14/03/2025
Biomechanically, walking to heel is jolly uncomfortable for our dogs.
The natural walking gait for dogs is four beats: back right, front right, back left, and front left (or vice versa). However, they need to create a two-beat stride to match our walking speed.
One of the main mistakes handlers make when trying to teach their dogs to walk with them (instead of rushing ahead or pulling on the lead) is failing to give enough positive reinforcement.
This results in frustration from the dog, who feels mightily uncomfortable trying to adapt their pace, and a feeling of failure from the handler, who can’t figure out why their dog doesn’t want to walk with them.
You need to be patient and be prepared to pay your dog well for doing something that is most unnatural to them. Then, you need to keep up this reinforcement.
All too often, gundog owners ask, “When can I stop using food for heelwork?” Well, the answer is, “You don’t,” at least not entirely.
The rate of reinforcement and feedback can be adjusted so that you build up distance or the level of distraction, but for the behaviour to remain strong, it must be reinforced.
The key to helping your dog understand the heel position and enjoy spending time there is to begin with short sessions, a high rate of reinforcement, and frequent rest and play breaks.
Then, you can begin to plan your sessions to make gradual but actual progress rather than ‘drilling’ the same exercise, which is tiresome for you both.
Finally, you should never rush your training. There is a delicate balance here, and the onus is on you as the teacher to work this out with your own dog’s learning and understanding in mind. But you cannot expect a puppy or young dog to be able to walk at heel across open fields for an hour if they have only just mastered taking a few steps with you in the garden.
If you're looking to teach your gundog how to walk to heel, you'll want to give our latest blog a skim through. Simply head to the "Blog" link in bio.
