infoSPIKE

Dog Training: How To Train Your Dog To Change Direction When Walking

After you and your dog have pretty much gotten the hang of heeling, your next step is to introduce your dog to changes of direction while heeling. You find out about the three essential turns - a right turn, an about-turn to the right, and a left turn.

Turning Right: To stay with you when you are making a right turn, your dog needs to speed up. And, at this stage in your training, he is not yet giving you 100 percent of his attention, and you are going to anticipate that he needs help with the right turn.

If you want your dog to pay attention to you, you have to pay attention to your dog. Learning to anticipate what he is going to do is the first step to successful heeling.

Just before you make the turn, enthusiastically say his name, make the turn, and keep moving. Using his name will cause him to look up at you and he will notice that you are changing direction, which will cause him to stay with you. Without giving him that cue, chances are that as you make the turn and go one way, he will keep going the other way.

About-Turn: An about-turn is a right turn times two. When you make your turn, keep your feet together so your dog can keep up. As you did for the right turn, use his name just before you make the turn to encourage him to stay with you.

In the event your dog has a particularly difficult time remaining at your side for the right or about-turn, you can use a treat or other object of interest to him to help guide him around. The treat is held in your right hand as you are heeling. Before you make the turn, show it to your dog by bringing the treat directly in front of his nose and using it to guide him around the turn, then give him the treat.

This approach has a potential drawback. Some dogs become overly stimulated when they know you have a treat in your hand. Make no mistake about it, he knows. If you see that your dog becomes difficult to control under such circumstances, you may want to eliminate use of the treat. The hassle is not worth the potential benefit.

Turning Left: In order to make the left turn without crowding, your dog needs to slow down as you make the turn and then resume normal speed after you made the turn. Just before you make the turn, slow down and with your left hand draw back on the leash, make the turn, and resume your normal brisk pace.