...:: Training ::...

HEELING

Just as in the roll call practices handled before this, I first ask myself: what do we mean with following and what is the practical use of this. Very commonly spoken it means the closely following of the owner by the dog after the command HEEL or FUSS is given, just as long until another command is given. Where a service dog is concerned, the practical use of this is that the dog is directly available for exercising its task. Furthermore, this is also an excellent exercise to keep the dog with you. It is common use to keep the dog on your left side, but when riding a bike this has to be the left side, due to traffic rules. At the KNPV the dog must always change sides several times during the follow exercise, on the command “go right” and “go left”.

There are some differences in follow exercises with the various disciplines. It is, for example, often said that the following of KNPV dogs is no following, but walking along. If that however were the case, and nowadays it is not, you can never do a disorderly follow exercise at a KNPV contest or survey, because you will never pass the test!

Timo Kleine Schaars with Benzy KNPV heeling exercise

Especially at the IPO and mainly with Malinoise, it is often seen that the dogs follow their owner with a kind of a giraffe’s neck in the direction of their owner. Many feel that an exercise carried out this way should receive the most points in the survey. I do not share this opinion, I think it is unnatural and unwanted from the point of view of the service dog discipline.

A dog must follow ATTENTIVE, but this does not mean he can not keep an eye on its surroundings! The correct stand for a correctly following dog is: close to its owner, the head just slightly in front of the knee of the owner and his glance varying from the owner to the surroundings. An example of this can be seen in the picture of Horst Kuelkens with Ziggo vom Bungalow.

Horst Kuelkens with Ziggo vom Bungalow, two genuine Germans!
This is heeling correctly.

Temperamental dogs often push ahead in an annoying way, see the picture of Richard Venzelaar with Diego v. Marija’s Hoeve.

Richard and Diego follow. Pushing ahead of the dog.

In my opinion this is a failure that occurred during the construction and can be blamed on the ball. Other than with the exercise “send ahead”, I do NOT use a ball in roll call practice, this just gives too much turbulence. The dog should not love the ball, he should love you! I take the young dog on a short leash, attached to a thorny collar, in my right hand I have a piece of cheese or sausage and keep my hand up to my chest, and while doing this I try to get his attention for a few moments. After this I give him the treat and play with the dog. I extend this by walking about ten steps, turn away of the dog and walk back to the dog. Meanwhile, I give short pulls on the leash to catch his attention when needed. In time, when the dog is getting older, the distances can be enlarged and the dog can be taught to sit at foot. Always reward with food and after that play for a while, the attention should not be focussed on the damned ball but on you! The playing and food rewarding will be reduced to only praising and petting while the dog is getting older.

The undersigned with Alf are following through the group. Preparing the dog by looking directly towards the dog. In the period when this was taped, it hardly cost any points.

Part 1| Part 2|

<< Back to index Training