How to Train a Rottweiler to Heel

The beauty of this method is you can start teaching it when the Rottie is still a puppy and you don't even have to use a leash! It's also neat because it teaches the dog to problem solve and work out how to get a treat (by sitting down when you stop walking). This places you in control because when the dog starts to surge ahead, you simply stop, so he sits and waits. When taught correctly the dog quickly learns to walk to heel as the best place to watch your movements.

Take the Rottie into a distraction-free area with enough space for you to walk in a straight line for some distance. A large room or yard work well.

Get the dog's attention with a treat so that he is by your side. Then set off walking slowly, keeping the dog's attention so that he follows you.

After a few paces stop and ignore the dog. He will be puzzled as to why you've stopped, but he still wants the treat. You will give him the treat but only when he is sitting. However, he has to work this out for himself so don't tell him to sit. The dog will fool around, perhaps nudging you, probably walking in circles around you. Continue to ignore him. After futile attempts to get your attention he'll sit down to have a think. At this point say "Yes" in an excited voice and give him the treat.

Get out another treat and let the dog see it. Start walking again. Once again, the Rottie will dog your steps to keep an eye on that tempting morsel. After a few paces, stop and wait for him to sit, then reward him. Most dogs quickly learn that when they follow you and then sit when you stop, they get a treat. They then voluntarily walk to heel as a way of keeping a close eye on you.

The practical result is that you can now walk with your dog and if he starts to surge ahead, you simply stop. This cues him to sit, and thus brings him back under control. Then when you start out again, most dogs naturally walk to heel in order to monitor that treat bag.

Pulling on the lead (the opposite of walking to heel!) is what's called a 'self-rewarding' action. This is because when a dog pulls to get to the park, in his mind pulling gets him there faster. Once you understand this, you can break the link between pulling and getting where the dog wants to go, by turning and walking in the opposite direction, thus making it take longer. Once the dog perceives that pulling isn't such a great idea after all, he'll start to walk to heel.

The drawback of this method is that at first it will take you a long time to go nowhere at all! Thus, this isn't a method to use when the dog needs a good run ahead of being left all day while you go to work. Instead, chose a time when you aren't under time pressure, so you can stick to your guns and keep changing direction.

With the Rottie on a collar and leash, set off on a walk. If he starts to surge ahead say "Uh oh" in a disapproving voice, to let him know this behavior is wrong. If he takes no notice and the leash goes taut, stop in your tracks.

With the dog thwarted and no longer moving forward, call the dog to you. Once he arrives at your side, set off walking in the opposite direction (that is, taking the dog farther away from his desired destination).

The dog may now decide to make the best of this new direction and surge ahead again. You simply stop and repeat the previous actions. This leads to a see-saw to-and-fro walk and you won't make much ground. However, the dog will eventually learn that when he doesn't pull and walks to heel he makes forward progress and that pulling stops this.

Harsh training aids such as shock or prong collars have no place in dog training, even for a big strong dog like a Rottie. These devices work by inflicting pain, which is immoral and inhumane.

Do use positive encouragement to train your dog to walk to heel. This involves giving praise or rewards when you dog behaves well and does what is asked. This encourages him to repeat the action as he understands it was the correct thing to do and he got a reward.

Never underestimate the power of praising your dog when he's walking to heel. By telling him how clever he is when he's walking to heel, you help him to feel good about doing the right thing and he'll want to repeat it again.

Clicker training is a refinement of reward-based training where you use a 'click' to mark the exact moment when the dog acts correctly. The dog has previously been trained to link the click to a reward, and thus he will try to repeat what made the clicker go off as a means of getting a treat.

Older training methods rely on harsh physical or verbal treatment of the dog in order to show him who's boss. While a firm hand is required, the days of smacking or hitting a dog (even a large one such as a Rottie) are over. Instead, it's acceptable to give a cue that he's done wrong (such as a sharp "No!") but instead rely on regular training using reward-based methods.