Cliff Notes, Week 2 Straight Line Heeling

  STRAIGHT LINE HEELING

If you passed the Week 1 Readiness Test on the LL, the dog should no longer be hauling you about because the dog knows as soon as it moves away from the ‘Safety Zone’, you will head in the opposite direction.

Starting this week, you will switch from a 15 ft. LL to a 6 ft. leash. Also, the ‘Safety Zone’ shrinks from a 5 ft. radius to within a 2 ft. radius. The dog now has more responsibility to find this new ‘Safety Zone’ on your left side.

Walking Position

●      How to hold the leash correctly.

●      Hold the leash the same as the LL. The loop is on your right thumb with a safety loop and you keep your hand by your right thigh. This is called Walking Position.

●      IMPORTANT!  The remaining part of the leash, below the safety loop, hits below your left knee (the “J” loop).

○      This allows the knee to do the workload communicating to the dog, as you make your turns, which direction to go.

When heeling, the dog’s head is aligned with the seam of your left pant leg and its rear should be in line with its head. The dog should move parallel to you when walking.

1. Locate a fixed position where you are heading.
2. Walk briskly and with purpose (no lollygagging or strolling about aimlessly).
3. Say “Fido, heel” as you step off on your LEFT foot and immediately move forward.
1. Step off when giving the command, not when saying the dog’s name.
2. The dog’s name gets their attention and the command ALWAYS immediately follows.

Daily Training Sessions ❖    Follow Training Protocol before and after every session ❖    Before each session: LL warmup until the dog ignores high distractions ❖    After each session: LL Cool Down ❖    Quiet Time should be done at least 2 times a day ●      Days 1-2: Low distractions ●      Days 3-4: Medium distractions ●      Days 5-6: High distractions