Chief's Brittany's
® Photo training tips for your Brittany.
Chief at heel.Note the position of the lead in her hands. This is important because we are going to tell you how to correct the heeling dog using these hand/lead positions. Also note the location of Chief at her left leg. We teach from the left for personal reasons so if you want to teach from the right, just reverse everything.
Take note of the slack in the lead. He is comfortable and the handler isn't wrestling with him. Now look at the side view on the next photo.
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Note the correction. It is a straight upward movement of the left
hand. This firm upward motion bumps his chin with the lead. Don't
overdo this. Do it firmly but not with too much zeal. You only
want his attention, not inflict pain. Remember to accompany the
physical correction with the verbal command. Patting your left leg
goes a long way when asking a dog to heel.
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Chief is happily heeling along. He knows the rules and is happy.
This really comes in handy coming/going to your favorite hunting spot.
You can let the dog out and still be in total control.
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The purpose of this action is to remind the dog not to move ahead of
you. Please note: A gentle circular motion of the right hand
causes the lead to circle in front of the dog. Do not ever
strike your dog. Just the little circular flip of the wrist is
enough for the lead to pass in front of his nose. The lead did not
touch Chief; it merely passed in front of his nose. Notice though
how he set himself backward to avoid the lead. Chief has never been hit
or hurt during training. All Brittanys are naturally soft and it only
takes a little correction to fix most things.
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Chief whoaed from the position of heelThe whoa command was given at heel, he obliged by whoaing, then the handler walked out front and gave the non-verbal reminder command to stay at whoa (something you might do in a tense hunting situation). You eventually, through lots of repetition, want your dog to heel beside you without a lead, whoa immediately when asked, stay at whoa for long periods, and not release from whoa unless asked.
Click to return to teaching "Whoa!" | Click to return to "teaching heel" .