i trained my last dog to heal with his eyes forward (so he can see threats if i didn't) unless given the watch me command then he was competent at doing so and i would use it when i had to expose him to other people and dogs during walks to stop him lighting up when not acceptable
i did not use food or ball to accomplish this, and don't want to bribe my next dog to work for me
but
most sport competitors use a ball or food reward to train the head up heal, was wondering if this is even a useful skill for a ppd, and what you all do with your dogs and why
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Vincent the purpose of an attention or focus heel is simply to keep the dog from being distracted by other things, especially in the ring. Like all things American it has been carried to an extreme, but probably because the handlers that now use this EVERYWHERE don't trust their dogs.
I found in practical application for patrol work, which would be the most like everyday use, this sort of heeling can be a problem. The biggest problem is that to achieve the "total focus" look the dog many times has to almost wrap themselves around the handlers left leg, to the point of interference. This is especially pronounced in dogs that are trained with an E-collar or prong.
There is a use for some limited "attention" heeling. With our patrol dogs I call it "Checking in" I found that, especially at night, if the dog will pay attention to it's surroundings and occasionally look over it's shoulder to the handler, "checking in", it will maintain a more consistent position to the moving handler.
This "check in" style also keeps the dog in a close position that wont interfere with the handlers walking. Just one little story on the "focus heel," At more than one K9 Pro Sports trial we have had the host set up their OB pattern with a small eight to twelve inch hurdle or obstacle in the dogs path. It was quite comical watching many of the "focus" dogs proceed to trip over that jump.
Oh and one more thing the breed of dog has a little to do with how the dog takes to "checking in" GSD is very handler attentive and good at it, Mals suck at it, Rotts forget it, it's all or not at all, Dobes you just never know, They are Dobes!!!
I never have and never will train a dog to look at me like a baby bird waitng for me to regurgitate food. I understand it is needed for competition but I hate it. I prefer what Butch described above. I never had the name for it, but like calling it "checking in". I prefer my dog to be aware of our surroundings. It may not be as pretty as the focused attention but IMHO, it is more practical.
i have trained a formal (focussed) heel with my dog, but i never use it at work...
we dont compete at all, but before we do our bitework, we go out on the field and do our obedience and controlled agility, and it's awesome to have a snappy, fast, attentive dog, because people look and go "wow!"
when we are patrolling at work, he gets between 6" and 2' of lead (depending on current circumstances), told "stay close" and so long as he is somewhere in the area that i've given him, not trying to sniff and piss on anything, and preferably on my left side but he will swap to right when needed, i'm happy. i certainly dont expect focus when we're working, but i do still expect mindfulness of me and instant obedience...
as for "checking in", my mal is one of THE most handler focussed dogs i've ever worked... he always wants to know where i am and what i'm doing, and i know it's a bad habit and i probably shouldnt do it, but often if i am busy with something that requires both hands, or i have to climb into my vehicle to get something out, i can just drop his leash over his back, and i know that he will stand there waiting for me... not once has he wandered off... he's always "what's happening boss?" and wants to be involved...
I've used both food and ball to train an attention heel. That same dog also has a contact heel as well as a loose leash walking style. 3 different commands to be used in different circumstances and it works well for us.
witch way do you train your ppd to heal
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