Right side heel switch from left...

[jocomoreno]

Just curious as to other peoples ideas on how to teach a dog to switch from left heel to right heel midstride. Its for assistance dog training. It seems kind of tedious doing it with a leash and was wondering if you would use an E collar to teach the exercise so as not to give off body language.
Im having a hard time teaching it without the body language of passing the leash behind my back and am hitting a rut. The dog is using the body language as the cue.
I started off with phase 1 of basic heel but on the right side moved to introduce the correction but she would not move with the command. Shes responding only to the leash pops of the leash sideways and the passing of the leash behind my back, which I cant avoid if im gonna use a leash.
Whcih brings me back to should I use an ecollar?
Or Mike, Teresa, any K91 associates; how would you teach the right side heel switching from left heel?

[Teresa]

Hi!

I think you need to take a step back and be certain the dog understands exactly what is expected of her, especially before adding a correction.

Here is how I would go about it :

Teach heel seeking for both left and right position ( meaning when you are stationary , if the dog is given the heel left or heel right command, she will go to the appropriate side and sit with her front feet behind your heel)

Starting with the dog in front of you , use a treat in your hand to lure her in an arc (to the side and away from your leg, behind your heel and then turning the dog to face forward) raise hand up to encourage dog to sit when her paws are in the appropriate heel position and reward.

Once she is easily lured into position , give the heel command prior to luring. You will be able to fade off of the lure and give the verbal command.

When she can find the heel spot on command for either side, then start practicing the switch while standing still

Use treats to help her associate switching from 1 side to the other.
Example:
With dog in left heel position, give command for heel right while reaching back with treat in right hand to your left pocket and lure the dog into the heel right position.

When dog is doing well continue to practice in same manner but while in motion.

I would not give any correction until you are certain the dog has a clear understanding of what you want and have completed phase 2 heeling.
Keep in mind as well that E collar correction won't give the dog any help with regards to spatial direction. When you are correcting with a phase 2 collar such as a starmark or a pinch collar, the correction helps guide the dog back into place. Once a phase 2 correction is understood for heel , then you move on to teaching phase 3 heel correction with a remote.

If you follow steps in this manner, you shouldn't have to prompt (cue) the dog with leash correction to switch. I wouldn't worry about the dog cueing on the leash changing hands without correction, as ultimately this will always happen when the dog is on leash.

Hope this helps!
keep us posted!

Teresa