Your dog is ready to take his first step forward off the fence when he has met the following criteria:
- He can find good heel position consistently while in a stationary position without reward placement.
- He is usually straight.
- He finds heel position consistently both while doing quarter turns to the left and while handler does a side step to the right.
- He finds heel position with only a subtle cue and no longer needs the big circle of the pointed finger.
- He can perform a one-step-and-sit well on the fence.
It is very important that you don’t start moving forward until your puppy is proficient with finding heel position in a stationary position. Remember that learning one aspect of heeling at a time will give you the fastest results. Moving at heel adds an additional level of difficulty over the stationary exercises. If the puppy isn’t solid on finding heel position when the handler isn’t moving, it will be far more difficult to teach a puppy to remain in correct position when the handler is moving.
Even if you don’t plan on doing competitive obedience and don’t especially care for the pretty look of a dog who heels straight, heeling straight is still a very helpful skill. Dogs that are allowed to continue moving on a leash in a crabbed (or facing inward) position are more likely to cut in front of you and possibly trip you.
Continue working on finding heel in a stationary position even while working on moving one step.
Step #1: Take One Step, Mark When Dog’s Butt Leaves the Ground, and Use Reward Placement to Get a Straight Sit
Now that your puppy has met all of the above milestones, let’s start teaching him to move forward off the fence. We’ll begin the work much like we started on the fence. However, since we are making the exercise more difficult by moving off the fence, we’re going to reduce criteria making the already learned aspects of the exercise easier. Initially, take one step and mark the instant your puppy’s butt leaves the ground just like you did when working on the fence. Use reward placement to help your puppy find correct heel position. Gradually increase criteria the same as you did when teaching your puppy to move on the fence.
Step #2: Alternate Between One-Step-and-Sits, Reinforcing For Sitting Still, Quarter Turns to the Left, and Side Steps to the Right
Alternate between one-step-and-sits, rewarding for staying still, quarter turns to the left, and side steps to the right. When doing the one-step-and-sits use reward placement to help your puppy sit straight. When doing quarter turns to the left, don’t mark until your puppy finds heel position on his own. If your puppy can’t find heel position on his own without reward placement while doing the stationary exercises , you need to go back and work the stationary exercises until he can.
If your puppy sits too far from you when moving forward, do a side step to the right. Walking too far away from a handler is very common with puppies. If yours is one of those puppies that likes more space, do a side step to the right often. Another tip for keeping your puppy close to you is to keep your hand still and close to the side of your body. Don’t let your arm swing naturally at your side until your puppy is comfortable being close to you and consistently heeling nice and close. Especially, don’t flap or swing your arm out away from you.
Step #3: Add Half Steps to the Mix
When first starting to move one step at heel off the fence, vary how you take your one step. Sometimes take only a half step. Stopping with one foot ahead of the other will help the puppy to learn to find heel position no matter how your feet are positioned. When walking, sometimes your right foot is in front. Sometimes your left is in front. Sometimes, your feet are almost together. Your puppy needs to learn to regulate where his body is no matter where your feet are with relation to each other.
Alternate between marking and rewarding the following:
- Sitting still in heel position. Mark and reward multiple times in a row.
- Moving one step. Mark while the dog is moving and then get a sit with reward placement.
- Doing a one-step-and-sit.
- Doing quarter turns to the left.
- Doing side steps to the right.
Step #4: Decrease Reward Placement Help
Gradually decrease the amount of help you are giving your puppy with reward placement (except after you’ve marked for moving in heel position). You are ready to increase the number of steps when your puppy is consistently getting in and staying in good position without reward placement.
Step #5: Occasionally Take Two Steps
As you are alternating between the heeling exercises already learned, throw in one repetition where you take two steps. Do not take two steps twice in a row. Go back to performing several of the already learned exercises in between times that you take two steps. Take two steps only occasionally with most of your work being review of the already learned exercises. Adding the extra step should be seamless. If it’s not, it’s because you haven’t practiced the other more foundational heeling exercises enough.
Step #6: Occasionally Take Three Steps
As your puppy progresses, take two steps more often. Then once your puppy is heeling straight, sitting straight, and maintaining constant eye contact, occasionally add a third step. Always continue practicing and reinforcing one-step-and-sits, quarter turns, and other foundational work as you add steps. Make sure that as you add steps you remember to sometimes mark and reward after the sit and at other times, you mark for movement. When marking for movement, continue using reward placement for a straight sit. If your puppy is hesitant to move thinking that the sit is what always brings reward, mark far more often for movement. If your puppy is slow to sit when you stop, rarely mark for movement and mark for sitting more often.
Step #7: Increase Steps Gradually by Adding an Extra Step Occasionally and Randomly
Continue practicing the foundational exercises occasionally throwing in a greater number of steps between reward events. Increasing the number of steps must be done gradually and randomly. The puppy must always think that the mark and reward could come at any minute.
Step #8: Continue Practicing the Easy Sequences While Occasionally Asking for the More Difficult
The first step in particular must not be forgotten. A common mistake is for trainers to quit marking the first steps. The puppy then learns that there is no point in paying attention until after those first steps. He’ll develop a habit of looking away at the start. Continue marking and rewarding the one-step-and-sit.
If your puppy looks away or gets distracted, you have added steps too quickly. Stay at the level where you keep your puppy successful. When your puppy fails, reduce criteria and make sure he doesn’t fail twice in a row. If your puppy is looking away from you or sitting crooked more than 10% of the time, you are asking too much of him. Reduce criteria and keep him successful.
Gradually and randomly increase the number of steps at a speed that moves your puppy forward in his training while at the same time continues to keep him successful.
