Should I make my dog heel on our walks? 
We’re asked all the time, out for a walk with a client and their dog, whether their dog ought not to be out front. The dog is usually ahead of us, sniffing things and generally enjoying his walk, and the client always sounds a little chagrined when they ask. People seem to be concerned that if their dog doesn’t walk patiently by their side, that this is somehow a personality flaw in their dog or a flaw in their own handling and training of the dog. They may also have been told at some point that if the dog “leads” the walk, then he is the one in charge.
How it really works
Rest assured, none of these beliefs is true. If you’re walking with a child, and the child is hopping around front of you, does that make the child in charge? Does it mean that child has some sort of “disobedience” personality flaw? Of course not! They’re just being a kid.
Dogs actually, most likely, want to walk in front of you for several reasons: 1) You’re less likely to step on/trip over them (especially little dogs), 2) a medium to large dog’s natural stride is just inherently faster than a human’s 3) the farther ahead they are, the better able they are to access all the wonderful smells and see the wonderful sights!
Whose walk is this, anyway?
Maybe parading around the neighborhood isn’t your idea of fun, and the walk just for your dog. Maybe it’s for both of you. How can you both get the most enjoyment out of being together? As long as she’s not pulling you over, or tripping you, or otherwise acting in a way that makes the walk unpleasant, let your dog walk in front of you. It’s fine. Really. You should also (ready for it?) stop and allow her to sniff things! No matter what conventions we humans put on them, dogs live in a different sensory world than we do, and in our opinion it’s only fair to allow them to use those senses.
When a “heel” is important
Sometimes there are benefits to teaching your dog to walk next to you, so it is still an important skill to teach. And it must be taught – this is not a natural behavior. If you want to walk through a crowded city block, through the patio of a dog-friendly restaurant, or get in and out of the vet’s office/pet store/training class without knocking anything over, you’ll need your dog close beside you. A good “heel” is absolutely worth teaching, and also fun!
Want to teach your dog a lovely “heel?” Try our Walkabout Class, or contact us for private lessons!
