Many people take their dogs to obedience class, spend hours teaching the dog to walk at heel, and promptly abandon the technique. I’ll be told, for example, “my dog is all over the place on walks, sniffing and marking on everything.  If I stopped him from doing that he wouldn’t have any fun.”  Others have told me: ” I prefer that she is in front; that way I have warning that she is going to misbehave”.

We are taught to heel the dog as a way of managing behaviors, not merely to equip us to participate confidently in doggie parades and other. Quite simply, a dog that is even a step in front of you is under the psychological impression that he or she is leading; when you are in front, they are much more likely to defer to your wishes.  This is true even if the dog has learned not to pull.

Keeping the dog in the heel position (and educating your dog) enables you to dissuade dog-aggressive dogs from challenging other dogs you encounter; it assures passers-by who may be leery of dogs despite Fido’s sweet disposition that Fido will neither lunge at them nor jump up on them for attention.

While we still allow opportunity for sniffing and marking (or not), we actually give our dog more stimulation, and she’ll arrive home more tired and happier, when we challenge her to respond to what we ask her to do.  Similarly, if we keep her next to us, and watch for abrupt shifts in her body language as we walk, we will equip ourselves to modify her behavioral choices as opposed to being alerted that she’s ready to lunge and yank our arm from its socket yet again.  Last but not least, if I need to go to a mail box or a waste receptacle, I know that keeping the dog in a psychologically subordinate position will enhance the brevity and harmony of that trip.

— Submitted by Peter Levy, Bark Buster’s Certified Trainer