[Dailydrool] Advice for Tammy's Friend

[rebecca lando]

Hi Tammy,
Our 8.5 month old basset, Humphrey, used to do all of the behavior you
described on walks. Insisted on saying hi to every dog, wanted to get into
everything we passed, would roll over for bellyrubs from total strangers,
and went flat basset anytime he didn't get his way. We solved it by teaching
him to heel with a clicker and a plastic pinch collar. The collar is made by
Premiere Pet, and because it's plastic, it's more gentle than a metal one.
We started off teaching Humphrey to heel by keeping his leash very short so
he had to walk next to us. We'd say his name excitedly, and when he looked
up at us (direct eye contact), we'd click the clicker and immediately give
him a very small treat, without breaking stride. We spent 30 minutes a day
pacing the same patch of sidewalk doing this exercise. If he started to walk
ahead of us, we'd say "Easy!" and give him one tug on the leash to get him
back to our side. If he wants to say hi to a dog or get a bellyrub, he has
to have our permission first: we release him from his 'heel' with "go say
hi." If he stops for a bellyrub or goes flat basset without our permission,
we say, "Humphrey, heel!" and give a light yank on the collar. We repeat
this until he gets up. He DOES NOT get a reward for getting up; rewards are
only for good behavior, not for stopping bad behavior. Now, Humphrey heels
relatively well on his harness instead of on the pinch collar.

Hope this helps your friend out.

Best,
Rebecca
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