Do you want to know how to train your German Shepherd to heel because it is often biting or pulling lashes? German Shepherds are very strong and huge. If they pull too much during a walk, it might affect your shoulders.
If you do not stop this behavior, it might become a habit and will increase with time. It is advisable to train your German Shepherd as soon as possible to heel.
How to train your German Shepherd to heel?
You can follow any of these two methods to train your German Shepherd to heel.
Method 1: Stop and look method.
- Attach the leash to their collar and go for a walk.
- The moment they try to pull or go ahead, say the heel command in a loud voice.
- When saying the command, stop walking and be still; your dog will look at you to see what happened; wait until they become still.
- When they stand beside you, reward them with a treat and praise them.
- Keep repeating these steps until your dog knows how to heel.
Method 2: Treat holding method
- In this method, you tie your dog to a short leash and fill the treat pouch with crushed treats.
- Make them walk on your left or right side and hold the treats above their head.
- At least try to walk for 8-10 feet every day with your dog alongside you.
- If your dog can stay long on your side for 8-10 feet, then reward them, don’t treat them until they can walk with you.
- Keep increasing the distance up to 20- 30 feet, and once they can walk longer than that without any threat, you will understand that they have learned and no more need treats to walk close by you.
Tips for training a German Shepherd
There are other methods that experts like to use.
- Pick your left or right side where you want your dog to be and start walking on that side only. Never change that side.
- Start with basic commands like “stop” and “walk” before teaching them to heel.
- Choose a place where fewer people are so that your dog does not get distracted.
- Keep the training session for only 10-15 minutes and not more than that as it can get boring and frustrating sometimes.
- You can choose any method mentioned above but try to stick to it for at least 2 months to see any effective result.
- If you cannot train your dog, you can seek the help of a professional trainer.
What do you need to train your German Shepherd to heel?
While training your German Shepherds, you might need things for better experience.
A body harness is needed so that you do not put too much pressure on your dog’s neck.
For rewards, crush the treats and put them in a pouch so that you can reward them after the completion of a task.
Buy a short leash of 5-6 fit, but make sure it is not too tight. Be positive and patient while training your German Shepherd.
Why is it important to train a German Shepherd to heel?
German Shepherds are very energetic and are always jumping here and there, searching and smelling things. They like to run a lot. They are quite strong, and as they keep pulling their leash, it might hurt the owner’s shoulders.
It is very important to teach them how to heel and make them behave in public so that they do not leave your side, and they might get lost while running here a d there. If they are not around you, then when you are in danger, they might not know and won’t be able to protect you.
It is not only about protecting you, but when they are in a public place, they might attack someone as well, and if you are not close by, you won’t be able to stop them. Once you get them trained, then all these problems won’t occur.
Perfect age for heeling training
It would be best to start with heeling training when they are puppies, which is around the age of 10-12 weeks. The early you start, the more effective it will be, and there will be fewer chances of your dog’s adoptive maladaptive behavior.
Start training them inside when they are puppies. After some time, you can take them out in public.
Conclusion
German Shepherd training is very important, if we do not train them at a young age, they might develop unwanted behavior, and it can be very difficult to change them later on.
Sometimes it becomes very difficult to control German Shepherds while walking them in public, and they try to run away and pull the leash.
To prevent this kind of behavior, we need to teach them how to heel so that they don’t end up hurting themselves or others.