How do you train a Belgian Tervuren to heel?

Answer 1

Remember that teaching a dog to heel is different from teaching him to walk politely on a leash or not to pull on a leash. It is a very precise bit of training that is probably the hardest thing to teach a dog because it is so abstract.

All Dog Training comes down to reinforcing behavior you want and interrupting and redirecting behavior you don't want. The same is true of heeling. The difficulty with heeling from a training standpoint is that it is a position, not an action. People often confuse that.

In order to reinforce properly, you must have a very clear picture in your mind of where that heel position is. In a formal heel, as done in competition obedience, the dog is six inches away from your left leg and the seam of your pants stays centered more or less on a point halfway between his nose and the leading edge of his shoulder.

Probably the easiest way to start heeling training is to work in a secure area, such as a fenced in yard. Remove the dog's leash and start walking. Eventually your dog will become curious and walk up along side you. That's when you reinforce. Most dogs are motivated by either food or toys. So you can reinforce by offering one of these when he reaches the proper position. Some dogs are motivated by praise, but few people give praise correctly. It must be genuine and emphatic. Most people don't put enough heart into their praise and that's why it fails to motivate.

You don't want the dog to become dependent on constant reinforcement. So once he starts taking a couple of steps with you at a time, stop reinforcing for just one step. Very gradually build up the number of steps needed to score reinforcement.

There are other techniques that can be employed, but the one outlined above will not teach the dog bad habits if you make mistakes, and it will not injure the dog. To learn other techniques for training a dog to heel, enroll in a competition obedience class. Family dog classes won't cover true heeling, just loose-leash walking.

Answer 2

like any other dog...

just walk it around the yard (or on the street if you want) say "heel" then gently jerk it to your side and give it a treat and reward it if you want do that as many times as need to get the dog to do the same thing without the treat its very simple just 1...2...3...!! (unless your dog is stupid)

Answer 3

A Borzoi is like any other dog; perhaps bigger. Walk the dog on your left. As you walk, tell the dog to heel. As you say the command, step to the left and walk in a circle to the left with the dog. (anti clockwise) If the dog does not heel it will run into your leg as you turn. It will not like this. After two days of training this way, every time you say 'heel' the dog will wait in expectation that you are going to turn and walk in front of it. It will then follow you.

Answer 4

that's what she said!! lol