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Alignment at the Line - Teaching movement with "Here" and "Heel"

4K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  DarrinGreene 
#1 ·
So I am going through obedience with my 5.5 month old pup, and I was reading the "How to Train Retrievers Alone" book that comes with Dennis Voigt's DVD. He talks about when having a dog at the line, you need to align them properly. He mentions using "heel" to move the rear end of the dog towards you and "Here" to move the front legs towards you. I completely understand this, but how do you train this skill? Is it as simple as moving yourself, and then using the commands so the dog only moves his front or rear legs? Just wanted to hear some opinions on the matter from some experienced trainers.

Thanks -- Justin
 
#5 ·
This isn't what I would be concentrating on with a 5.5 month old pup....although learning how to use it in latter drills or training is worthy.
 
#7 ·
Imho the problem that some people have "aligning" their dog at the line stems from the dog not being taught how to heel properly at that 5-6 month stage.
Proper heeling involves more than a dog walking and sitting next to you. The dog needs to be taught to sit close to your leg/knee and be able to move with that leg without lifting their butt off the ground. The heeling that is necessary to "align" is accomplished when the dog will move, while sitting, with the handler pivoting in a tight 360* circle, clockwise and counterclockwise(try it with your hands in your pockets). Once this is mastered than the retrieve is added.

Tim
 
#10 ·
I use a heel stick as a tool to guide the pup to position and bring him in close just like I would use my toe to move his rump out on my knee to move his chest over a bit. Then once they have it it can be used for negative enforcement. I also like the wagon wheel drill to practice lining. Don
 
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