SearchHeel my Hera
We are new at being Doberman parents. We have had other dogs, non have been Dobies. We are looking for advice on walking.
Our baby Hera is 13 months old. We have been walking with her and she loves it. However we are trying to teach heel but, we are not real sure on how to do so. Or more it is coming off confusing to Hera. Also I have been watching different shows like Me or the Dog. Don't laugh. I am searching for info. lol On there she says not to make the dog heel next to you. Let the dog have some distance but, controled.
So ... what are all of your thoughts. Should we first teach the heel? If so then can someone explain it a bit more to me so I am not so confused. Maybe that will help with Hera.
Also if we do the heel and she does good in time. Is it safe to let her have a bit of the lead to have some space?
After reading what I wrote I do want you all to know she does do great commands. Like, sit, down, up, around, wait, turn away, get. We are working on come but, as I can tell that one takes time and persistence. Just wanting everyone to know she is smart and we are working hard with her. We do like to know as much as we can so we can have different approaches with it. Thank you for your help.
Heidi, Sam & Hera
Thank you so much. I will check that out. We have had her for 10 months now. She is such a sweet heart. We know doberman's are different then what we have raised before. My uncle had them when I was younger and I always loved watching them and said one day I want one. So happy we have her. She is just the light of our eyes. Thanks so much. I will keep you posted on what happens. So far we really like this site. It is nice to see all the pics and see that we are going through the same things as others. Thanks
Heidi, Sam & Hera
Hi Luvdoby1, welcome!! We are a family here, and lots of great peeps on here that offer suggestions, and advice! We are new Dobie "paw"rents too, to Sophie, our 5 month old fawn Dobie Sophie & Angie
Welcome to the group, Luvdoby1. I'm certainly NO "trainer", but I can tell you what works for me and my dobie, Ziva. Heeling right beside me isn't all that important to me...I basically just wanted to be able to walk her on a short leash without having her pulling so hard. She was a horrible leash puller for the longest time, and I used many different methods of correction, everything from the "about turn" method to using a prong collar for correctional training. We've pretty much got it under control now. The only time I really need her to walk right next to my leg without being out in front of me is when we go places like outdoor flea markets or other places where there are big crowds of people, and I need her to stay close. So we have a little command called "stay close"....LOL. Not exactly a regimented "heel" but I can hold her back with only about 6 inches of leash. I dont intend to jump into the show ring, or even the obedience trial ring, so my walks with Ziva are purely for pleasure----mine AND hers. I allow her to get out in front of me most of the time, and occasionally will take her out on a 16 ft retractable leash just to give her room to roam and sniff....but not in crowded or high traffic areas.
There are people here who have successfully trained for "heel" both on leash and off leash. Hopefully, a few of them will offer their advice.
Glad to have you as part of the group. 
~Paul & Ziva~
I am new as well. We have a 6 month old Doberman named Mac, and boy he is the same. Two weeks ago we joined a Schutzhund Club, and Mac really seems to be liking it. There they are also helping us with obedience commands. Perhaps that is something that you & Hera would like to do?
Like Paul, I don't particularly care about heel. I don't want my dog to pull the leash or when I require, move out from near me. The perfect heel, if you want it, I'd suggest maybe you go and do an intermediate level training class. You might find it fun regardless to get more perfected sits, stays, etc. If you just want her close to you, I give a correction when Steve moves out too far. An "ah-ah" works now, but when I first started training it was a pop-correction with the leash into a sit. Then we'd walk forward again, if he moved to far ahead, "ah-ah", correct, sit.
Eventually he clued in, "If I walk too far ahead, she will make me sit". And he will stay close to me. Now I also release into an "okay" command when he can walk ahead and sniff. I don't usually let him walk ahead and sniff because he likes to mark everything and my walks aren't about him peeing on objects. It's all personal preference. When we run, however, I generally let him run ahead and don't worry about commands.
I also find its good practice that when you stop, your dog sit beside you. He looks like a perfect angel when we are at stop lights because he sits when I hit the button and we wait to walk.
Welcome to the group! :)
Welcome!
I also agree it is not important to me for my dog to be right next to me on our walks. I mean what fun is that for them? my philosophy is I want to be able to walk my dog with one finger. However, if they choose to walk next to me I make sure they think it is the best place to be, lots of praise and occasionally some treats. That way they are making the decision to be next to you and over time that will be the place they want to be the most. As far as heel I don't believe heel is just walk next to me, heel is the dog is right next to my left side head at my hip, chest forward, head up, looking right at me. I guess more of a competition heel. I keep meaing to post a video of Athena training but just haven't. Also, I wouldn't try to make your dog do a true heel unless you know they know it perfectly. It takes a lot of concentration and they want to be sniffing and looking and exploring.
I tend to disagree a little bit here. There are times that I want my girl on a nice heel. Through crowds, in stores, etc. But there is a difference between a nice loose leash walk and heel. Most of the time, loose leash walk is just fine. The way I started Fancy, (and I did this before we got to it in the training classes, so I kinda started my own way,) was to first be in a nice loose leash walk next to my left side. Then stop and make her sit next to you. Then give the command "heel" and ALWAYS start off with your left foot. Believe it or not, this is a cue as well as the verbal command. Then we'd start off. If she started getting a little ahead of me, a very slight correction with the collar, repeat "heel". What I started doing then was to put my right hand up with my index finger up in front of her face while walking in heel. Having her attention by doing this, it kinda guided her to stay in that position. A few steps in perfect position, lots of praise or a treat, then start again, from a sit by your side. Now, the hand signal is just one I came up with for me, but that seemed to get her attention. Sometimes if she starts getting a little ahead of me, I'll just grab her flat collar and hold her back for a bit until she stays in position. "Good Heel!!". Practice the start and stops frequently. Pretty soon she'll be popping her bottom down the second you stop. Like Jes said, it's pretty cool. Now, back to the index finger--this comes in handy when you're teaching them to turn with you. (Don't start the turns until she has the idea really well.) If you want to turn right, make a sweeping motion to the right, say "right" and guide her to follow you. Left is the same thing. Start changing directions frequently as well. Pretty soon she'll be right at your side anticipating your moves. Find an obedience trial on Youtube or something and watch how the dogs are focused and their position by the handler, etc. It's great.
I love my dogs doing a perfect heel. Kayenne, my 11 month old Doberman bitch, does a focused Heel, which you'll see in sports like Schutzhund, as well as a general LLW (Loose Lead/Leash Walk) on different commands. I'm in the middle of removing the LLW from her commands, and just having her do it "naturally", staying close to the heel position, but not making continuous eye-contact with me, or whoever else is handling her.
Heel can be taught in lots of different ways...It depends on how your dog reacts. I'd ditch "It's Me or the Dog" if I were you. You can teach Heel right away. Teaching her where your heel is, and then teaching her to walk next to it, is a waste of time. Just go straight to teaching Heel.
Some dogs work well with corrections. Others work better with redirections. Some just know what you want, and others are good with luring. I'd suggest you try luring her with a treat first. Get a treat she really likes, hold it in your left hand and put it in line with the seem of your trouser leg. Have Hera Sit at your Heel between a wall (or cupboards, or something she can't move or break) and you. She'll be at your heel. She'll have sniffed out the treat, but if not, show it to her. Say "Heel" and walk forward. Repeat "Heel" while she's walking nicely, and then treat, click(or)praise. Rinse and repeat.
As she gets the hang of it, stop having a treat in your hand. Just put your hand to the seam of your trousers, and say "Heel". if she does it, get a treat, click(or)praise. Slowly work away from having a treat in your hand. No need to remove them compeltely, but you shouldn't need to have a treat in your hand to get her to do something.
So...
>Have her "Sit" between you and a wall.
>Say "Heel" and walk forward.
>Praise when she's where you want her.
>Repeat the command once ("Heel")
>Treat, click(or)praise.
>Rinse and Repeat.
I used to just be grateful to get home with my arm still in the shoulder socket..times have changed
and it all depends on which leash we use..
Mike connects Sofia to a harness and a long lead or rope and off they go on the bike.. he gives her free run and she takes off like Zenyatta.
When I have her on the short nylon leash, she knows the difference and we have a leisurely loose lease stroll.. she's not always at heel, but there is very little tugging, if it happens, I just stop and say, slow down.. and she does..
she knows the difference in who's walking her and what leash she's wearing, and especially the tension ( or lack of it) on the leash.
Where I see most people go wrong in heeling is allowing the dog to pull. Sounds simple, but if you allow your dog to pull, they will pull more, always. It's called opposition reflex, and it's the reason why some dogs will pull, and pull, and pull to the point of choking themselves, gasping for air. Yet, they still keep pulling. It's not much different than if someone walked up and tried to choke you. Your natural reaction would be to pull away. Or if someone tried to hit you, your natural reaction would be to try to block it. Same concept. Leash gets tight, dog feels tension, so in turn pulls more.
Where and how your dog walks is up to you, and once you decide what you want your dog to do, you train accordingly. Some people don't care what their dog does, some want the dog next to them, some behind them, etc. I prefer a dog to be next to me, but I don't mind if the dog wanders out front a bit for a casual walk. I think it's unfair to expect focused heeling for an entire walk, but I also think you should be able to get it if you ask, at any time. The level of heeling you will get is the level you train for. I don't, and likely never will compete in obedience, so I don't train for a comptetitive heel. If I give a heel command, and a dog is next to me, not out front, not running around, etc., I call that good enough. For competitive obedience, it would not be good. I don't mind if we're off leash, and Dakota is 2 feet away from me as an example. If you tried that in a competition, you would get laughed out of the ring. But if we're off leash, I tell her to heel, and she's walking with me, I'm happy. So, it is up to you to figure out what your expectations are, and then train accordingly.
If you want a more formal heel, shaping is a good way to get the behavior. Since heel really is one of the few commands that has 2 meanings, I like to start with the sitting at my side. Now, for this, I ALWAYS expect her to sit right next to me, and straight, and close. I want to feel her on my leg. So, that's how I teach the position. Luring is a great way to get the positioning down, and then using a marker to reinforce the position. Don't use the command until you're happy with the behavior. Once your dog will sit next to you, then you can start associating the word with the behavior. So you can use a tasty snack to get your dog into position by moving the snack where you want the dog to go. When your dog is next to you, give a sit command. There's your stopped heel!
When you want to start walking, using the wall like mentioned above is agreat way to keep your dog from wandering. He can only go forwards, and backwards. He likely won't go backwards, he will go with you. I would start this on lead, with a short leash, giving little control to the dog. Once the dog is walking next to you, praise and reward. Don't name it yet! Start small, if you have to, walk a few steps, reward, have the dog sit. Rinse, repeat, increasing the distance as the dog gets better.
The final step would be to get the dog looking at you. If you have taught a watch or look command, this is not that hard. While the dog is walking next to you, give the command, mark, reward. When the dog will consistenly walk next to you tightly, looking at you, that's when you can start to associate "heel" with the completed behavior. It's best to work it in small steps, breaking it down like this so it's not confusing. It's alot easier to teach one thing at a time than to teach a bunch of things, because teaching a formal heel is not easy for a dog if you just jump in and go for it all at once.
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Welcome! I'm not going to pretend to tell you I know how you should do this - someone else will probably chime in with more advice. How long have you had Hera? I'm a first time dobie owner too. Kevin suggested to me once to watch Kikopup on youtube. I keep offering that as advice b/c it was really helpful to watch how she approached training.
Hope things go well for you. This is a great place to get info and find wonderful people who love their dobies!