Attention Heal training?

Question

I'm a dog trainer and have been able to attention heal train many dogs and help others to do so but I can't seem to get my girls attention. Well I don't mean she is not listening or looking everywhere else but I can't seem to get her to look at me and make it smooth with out treats. Just want to hear diffrent Ideas on what worked for other people. (This is for a CD level heal). She is also 2.

Answer 1

The word is "HEEL". Not "heal"

Stop with the treats. Stop with the clickers. Stop with the gimmicks.

You always have your hand and voice - use them.

(I finished my first UD dog 40 years ago. Did in 9 shows in 2 1/2 years. 3 shows for the CD,3 for the CDX, 3 for the UD with a career average of 197. Have handled and trained everything from Chihuahuas to Great Danes in obedience, tracking and field)

If she is distracting, undistract her. If she won't look at you when you speak to her - a clear sign that she considers herself the one in charge and the alpha over you - make her.

Praise with your voice and pets and hugs. Make corrections with you hands and voice.

Try this: ( I just pasted it in from some of file notes that I give to clients)

Step One Learn to use your voice. Mot people either let their voice slide up in register or they sound futile and weak. You want to deepen your voice and sound like a drill sergeant. The word NO is basic to doggy manners (and people too.).

Step Two Learn to handle the leash and her.

Okay, I have been training, showing and handling all breeds for obedience for 43 years.

I'm not going to walk around having to carry some stupid spray bottle as the means of disciplining my dog. Even the best trained dog - and I'm talking AKC obedience champions - will sooner or later do something while out of the house and yard that requires getting after them and making them do their job. All the dog learns is to not do something when a person has a bottle in their hand with that spray the little darling approach.

Stuffing your pockets with treats to distract that little darling is just as stupid. Who wants to walk around smelling like a doggy deli? Sooner or later you will start forgetting the treats and the dog will figure why bother, he broke the deal so I'm not doing it. Also in dogdom, the Alpha of the pack doesn't bribe the others to behave with food. The weaker member of the pack gives the food to the Alpha to placate them.

You always have your hands and voice. USE THEM FOR YOU PRIASE AND CORRECTION

I HATE those "gentle leader" things. First, they are gone good way to give your dog a case of cervical whiplash. Second, the minute you take it off the dog KNOWS that you have no means of making them obey. Third, a lot of the guarding/herd guarding/working breeds (here -boxer) actually panic with those things since they are genetically programmed to be able to move into defensive postures which means being able to open their mouths. Fourth, teaching 'come' or anything where the dog is not at your side is impossible. Forget 'fetch' or 'go' or a 'drop on recall.' They are a shortcut to get temporary - and I do mean temporary control while walking for people too dumb or too lazy to teach their dog proper manners. I spend a lot of time making house to calls to teach puppy to come , sit, stay, down and heel after the owners paid money for 'obedience classes' with someone for 'training' with those head collar things.
There is NO REASON to use a pinch collar on a puppy as someone suggested. That is the last ditch collar only to be used after everything else has failed - typically late adolescence around 1 -2 years old when a big powerful dog is going to try it on and see if he can do what he likes.

Go get a chain slip collar. The nylon are not that effective and with the chain, the dog learns to listen for the rattle of the collar if the leash moves slightly and respond now. Properly fitted, there should be 2 1/2 to 3 fingers of space between the collar and dog. Learn to use it. You SNAP the collar - NEVER pull or drag. It is a fast jerk/release. Put it on your wrist and have someone try pulling and then snapping on you. You do it to someone else. When it feels like a slight whack or bump when the leash is snapped you have the idea. I always put the slip collar on my student's arm to show them the difference in the movement. Gets the point across real fast.

Put the slip collar on the dog so when the junction of the rings is facing you on the side of the dog's neck, the part that slides comes across the back of the dog's neck towards you.

IF THE DOG IS PULLING FORWARD AND TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF YOU

Hook the leash on the dog's slip collar. Get the dog on your left side. Take the leash and run it behind you over your hips to your right side. Hold the end of the leash in your right hand. With your left hand, take up the leash so there is some slack between your hand and the dog's collar - maybe a loop of 6-8 inches on each side.

Walk off. When the dog lunges forward to drag you, halt FAST and step backwards with your left foot taking the dog's lunge with your body. (You are basically snubbing him off.) You can even take a complete step backwards if you are fast enough. Let him hit that slack and snap himself back.

As you do that yell "NO" in a deep stern voice, and then in the same voice order him back to your side with "Heel". Make him get back there and move off again.


IF THE DOG IS LAGGING BEHIND YOU

Bring the leash in front of your body. End of the leash in your right hand. Pick it up with your left hand so thee is a nice loop between your hand and the dog's collar. You want that loop long enough so the leash comes off the collar and over across your leg BELOW your knee and has some slack - like 6-9 inches. Hold it there with your left hand on the leash.

Tell the dog to heel. When he drops back or starts fiddling around, as you step forward with your left foot on a stride, raise your left knee slightly so it takes up the slack and the dog gets a snap. Does this in the rhythm of walking. When the dog gets popped by the leash for hanging by, encourage them, with "Up Position Heel..."

When the dog is correct, keep praising - I'm fond of using "Good, good, that's it, good puppy, okay, ..."


IF THE DOG DECIDES TO DIVIDE IN TOWARDS YOU OR AT THE LEASH

That leash is to come off the collar, make that 6 -10 inch loop between the dog and your left hand with the end being held in your right hand. (This is the normal position.)

Now when a dog decides to try to spin in at your hands or at the leash, MOVE - you spin towards the left and MOVE right into the dog. Let it smack right into your knee, leg and body as you go in that direction. Roar NO! as you do it and snap the leash/collar.

If he still tries to grab at your hands and nip, fair is fair. Do exactly what another dog would do which is the smacking into him and shoving with its body, growling (the NO) and if the pusher/nipper hasn't gotten the message, then the pushed/nipped dog will nip the other dog by grabbing their neck or side of their face and pinching with their teeth without breaking the skin. Now you are not going to bite your dog but you are going to make an additional dominant move -as would another dog. When the dog goes for your hands, you give the dog your hand - to be precise, a slap of your fingers right on the nose with the loud NO - make your face look angry and lean your upper body into the dog as you do it.

The minute he backs off , you say "okay - now settle down, that's my good girl". Then as you go along, make sure to give lots of praise and pets. For example a boxer is a big dog - one that I can easily reach the top of their head when they are next to me so try giving finger strokes on their head as you walk if they are being good.

Use your hands for praise. pets, pats, strokes, tummy rubs etc.



Also do a lot of abrupt changes of direction and changes of speed.

I'm talking fast 3 steps, spin right 4 steps go left 3 about turn....

Do something that a gets the dog moving.

Answer 2

All the dogs I've ever had... Training to walk to HEEL has been the most difficult and takes the longest, so don't get frustrated. Just be patient, and calm. Use a choke-chain or prong-collar (learn how to fit it properly). Keep the leash short-ish, but loose. The leash should NEVER be 'tight' on the dog. Learn how to give a "correction" (ie, a quick short hard jerk on the leash, and then let it fall loose again). It starts before you even put the leash on. Make sure the dog is calm and in the SIT position, before you put the leash on. When you open the door, do NOT allow the dog to barge past you and dash out in front of you. Make sure YOU go through the door first and the dog follow BEHIND you. Close the door behind you and take 3 or 4 paces, then STOP. Tell the dog to SIT. Wait 5 seconds, then give the HEEL command and walk on. Walk the dog next to your LEFT leg. The dog's neck & shoulder should be brushing your knee. If the dog hangs too far behind, give a quick hard "correction" and the "HEEL" command. If the dog starts to pull ahead, give the same "correction" and the HEEL command, and turn to walk in a different direction so the dog has no choice but to follow you. Alternate the different directions (sometimes turn 90% to the left, sometimes turn 90% to the right, and sometimes turn 180% to the left or right). Sometimes walk at a different speed. A slow dawdle, a brisk fast walk, or even jogging. After a few yards (25 or 50 or 100 yards) come to a sudden dead STOP. If the dog stops in the correct position, reward him with praise & a treat.

Answer 3

I saw this done by a woman training for ring work. She had small pieces of hot dog in her mouth and would spit a piece down to her dog while she was heeling. That dog didn't take its eyes off of her. It might sound gross but the dog is looking up at you to see if there is a tasty morsel coming his way. You could also try putting a treat between you thumb and middle finger and with you index finger point to your eye and say "watch me" or "look". When the dog looks up at your face reward with a piece of the treat. Give these two things a try and I hope you have success. I am also a dog trainer and I showed my dogs in the obedience ring with great success. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/OlhCJ

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 5

Most dog trainers know the difference between "Healing" a wound, and the "Heel " of their foot.

I hold a piece of "bate" in my right hand just under my chin in training. The idea is to create the illusion of eye contact.

Answer 6

I would try picking up the pace and do alot of turns. When she is not giving attention, do an about turn, and if she isn't there she gets a pop. Even when you are heeling in a straight line, weave back and forth. It will seem more exciting to her and she is more likely to watch you if she doesn't know what you are going to do next.

Answer 7

I used clicker training with my greys 6 years ago and to this day their heads snap around when I say "watch me". You only need the clicker and treats when first teaching your dog to heel. Once they get started, you no longer need the clicker or treats, only lots of praise.