Heeling
without leash is one of the basic skills of obedience and one of key exercises
in dog’s ringsport. The most difficult
element in developing of this skill is to teach the dog to focus the attention
on the handler without diverting it to any sounds, noise, movements or objects.
A training with a ball can be rather effective. At the beginning the dog
constantly sees the ball in handler’s hand. The ball is a desirable toy for the
dog, it attracts the dog’s attention and helps to fix it on handlers’ hands. The second stage of the exercise: to teach
the dog to continue walking with the handler without seeing the ball. And the
third stage: when the ball is suddenly thrown aside - the dog is taught to
continue heeling in spite of a strong
desire to rush after the toy. As all exercises it’s better to finish it by
playing with the dog.
This kind of
training is of great practical importance, particularly for dogs in cities.
