'' Heel !'' Have you ever dreamed that your dog would understand this one little word? Here are some tips on how to train your dog to come back when you call it as well as the mistakes to avoid.
This order should be the first to teach your dog. This means that if he is on the side of a road or in danger, he will listen to you. Start training in a place that doesn’t present too many distractions, either in your backyard or in an enclosed area. As soon as your dog listens to you, change and go to a more spacious place like a dog park with more distractions. If being somewhere else doesn’t work, go back to your backyard and start the process again until your dog is ready to play and listen simultaneously.
No need to call your dog 25 times in a row. When he’s focused on playing with dog friends or sniffing a smell, he can’t hear you. His business is far more valuable to him than you. Wait patiently for him to stop running or raise his head from the ground to give him a “Heel” or “come here!” Be sure to choose only one short expression, so as not to mix it with several orders to follow. If your dog is far away, it may very well be that he just didn’t hear you, so make yourself heard.
On a walk or a visit to a dog park, if your companion is watching you, call him. If he comes to you, give him a reward and let him go. Do the exercise several times, your dog will quickly understand the meaning of “Heel!” If he comes back to you without you calling him, reward him too, it makes coming back positive. In the early days, don’t call him for something unpleasant, be it to quibble with him or cut his claws, otherwise learning will become less and less effective.
Even if ending a walk or going home is kind of unpleasant for a dog, if they come back when you call them when you leave, give them double or triple the treats you would have given them for a simple visit. With all this candy at the same time, it will create a positive feeling in him. You can give him his leash at that time. When your dog’s response improves, try to teach him that at a specific point in the field he will be detached, and in another specific corner he will be tied back home. For learning, everything is done with treats.
If your dog does not return instantly at the time called, but rather much later, do not punish him. The only thing he’s going to keep in mind is that when he comes to see you, he gets picked on. There’s no point in getting mad at him. As mentioned above, you are not a priority for him when he is focused on something else. Be patient and do not run after him. He will think that it is a game, which will bring you more frustration. A better solution, buy a lanyard for the first time. Or pretend that you found something on the ground, as the dogs are so curious, your companion will come to see you.
