Why do I have to keep repeating 'heel' to my 8 yr old collie? Obeys commands, but constant repetition needed.

Question

She never went to a training school as she picked up commands quickly. She is obedient to:-stop, sit, down, heel, roll over. She was taught off a lead, and when walking on a lead pulls all the time. She will heel when told to, but every 4 minutes one gets tried of repeating the command. What do I do so one command is all that is needed? She is a border collie. My sister has the mother and brother collie so they visit regularly.

Answer 1

Yes you probably taught that she needs multiple reminders but that is normal. You need to train her to obey you a little more each time until you reach this understanding. Start by pushing her each time a few seconds longer and reward before she breaks the command.

Eventually she will understand that it isn't over because she thinks it is. Also train a release command so she understand to wait for the release command. If you tell her when it is over then she doesn't have to guess.

To be clear 4 minutes is not a long time to remain paying attention. Heel and stay are commands that should be followed until released. It does take time but it is perfectly reasonable. However long the walk is how long the dog ideally should pay attention. Realistically you may need to repeat the command after a distraction or periodically. Pulling is never allowed and should not need reminding.

I can leave my dog is for 20 minutes and he will stay. He is three years old. It is all about how long you require before releasing them.

Good luck

Answer 2

well there could be a few things going on here:

1. Has her hearing been checked recently? If she cannot hear you then she can not follow your command.

2. When you keep repeating a command, the command word actually changes from being one word long "heel" to "heelheelheelheel...." so she only knows the command when it is said multiple times.

3. Do you praise her and let her know she is correct when she heels the first time? If not, she may not know that she is doing what you want correctly and is confused, then does what she wants since she is not under command. This is a miscommunication between the two of you.

Answer 3

So you Have a Border Collie! Congrats! Now, let me tell you something that you may already know.. but sometimes we BC owners forget! ( My BC's name is Fancy) You are the proud owner of one of the SMARTEST dogs in the World! Smart does not however always add up to GOOD!
Smart in this dog breeds mind means WILLFUL! OK, wow.... I can sit , heel, down, roll etc.. etc.. etc.... What else ya got?? Hmmm.. Heel... are you sure thats the command you want to give me? Lets test it and see!
This dog was bred to outthink and outsmart not only it's charges( sheep, people etc) but to question exactly why you need it to do that certain thing at that time! The dog, unlike other breeds actualy has a sense of logic.. and a sense of humor!
Not only will it question your commands.. but it will also play tricks on you just to get a rise! My best suggestion would be to talk to your BC as if you were talking to a 5 yr old child. I don't mean the cutsie stuff, I mean talk to it as if it were learning from your every move. Challenge the dog on a daily basis, put your foot down when necessary. And always let him or her know.. just how wonderful and smart they are! BC's eat this up like candy! Good Luck!!
From 1 BC
Lover
To another!

Answer 4

I have an Aussie and am currently working hard on "heel" myself.

He is doing better, but is easily distracted by squirrels and other dogs. Using a prong collar seems to help alot. There is a noticable difference in his beavior just putting it on. (I only put it on him when we go for walks- at least till he fully understands about heel, walk is about and pulling is not allowed).

Another suggestion : do you have/use a release command?
I use "OK" to let the dog know when he is done what is expected.
You should not have to repeatedly tell your dog commands over n over. Obviously, you may need to repeat when training, but remember to "release" the dog from the command with an "ok" or whatever term you use.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

you probably inadvertently taught her to wait for repeated commands,,, many many people will say sit sit sit sit then dog sits and they praise and give a treat.. what they have done is taught it listen for numerous commands...... ALSO... asking a dog to hold the heel position for longer than 3-5 minutes is asking way too much... their attention span is not that long... watch obedience trials,,, longest heeling is only about 2 minutes ( takes years to perfect that) in any case,, use a leash,, when she tugs ,, say nothing,, and immediately turn and walk in othe direction... keep doing this... borders are brilliant,,, she will learn to keep her eye on you and stay close ( because, HEY,, you could turn around and go the other way at any moment... this method is easy on the dog,, easy to teach and takes no time at all to perfect.. remeber,, her job is to keep the leash loose... and watch you..

Answer 6

Why the heck does the poor thing have to (heel) every 4 minutes? He's probably tired! Maybe she or he doesn't hear well or maybe he/she has alzheimer's. What makes the difference if sister and mother visits often?