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Teaching your dog to heel is one of the most basic and important dog training commands you can teach. With an active and younger dog or puppy, it can be especially difficult, but with patience and consistency, it doesn’t really have to be that hard to train your dog to heel.

The best time to practice teaching your dog to heel is before you’ve begun going on walks. Your dog is easily distracted out on the street and you will need his attention to properly teach the heel command. Also, you want to be in a patient and pleasant mood. Do not begin this, or any other dog training session, if you are angry or in a testy mood. You should not train your dog in an unkind or rough manner. Furthermore, it is best to teach the heel command after your dog knows his name and the “Sit” command.

You will want to limit the heel training session, as with other dog training sessions, especially for young puppies to about 10 or 15 minutes and to 2 or 3 times in a day. Make sure they’ve gone to the bathroom and have eaten and had some water. You want their full attention for this.

For this training session, you might want to use a dog training collar, but it is not necessary. In the backyard or garden put a lead on the dog, and keep him on your left side. Hold the leash in both hands, your right hand through the loop and your left hand holding the leash with your elbow by your side and out straight.

You want to keep your dog’s neck about even with your left leg, and as you begin to move that is the signal for the dog to begin walking. Your dog or puppy will initially not understand what to do and either try to run ahead or around. Simply make gentle corrections, say “Heel” and keep them on your left side. Try to keep the lead slack and if your dog begins to tug on it either stop or gently correct with the leash and stop moving. Do not pull your dog forward or yank the leash back violently. Continue moving only as your dog is on your left side. Try not to move if the leash becomes tight as this teaches them to tug and pull on it.

You will want to vary your direction and speed, turning in circles or doing figure eights. As your dog goes in the correct direction on your left side, remember to give lots of praise. You might use a dog training clicker or a treat, but try to keep your methods consistent with other dog training commands you use. Try to end the dog training session on a positive note with something the dog has done correctly, followed by lots of praise.

Dog Training HQ provides dog training articles and resources to help dog and puppy owners learn to train their pet effectively. Please visit http://www.dogtraininghq.com for more helpful dog training and puppy training advice.

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What qualities do dogs look for in their leaders? Adopt these 3 simple qualities to turn your dog’s behavior around almost literally overnight!

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that dogs look for the same leadership qualities that people look for - consistent leaders who lead by example and who reward good behavior.

1. Consistency: communication between different species is not an easy task, especially when one species can talk and the other can’t! Inconsistency makes that task all the more difficult. By adopting consistent behaviors in yourself, setting consistent boundaries, and keeping some sort of consistent routine - your dog will have an easier job of figuring out what you expect.

2. Lead by example: dogs tend to mimic our actions. Don’t rely on them interpreting our intentions correctly. If we yell at our dog for being aggressive, this can lead to more aggression from our dog. They don’t necessarily understand that we are angry and upset with their actions, they just follow our lead. When we learn calm approaches to dealing with this sort of problem, our lead is followed with calmness in return.

3. Reward good behaviour: behavior that is effectively rewarded tends to increase or continue. Therefore it makes sense to reward the behavior we want to see in our dogs. In the same way we get paid to work, our dogs expect to be paid too. Life in the pack works that way; food, security, shelter, play and social contact are the rewards dogs work for. Whilst our pet dogs get most of this stuff for free, it makes sense to ask them to do something to earn it, no matter how simple the task. Asking a dog to sit before letting it outside, or asking for a short ’stay’ before being fed are two simple examples.

By adopting these 3 qualities and making them habits in your day to day interaction with your pets, you will see positive changes in your relationship. Dogs do respect these qualities and respond in kind with faithful companionship.

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of Positive Petzine, a free resource for people training their own dogs.

Join now, and for a limited time you can download ALL available back issues for free!

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German Shepherd health is one area over which you have a lot of control. Long
prized for its elegance, intelligence, loyalty, versatility and working abilities, the GSD
can be a very stoic animal that will play and work hard through a lot of pain and not
easily show any underlying health problems. It often takes a sharp and observant
owner to know whether or not his or her dog is suffering from any type of pain or
illness.

There is no reason any German Shepherd should suffer from any pain, disease or
illness. It is the owners responsibility to keep the dog in great condition and healthy
by:
feeding him a good and healthy diet,
brushing his teeth often as possible,
grooming him regularly
and giving your dog plenty of exercise and attention to keep him healthy.

Another way of keeping tabs on your German Shepherd Dog’s health is by
performing a weekly home German Shepherd health exam. This will help you spot
many of the common German Shepherd health problems before they become
serious. This will also make you very aware of your GSD’s body and easily help you
detect any changes that may happen over time due to injury, disease or any kind of
dog related emergencies.

The best way of taking care of your German Shepherds health is by taking your dog
to the veterinarian regularly. Make sure your GSD receives regular physical and
health examinations and is current on all its vaccinations. Finding a veterinarian that
is familiar with GSD Health Problems and with dealing with all the hereditary
diseases that affect our breed is an excellent idea. Not all veterinarians are as
familiar with German Shepherd health issues as they might be with other dog
breeds.

Routine vet exams will include a check of your German Shepherds eyes, heart,
lungs, ears, mouth, teeth and coat as well as any lumps, bumps, cuts or bruises that
the dog may have. Associate veterinary visits with a positive experience and it will
make future doctor visits much easier for your German Shepherd puppy.

It is also a good idea to take your new German Shepherd puppy or dog to the
veterinarian for occasional “social visits” just for them to see that going there does
not have to always a bad thing. Both your German Shepherds health and
socialization are very, very important. Check with your vet and his staff to
“schedule” a time to visit that is not too busy. The GSD pup can have both a positive
and healthy experience by going there - meeting the staff, meeting other dogs and
owners to socialize with, etc. Keep in mind not to introduce your dog to truly sick
animals, however, since you do not want to make your healthy German Shepherd
puppy ill.

Below is a list of various health disorders and diseases specific to the German
Shepherd Dog. GSD emergency topics and GSD First Aid Kit Ingredients (a very
good idea to keep on hand, just in case) are listed as well. You should become
aware of each health condition as a GSD owner in relationship to your puppy or
German Shepherd Dogs health. In the future we plan to add more detailed
information covering several of the German Shepherd health related topics common
to our breed listed below as well as other health related illnesses.

The author, a lifelong dog lover and German Shepherd owner, has been a
German Shepherd breeder for over to 15 years. For more information and
articles covering other German Shepherd related topics, feel free to visit:
total-german-shepherd.com

Interested in other purebred dog breeds? Visit: pedigreedpups.com

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