Heeling Work
Glindy and I are making some progress
with our heel work. She's usually fabulous at work or in stores,
but she begins straining at the leash the moment we're outside in
the fresh air, or when there are other animals around.
I did a bit of soul-searching this week, and realized that the
problem is largely me. I do not correct Glindy as consistently as I
should when we're out for a walk, largely because I'm not sure how
to differentiate "roaming time" with "walking with a purpose." And,
of course, a large part of the outside walks is to give her a
chance to eliminate, so I'm somewhat reluctant to discourage her
from sniffing the grass and small bushes she's so fond of
watering.
So, I made a few choices. First, except in the middle of the
street, I will correct Glindy each and every time she pulls on the
leash from now on. I do this by "making like a tree," and then
adding "penalty yards" if that doesn't work by itself. We don't
move forward again until her shoulders are in line with my
knees.
Second, maybe I'm making too much of my inability to distinguish
potty time from other walking time. Even if I can't articulate the
difference in a way that would make sense to a dog, Glindy is
exceptionally bright, and very sensitive to context. I decided to
leave it up to her to sort out which is which. While this may
create some initial confusion, I imagine that over time Glindy will
figure out what's expected, through signals I'm not even aware that
I'm giving off.
So far, the heeling practice is bearing fruit. While Glindy still
tends to forge ahead, she'll usually walk beside me for at least a
little while after suffering a few penalty yards. Perhaps all we
need is consistency and time.
As for the other, only time will tell. If it causes more problems
than it solves--say, an accident because she's not getting to potty
when she needs it--then I suppose I'll revisit the issue again.
After all, if my new approach doesn't work, I can always try
something else. Meanwhile, at least there's a plan!