The Follow Drill: Off-Leash Heeling

What you're seeing

Shawn walks a course of obstacles and a tunnel with Simon, his white German Shepherd, following behind him off-leash. Simon stays in position through the turns, waits at the tunnel, and goes through on cue. Nothing is on his neck, and nothing is in Shawn's hand.

Why "follow" is a benchmark

One of the markers we use to judge a dog's obedience is simple: will your dog walk behind you on command without a leash, treats, or an e-collar? A dog that pulls ahead is leading. A dog that follows has accepted that you decide where you both go. That single habit changes walks, doorways, greetings, and recall, which is why it is in the curriculum for every dog we train. The 'figure eight' around obstacles is one way to ensure your dog is following you rather than temporarily walking behind you.

How it was trained

Follow is taught through the 'Movement' and 'Proximity' parts of P.R.I.M.E.: the 'Movement' is the walk itself, in this instance, and the 'Proximity' is the control of where the dog is in relation to the handler–in this case, a couple of feet behind. Start with your dog on leash in the house, then move to the yard, and only then off-leash, adding distractions. The obstacles in this video are there to make it a game. Obedience training can and should be fun for the dog once the relationship is right.

Get this with your dog

This follow drill in this video was spontaneous, but 'follow' is taught in every in-home course. Read more about off-leash obedience on our Off Leash Dog Training page, and call for your free phone consultation.