Heel or Stop Pulling on Leash

Obedience Tricks and Tips

Heel or Walk Nice

Stop Pulling on the Leash

Now that you and your dog have learned to find a missing person you can learn other rescue skills that might come in handy, such as, asking your dog to get the first aid kit so you can stay with an injured person. 

Asking your dog to go between you and a loved one or asking your dog to bring you food are easy tasks that can be taught indoors in the comfort of your home whenever you have time.

Unlike the tracking and trailing exercises where you follow your dog's lead these rescue skills require your dog to pay attention to you in order to get directions. It's a good idea to go over some obedience training beforehand. 

These handling tricks can help your dog learn to pay attention. These tips can help you control a hard to handle dog or teach a new puppy manners on a leash.

3 kids we use to Groom

The following tips and tricks can teach any dog how to behave on a leash in a few sessions.

Family Disaster Dog Obedience tricks and tips are for you to use to teach your family dog to be a well mannered member of your pack without having to attend an obedience training course.

The basic obedience commands and lessons are intended to help teach you how to control and handle your dog in order for you to train your pet to assist you during an emergency. 

If you have any problem handling your dog or getting your dog to pay attention when you are training search tactics then use these obedience lessons to teach your dog to pay attention to you and to follow your directions.

Remember

Dogs learn faster if the lessons are short and to the point. 

Training your dog twice a day for 15 minutes will bring better results then once a day for a longer time frame.

Dogs have short attention spans; many dogs get bored quickly if the task is not exciting. Dogs do not learn when they are bored.

Read the lesson about collars before you do these lessons. 

These lessons are done using either a flat collar or a regular choke chain collar and 6 ft leash unless otherwise stated. Off leash dogs can learn from these lessons too with praise and encouragement.

These dog training tricks and tips are not the ordinary class room techniques you find in dog training books or classes. These tips and tricks are proven methods for handling a dog.

In order to train a dog, the exercises have to be repeated and rewarded time and time again. 

No dog learns immediately, although I can get immediate results using these handling techniques, the dog has not learned the positioning I want. They have only been placed in the position I want through the use of the leash and my body movement. 

Heel or Walk Nice on a Leash 

without Pulling

I am going to share with you a trick for teaching a dog to walk nice on a leash that is not known to many dog trainers. 

This trick was taught to me over thirty years ago.

I start every dog I train for anything, other then a Bloodhound, with this lesson.

This lesson teaches a dog to pay attention to the handler and at the same time, how to respond to a leash. 

Consequently the dog ends up on our left side because that is where we put the dog by handling the leash in the correct manner.

Handling a dog is not the same as training a dog and many dog trainers have never been taught how to handle an animal, only how to train one.

Your dog can be heeling within 30 minutes by using this lesson correctly.

Any dog can be walked nicely after using this lesson correctly once. 

For the dog to remember to walk nice every time they are on a leash, the lesson must be repeated a few times on different days in different locations.

Use this lesson with a 20 ft leash to teach a dog to pay attention to you.

Use this lesson for dogs that pull on a leash when you walk them.

This lesson takes space, a open field or park works best. 

You may have to read this lesson twice because I generally show this lesson to students in person because the steps can seem confusing. 

First Teach the dog to Pay Attention

To teach a dog to pay attention to you, put them in a flat collar that will not slip off the head and on a 20 ft long leash. Then allow the dog to roam wherever they want. 

You stand in one spot while the dog runs around until the dog goes to the end of the long leash then you start to walk in the other direction. As the leash gets tight and pulls on the dog, you keep walking away. Let the leash pull the dog to turn and follow you as you walk away in the other direction. Repeat.

Some dogs will quickly catch up and run pass you, others go slower and some need a few words encouragement to come catch up because you just changed the direction of the walk. Let the dog go at its own pace while you prepare for them to pull ahead of you as you walk at which point you will again turn around and walk away. The dog will hit the end of the leash if not paying attention, and see you walking away and think "opps, better watch where we are going." 

**Be careful with strong dogs who run when turned off lead because if they run with a 20 ft leash attached to you they can throw you off balance when they reach the end of lead at a high speed. Be prepared for the force of the dog hitting the end of the leash and do not try to hold the dog but turn around using your body and arms to hold the leash and walk the other way..otherwise the dog has the leverage and force not you. Serious injury can result if a person is dragged by a large dog.

Steps and Tips

You will walk in a different direction than the dog and only gently pull on the leash when the dog reaches the end of it. 

You do not speak to the dog but let the leash do the work of bringing the dog up behind you as you gently pull only one time when they reach the end of the leash.

Do not continue to pull the dog, the dog should be able to roam free except when they reach the end of the 20 ft leash and you turn which snaps them to attention as the leash tightens during your turn. 

After a few turns the dog will usually hurry up to avoid the end of the leash and start watching where you are so they know when the leash stops. 

Once the dog is near you then let all the leash out again and let the dog go where they please. 

You walk in another direction until one you is at the end of the leash then again you will turn and pull the dog as you walk in a different direction. 

The dog is gently reminded by the leash to follow you without you saying anything. 

Do not give the dog any attention yet. They are learning to watch you without you speaking. 

Continue doing this until your dog is paying attention. It will only take about 15 minutes.

Do not speak to your dog, let your dog go where it pleases as your turn and go the other direction. 

Let the entire leash out as you walk off and when you reach the end of the leash allow the leash to pull or bring your dog in the direction you went.

Let the leash and collar work for you instead of controlling you.

Keep walking when your dog reaches the end of the leash and soon your dog will be coming up behind you in this new direction. 

Do not turn and follow your dog but let your dog be reminded when they hit the end of the leash.

Soon, your dog will be trying to catch up to you instead of you trying to catch up with them.

Do this over and over again by walking about 20-30 feet as you let out the leash to give your dog the lead, when the dog reaches the end of the leash or if they are not paying attention then you will turn right or left to walk off bringing the dog behind you.. 

Your dog will get closer and closer to you each time. 

After a few times, your dog will be following you instead of you following them.

At this point hold more of the 20 ft leash, about 10 ft and do the same. 

Walk then turn, walk quickly in another direction which will bring your dog around behind you closer to you then they came before on the longer leash.

As your dog catches up to you bring in the rest of the leash in to hold and as your dog passes you to get in front of you again where they like to pull, turn and go in the other direction.

Repeat using 10 ft of the leash until your dog is staying within 10 ft of you or closer.

Gather up the leash and Only let out about 6 ft of the leash this time. 

The leash should always be loose and never tight except when the dog reaches the end of it. 

It is up to you to keep the leash loose by waiting to turn when the dog reaches the end, as the dog turns the leash loosens as the dog comes to catch up. 

If they go to far the leash tightens and you feel the dog hit the end of it, you turn and feel the slack as they catch up. These steps do take practice on your part and you get better at handling dogs as you practice.

If you and your dog spend every day for a week doing that exercise in a large yard, you will see amazing results.

Advancing to Heel or Walk at your Side

Repeat the walking/turning steps again using 6 ft of the leash. 

Your dog will soon stay within 6 ft of you and they will be paying attention to when you will turn and stop walking.

Now you put your dog next to your side and do the same exercise on 2 ft of the leash, making smaller tighter circles with your dog on your side. 

Now you tell your dog what a "good dog" they are as you walk together and you use can use the obedience command "heel" to teach your dog the word to associate with walking next to your side. 

After a few times, your dog is heeling nicely on your left side, near your leg. When you turn or stop so do they.

The more you practice turning and stopping with your dog heeling at your side the better they will be at walking nicely. Next when ever you come to a stop while walking, ask your dog to sit and praise them for doing so. 

Remember

When you are finished walking your dog, ready to snap off the leash tell your dog how good they are and say to them, "Ok, time off, or go play" when you release them so they know they can go do their own thing without watching your every step.

Depending on the size and strength of your dog be careful how tight you hold the leash.

If your dog does not bolt off in a run when you place them on the 20 ft leash do the lesson during a daily walk on a 6ft leash.

Any time your dog goes after something and pulls you, you can do this turn and go the other direction maneuver to hold your dog away from what they want.

This works especially well for the dog who pulls you down the sidewalk or if your dog is one who never pays attention and is getting into mischief while on a walk you can prevent and correct this behavior by turning and walking quickly in a different direction.

If your dog is one who blots off at a run or pulls you full blast down the street wherever they want to go then this is the lesson your dog needs.

If you have a large strong dog that will bolt ahead of you when they come from behind you then be prepared to turn and go in another direction when your dog runs past you. Repeat the above steps.

A large strong dog may pull you hard if they are at a full run, be prepared for this and when they reach the end of the leash they may hit it hard, some dogs may become airborne if they are determined runners.

They will only do this once or twice before they stop and pay attention to where you are. They will not hurt themselves even if it looks like they might because a person can’t hold the leash hard enough with a large strong dog for the dog to get hurt, a person’s arm will flex with the power of the hit.

You might get hurt trying to hold a large dog who wants to run. If you have any trouble, you can control the dog by turning and walking in the other direction as instructed above.

Never tie the leash to a solid surface because the dog can hurt its neck or back.

Small dog and Puppy Caution

Caution: The first time or two that you try this lesson with dogs under 35 lbs and young dogs be careful they do not hit the end of the leash hard enough to flip over. 

Smaller and young dogs generally do not hit the end of the leash as forceful as large dogs do but if they are running full blast without paying attention to you or the leash, and if they have never been on a leash before, they might run without realizing they are on a leash and collar.  You have to be extremely careful that they do not hit the end of the leash hard enough to be flipped. 

Teaching a dog and puppy to wear a collar and leash

All dogs and puppies should be taught to wear a collar and leash before trying this lesson. 

You can teach them to wear a collar by first rubbing the collar all over the puppy or dog. This gets them use to the strange object you are waving in their face. After rubbing and petting them first with the equipment, especially if they are scared, then gentle place the collar on the dog. 

Praise and reward the puppy or dog for accepting the collar . Make the collar a fun and comfortable time for your pet.

After a hour or two of wearing the collar then attach the leash. Hold the end gently and follow the puppy or dog around without any force or pressure from you until they are use to being held by the leash. 

Some puppies and unleashed dogs act like bucking broncos or scared to death at the sight of a leash, if this happens talk to the dog gently as you go to them and hold or pet them to reassure them it is okay.

Be careful how tight you hold the leash depending on the size and age of the dog.

This lesson should be done gently with puppies and very small dogs on a leash that is the dog’s size with a flat non-tightening collar.

Get over 60 fun lessons to do at home with your dogs to learn search dog skills, find family and help in emergencies. You dog can rescue you! Free preview below, thanks for sharing and visiting these dog tips!

Free Preview

Spotting the Signs: How to Know if Your Dog is Ill

They say that dogs are man’s best friend, and this is certainly the case. They are so much like humans in every possible way, and they can also contract disease and viruses as well. If your dog is acting a bit strange or if you suspect that there is something wrong with them but you don’t quite know what then there are some things that you can look out for.

Loss of appetite

If your dog always licks their bowl clean then you know that loss of appetite is a clear sign that something is not right. If you try and give them a treat or a biscuit and they don’t snatch it out of your hands then this is another sign. 

The main thing that you can do here is try and figure out if you have done anything to bring this on- for example, have you changed their food? Has the manufacturer of that food changed their formula? Things like this can really make a huge difference. Try and feed them another brand of food and see if that makes any difference.

source

Lameness

Another sign that something might be wrong is if your dog is lame or if they seem to be under some kind of strain. This could be down to arthritis or it could be a sign that there is a problem developing. One thing that you can do here is check over your dog’s legs to see if there are any signs of injury and to also see how they react when you handle their leg as well. Ingrown claws can cause a ton of problems, so you really need to make sure that you get this treated if possible.

Lumps
Dogs will take the occasional knock when they are out and about, and they will usually get better in a day or two. If you see any lumps that aren’t getting smaller after a day or two then it may be worth you getting them checked out at the vets. This is one of the best ways for you to keep your dog safe and to also make sure that it is nothing serious.

source

Bad Breath

It’s important to know that bad breath in dogs can be a sign of gum disease, and this can make them feel a bit under the weather. When your dog has gum disease, you may find that they are sluggish, that they don’t want to eat and that they also don’t want you going near to their mouth. The best way for you to try and prevent this from happening would be for you to give them dental sticks or to even try and brush their teeth with a pet-friendly toothpaste. This will help the gum disease that is already present and it will also help you to stop things like this from happening again as well.

So there are plenty of things that you can do to try and make sure that your pet is healthy, and by looking out for the above signs, you can be sure to prevent or treat any illness before it progresses into something more serious.

Clicker Training: 5 Popular Myths

from Wileypup

Clicker training. You have heard of it and even seen some folks walking around at the pet store with their bag of treats on their waist and an eager dog waiting for the sound: CLICK….Yum! Learn more about clicker training here.

You may have also heard some myths surrounding this training technique. Some “Old School” trainers and common-sense-experts may have made the case that clicker training is a fad and that the only way to train a dog is with a rolled-up newspaper and plenty of consistent reminders of “their place.”

Let’s take a look at some of the mythology a little closer:

Myth #1: Dogs will only obey if you are “dominant” over them.

The so-called “Alpha Dog” theory that is so prevalent in popular culture is supposedly based on the behavior of wild wolves. It must be correct, right? Unfortunately, the original studies that first floated this theory were actually done on captive wolves by animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel in the 1930’s and 40’s. 

His experiments were repeated and confirmed: Yes, when you place unrelated wild wolves together in a contained and artificial prison with limited resources, they will have bloody struggles over those resources. Call it dominance if you must, but the struggle for survival is hardly unique to wolves, or dogs, or humans.

It turns out, recent studies in wild wolf populations suggest that constant dominance struggles are not even typical of wolves (David Mech, 2000). In fact, wolf society includes a wide variety of social interactions, only some of which can be understood through the rhetoric of dominance. It’s a limited paradigm that has been grossly overextended. Domestic dogs are still paying the price for this hubris.

Are humans capable of dominance posturing? Obviously, yes. Should the sum total of human learning and psychology be based on how people act in prisons or in survival conditions? Obviously, no. 

Just like humans, dog psychology is complex, emotional, and sometimes even just plain old logical.

Myth #2: Dogs that are clicker trained will only work for food.

Clicker training does involve using food in rapid succession during the training of new behavior. Techniques such as luring, shaping and refining are used to encourage certain behaviors. When a dog offers up behavior in the direction of the final desired behavior, the sound of the click “marks” the behavior, followed by a reward.

Your dog will quickly learn how it works. He hears the click and he knows that what he was doing that very instant is what earned him a reward. For him, clicker training sessions are just a fun game he plays with his person—a game that is totally rigged in his favor!

When using reward-based training, the faster you can dispense rewards, and the more accurately you can pinpoint the correct behavior with a sound, the faster learning happens. This is why almost all professional dog trainers that have devoted their lives to competitive dog sports, training companion and service animals, and rescue dogs have shifted to using clicker training or other reinforcement-based techniques.

Food is preferred for clicker training because it can be repeated very quickly without disrupting the flow of training. Sure, you could use a toss of the ball as a motivator during clicker training, but it would really slow down the learning process. When it comes to training NEW behavior, or reconditioning emotional states in response to certain stimuli, nothing beats food. 

However, using techniques such as chaining, fading, and randomizing rewards, professional trainers know that once a behavior is perfected, it is time to move away from food rewards as the dominant source of reinforcement.

Just because you use food to teach a new behavior, doesn’t mean you are stuck with food as the only reward to reinforce the behaviors you love most. 

Myth #3: Clicker training only works for teaching silly tricks.

While it is true that you would be hard pressed to train a silly trick in less time than using a clicker (or similar audible or visual marker), it is by no means the only training domain that lends itself to this powerful tool.

In fact, professional trainers also use clickers for reconditioning work. Have a dog that lunges on the leash around other dogs? Clicker training can fix that. Have a pup that is afraid of walking on shiny linoleum tile? Clicker training is still the best training method to help her overcome phobias. 

Myth #4: Clicker training is too complicated.

• Decide on a criteria. (Set the bar for what behavior you will accept to earn a reward.)
• 
  
• Wait for or use various techniques to encourage the desired behavior. 
• 
  
• Click the instant your dog offers the behavior. 
• 
  
• Follow with a small food reward (many dogs will actually just work for pieces of their kibble!)

There, you have the basics down. Sure, will you need some practice getting your timing down and perfecting technique? Absolutely. However, while you learn you will be improving your relationship with your dog because your training program is built on trust and focusing on success rather than failure and fear. 

Myth #5: Trainers that use clickers don’t believe in punishment.

While there are some trainers that claim to never use punishment in their training, the fact is that most trainers do use punishment in the “proofing” stage of training. However, people that understand the power of reinforcement in training don’t use punishment as a “go-to” method.

Instead, professional trainers follow some basic guidelines before bringing punishment into play:

Manage the environment to make problem behaviors impossible to practice as the first step in extinguishing “bad” behavior.

Focus on training positive alternative behaviors FIRST, ignoring inappropriate behavior as long as it is not unsafe.

Never use punishment in formal training contexts since the goal is to have a confident, focused, engaged learner that has no fear of volunteering new behaviors—critical for shaping and refining behaviors.

Take advantage of the power of non-physical punishments such as a “Time Out” when adding a consequence to an already learned behavior. This and other “negative punishment” techniques operate by taking away something good (like freedom to run around) as a means of communicating to the dog that xyz behavior is not paying off!

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has encouraged you to reconsider clicker training, and other rewards-based training programs by debunking some of the common myths surrounding this wildly effective training technique.

If you have a chance to get involved in training classes that teach this technique, definitely give it a try. You and your dog will be well on your way to developing a language to communicate with each other based on rewarding success. Your dog will quickly gain confidence, and so will you!

Note from Family Disaster Dogs

Many people who visit Family Disaster Dogs are training dogs to find people and working actual Search dogs or police K9s and scent discriminating dogs. 

For trainers and handlers who will be working dogs in garbage dumps, and landfills full of discarded food it's easier not to train with food :) and here's why.

Most working Search dogs or K9 are not trained with food because these dogs have to work in garbage piles and dump locations that contain discarded food !

Many drugs, explosives and human cadaver parts are hidden in garbage cans too. Especially at airports and public places where dogs work to detect and discriminate illegal items in garbage cans where food is discarded. 

Not only will a food rewarded trained dog either want to eat the discarded food in the public garbage can instead of continuing to look for the scent he was looking for; the dog becomes confused as to why he could not eat the food in the can instead of the food in your hand...the reward just came before the job was finished..so he will think he is done finding the drug or explosive scent he was put on. 

So to use food rewards in training a dog who will be looking for items in food creates extra steps in training that have to be made to insure the dog only accepts the food in the hand first and foremost which adds more to the teaching or the dog would have to be untrained on food in the can which again is another step and if the dog is not confused by then, the handler is :)

  

Also how does the handler or court attorneys, judges and jury in a criminal case know if the dog is indicating (testifying) on the food in the backpack or the drugs hidden if the dog is trained with food ? A good lawyer , jury or judge will throw the case out and the criminal get away. Bloodhounds go to court all the time and have to prove exactly what they are indicating.

A bloodhound is not expected to do obedience work to pass certification qualifying to work under fema and other agencies like other breeds of dogs that must be obedient because we want the bloodhound most determined (some call stubborn) once on a scent trail. There is no stopping a good bloodhound so consequently a bloodhound on a food trail is not going to stop until dinner is done :) The dog will expect us to find the items without him, job done, he found the reward and is sitting down to eat! 

3 Dog Care Essentials Most People Overlook

If you want to make sure you are looking after your dogs as best as you can, then you will need to think about what you need to do in order to make sure that they are being well looked after at all times.

As it happens, there are a few key things which many dog owners overlook, and if you manage to do these then you will already be in the top percentage of new dog owners. But you can only make sure that you are doing the right thing by also researching what you actually need to do for each of these, so you should be sure to spend a little time looking into the ins and outs of these to see what you should be trying to him for. Let’s take a look at what they are, so that you can be an even better dog owner in no time.

Pic Credit

Grooming

Whatever kind of dog you have, you need to make sure that you are using some kind of grooming regime in order to keep the dog’s hair in the best possible condition. This is more important for some breeds of dogs than for others, but all dogs will benefit from at least a little tender loving care from time to time when it comes to their fur. The amount of grooming varies too, but the basic rules remain the same. Brushing at least once a week ensures that knots come out and that the fur isn’t causing any pain - while taking them to get trimmed every few months is good for their ongoing comfort and flexibility. Make sure you don’t overlook this essential, as it really does make a huge difference.

Nail Clipping

Your dog has nails just like you, and like you they would rather that they were not kept long at all times. If you are keen to keep your dog as comfortable and happy as possible, then you will need to think about what you are going to keep their nails in the best condition possible. As it turns out, getting some decent nail clippers from somewhere recommended by www.dogsbynina.com will be a great start, and once you have found the right ones you should make sure that you clip your dog’s nails at least once a month. This will reduce any unnecessary pain and make it easier for them to run around.

Pic Credit

Mental Health

Your dog can suffer mental health issues like any other mammal, and you need to make sure that you are not allowing them to become sad or depressed if you are to really look after them as well as possible. It is actually relatively easy to ensure that your dog does not become depressed; mostly it’s just a matter of keeping them active and feeding them right - and showing them lots of love.

As long as you do that, they should be perfectly happy at all times and you can officially consider yourself a good pet owner as well. See https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/pets-and-mental-health for more on this subject.