit" pull the lead up sharply with your right hand while, simultaneously you force the dog's rump down with your left hand. When the dog sits, relax the pressure immediately and warmly praise the dog. The sit is combined with heeling so that the dog learns to sit every time you stop.

The "Stand". With the dog at your side in a sitting position, stride forward a few paces, giving the command "Heel" and then, a few steps farther on, the second command, "Stand!". With your right hand, hold the leash tight near the collar keeping the dog's head up. Place your left-hand palm down, under the dog's stomach, preventing it from moving its hind legs.

The "Come". With the dog sitting, at the end of the lead, the owner calls his name and gives the command "Rex, come!" Give an easy tug on the lead to get him started. When he does come, praise him. It might help at this point to give him a small piece of candy as a reward. Make your dog sit in front of you when he comes. In later training, the distance between dog and handler is icreased by clothes-line tied to the lead until, finally, the exercise is done off lead.

The "Come-to-heel". With the dog sitting in front of the trainer the command "Heel" is given. As the dog starts to move, the trainer guides him by moving the leash in an arc with the left hand gently guiding the dog to the left side. Once the dog has made the complete turn, the command "Sit" is given. When the dog obeys, pressure on the leash is relaxed. When the exrcise is completed, the dog should be warmly praised.

Complete list of books for dog care