"Heel" Question
Hey all. Quick question about the Heel. I would like some opinions on this one - hopefully!
Ok, so I have a 7 year old rescue Retriever/Lab/? X who has been through 4 homes that we know of. We are his last. He is a great dog - wonderful with kids, dogs, people, etc. For the first 6 months we thought he had a hearing impairment - we worked through that ... turns out he just had selective hearing. We're worth listening to now, so it isn't a problem anymore. Anyway, here's my issue.
I've worked with a trainer one-on-one with two of his dogs present. (I haven't asked the trainer this since I won't see him until next week at the earliest, but I will ask him as soon as I see him.) This dog has issues when on leash - he has big-time agression. If you watch the Dog Whisperer, then you would classify this dog as "Red Zone". He is almost always in the red zone. He is the perfect dog; unless he's on leash. So anyway, we've been working through this issue and things are going well - the agression is not the question. Yes, he's a dominant dog - another something that I'm working on with him.
SO now that you have a little background, here's my kerbuffle that I ran into while working with him two days ago. I have been teaching this dog Heel (among many, many other things). He is doing well - I've been working on this trick for a bit now. He is a stubborn dog.
What is he trying to tell me when he heels (perfectly, I might add!) but leans on me? What is happening is he will lean into me with his head so much that I actually end up kicking him with every step (and if we're running ... look out!).
He doesn't put one paw in front of my feet, and he doesn't step on my feet anymore (yes, I know, stepping on feet is like getting the last word in - not good). So what is the lean for?
Ok, so I have a 7 year old rescue Retriever/Lab/? X who has been through 4 homes that we know of. We are his last. He is a great dog - wonderful with kids, dogs, people, etc. For the first 6 months we thought he had a hearing impairment - we worked through that ... turns out he just had selective hearing. We're worth listening to now, so it isn't a problem anymore. Anyway, here's my issue.
I've worked with a trainer one-on-one with two of his dogs present. (I haven't asked the trainer this since I won't see him until next week at the earliest, but I will ask him as soon as I see him.) This dog has issues when on leash - he has big-time agression. If you watch the Dog Whisperer, then you would classify this dog as "Red Zone". He is almost always in the red zone. He is the perfect dog; unless he's on leash. So anyway, we've been working through this issue and things are going well - the agression is not the question. Yes, he's a dominant dog - another something that I'm working on with him.
SO now that you have a little background, here's my kerbuffle that I ran into while working with him two days ago. I have been teaching this dog Heel (among many, many other things). He is doing well - I've been working on this trick for a bit now. He is a stubborn dog.
What is he trying to tell me when he heels (perfectly, I might add!) but leans on me? What is happening is he will lean into me with his head so much that I actually end up kicking him with every step (and if we're running ... look out!).
He doesn't put one paw in front of my feet, and he doesn't step on my feet anymore (yes, I know, stepping on feet is like getting the last word in - not good). So what is the lean for?