First of all, I would like to explain a basic concept of dog training. Dogs learn through operant conditioning. It means that positive consequences become more likely to occur in the future by rewarding them properly. It is also possible to decrease the probability that a consequence will occur in the future by providing negative stimuli (a "correction"). Teaching the "Heel" command gives the perfect example of combining and balancing these two strengths.

This command or skill "at heel" very simply means that the dog is required to walk right next to you, and not behind or in front of you. Keeping pace with you, your dog must stop when you stop and go when you go only. The following are basic steps to train this command with your dog.
1. Name recognition
Take your dog for a walk and let him pull you as usual. When he gets far away from you, call your dog back to you with the leash in your hand using a positive tone.
Once he is with you, give him his favorite treat and say "go/ free" or another command.
For this, it is very important to use high quality treats. The stimulation they get from nature and walks is hard to beat sometimes, and there are some dogs that will only eat if we have a very tasty treat or toys that they love.
Keep repeating this during the walk, after 4-5 days you can lure the dog to the side you want it to walk on by placing the treat in the hand that is on the side you expect the dog to walk on.
2. Heel reinforcement
So now that your dog is coming back to you on a regular basis on your walks, it's time to reward him for staying beside you. While walking, lure your dog back to you and start rewarding him every 2-3 steps now. When he cooperates well, you can increase the distance he walks with you by a few steps while he waits for his treat or toy.
3. Recognize when it' s too much
You should not rush this step of the learning process. If your dog doesn't "get it," go back to step number one and reward him a little more. You can train all dogs, some just need more time than others.
4. Build pressure
When your dog is following along well, you can begin to ensure compliance. If he walks past your knees, walk "into" your dog by turning around and walking the other way. If he/she keeps pulling, stop and wait for your dog to put less pressure on the leash or walking a few steps towards you. If he does not know what to do, lure him/her back into "heel position". Always remember to reward the dog when he is doing what we want them to do!
5. Provide distraction:
Start taking walks in different areas. Dogs work better when he is thinking, so distract him and expose him to strange environments. The dog will get good at what he practices, so keep practicing!
6. Wean off the treats:
After a few weeks, slowly start giving less treats to the point where you are only rewarding him at the end of the walk.
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