Having a dog that walks beautifully by your side in a lovely loose leash heel walk is one of the absolute best feelings as a dog owner.
It will completely transform your walks.
First let's make it very clear: I'm not interested in competition level heel walking.
All I want is for my dog to be by my side or slightly behind.
I don't need laser focus eye contact - they can sniff, pee, and take in their surroundings, so long as they stay by my side.
Walking in this way has a massive amount of benefits that will have beneficial knock on effects in all aspects of your life. It will:
- Provide Mental Stimulation: Giving your dog a job to do (stay by my side) will mean not only are they getting physical exercise, but also mental as they have to concentrate and think about what they're doing
- Improve Your Leadership: To stay by your side your dog will need to "check in" with you and follow your guidance and direction, having a massive impact on your position as their calm, consistent and loving leader
- Tap In To Their Natural Instincts: When you walk together like this you upgrade from "going on a walk" to migrating as a pack, tapping in to your dog's history and having huge benefits for their wellbeing
And most importantly...
You'll enjoy walking them again!
Your walks will be an incredible bonding experience for you both to enjoy rather than a stress that you dread every day.
So, how do we do it?
Read on to find out!