It means in-step, paying attention, and under control in public. Heel is as much a mental exercise as a physical one. Heels is so much more than not getting your arm yanked out of place by a pulling dog. Heel is rarely taught, and incredibly valuable. Having lots of practice paired with the means to follow through provides that extra sense of security that allows dogs to have the most freedom possible while giving their owners absolute peace of mind. When we teach recall, we scale dogs with reward-based repetition training into recalling in even high-distraction environments and prepare their owners with an appropriate safety net by remote collar conditioning them. All the safety and security that comes with solid recall no longer exists and if the command fails when it’s needed the most, does the dog even really have the command? When they see another dog, a car, a stranger, or any other distraction of particular interest, recall becomes more of a suggestion than a real command. Many dog owners teach recall early on, but stop once their dog has it “good enough, most of the time.” This is, unfortunately, why a lot of dogs will come when called only until they have something better to do. Being able to recall your dog in any situation is priceless in the security and safety it provides both you and your dog. Having a solid – and most importantly a behavioral – down is a game-changer in pet dogs, and definitely a skill that all dogs should learn early into training! Recall / ComeĪ dog with solid recall is reliable, safe, and ultimately has access to much more freedom than a dog without. When a dog is capable of a mental down in any situation, they’ve achieved what many trainers call calm-on-command. With a basic understanding of dog body language, it is pretty easy to see when a dog is in a mental down and when they are just going through the motions.
#Lugaru commands full#
When we teach dogs the down at Lugaru K9 Training, the goal is always to refine it from a “physical down,” in which the dog is in the position but not yet relaxed, into a full “mental down” in which the dog perceives the down as a marker that it is time to chill. Just like sit, and for the same reasons, down should always have an implied stay attached. Being able to send your dog into a down reliably means that they will be out of the way and manageable in any public situation, and ready to relax in any environment.
But in reality, down is a fantastic impulse control exercise and a wonderful skill for all dogs to truly know. Many new dog owners think of down as just another command in their arsenal of fun tricks, among the likes of play dead and hopping up on back legs. A dog that has truly mastered down has also mastered the ideal calm mindset.
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