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I notice a lot of unnecessary confusion about these two skills. There shouldn't be.
But first - a statement. Your dog can pass ANY CGC test and ANY therapy dog test that I know of without learning heeling at all. Are you shocked? Good.
What your dog does need for those tests - and for good socialization in general - is a skill in loose-leash walking (LLW). That means the dog walking with you on-lead, responsive to your movements and pace, with the lead hanging loose. How long is the lead? Generally speaking, as long as you choose to make it. It could be six-feet, three-feet, or whatever is appropriate for the situation and whatever you are comfortable with (some of those tests do require a specific lead length). Which side is the dog on? You should eventually teach LLW on either side.
LLW should not require a special cue - being on -lead with you and stepping off is enough of a signal that loose-leash walking time is here. However, if you want to teach a cue, go ahead and do it - just be consistent about it.
Although you COULD use a flexi-lead for LLW (though not for those tests), it's not that easy to do. Most of the people who use a flexi and SAY that they are doing LLW with their dog actually aren't.
But isn't a dog that is heeling under "more" control than a dog that is LLW? Maybe yes and maybe no. Teaching your dog to be under control in different situations is another learned skill that doesn't actually depend on whether the dog is heeling.
LLW and heeling are also taught differently, but I won't get into those specifics here.
Does that mean you shouldn't teach your dog to heel? Well, I'm not going to tell you what you should and shouldn't teach your dog. But heeling is NOT a necessary socialization skill. LLW is. Unless you are training for companion events or other sports that require it, you don't need to teach heeling at all.
But first - a statement. Your dog can pass ANY CGC test and ANY therapy dog test that I know of without learning heeling at all. Are you shocked? Good.
What your dog does need for those tests - and for good socialization in general - is a skill in loose-leash walking (LLW). That means the dog walking with you on-lead, responsive to your movements and pace, with the lead hanging loose. How long is the lead? Generally speaking, as long as you choose to make it. It could be six-feet, three-feet, or whatever is appropriate for the situation and whatever you are comfortable with (some of those tests do require a specific lead length). Which side is the dog on? You should eventually teach LLW on either side.
LLW should not require a special cue - being on -lead with you and stepping off is enough of a signal that loose-leash walking time is here. However, if you want to teach a cue, go ahead and do it - just be consistent about it.
Although you COULD use a flexi-lead for LLW (though not for those tests), it's not that easy to do. Most of the people who use a flexi and SAY that they are doing LLW with their dog actually aren't.
But isn't a dog that is heeling under "more" control than a dog that is LLW? Maybe yes and maybe no. Teaching your dog to be under control in different situations is another learned skill that doesn't actually depend on whether the dog is heeling.
LLW and heeling are also taught differently, but I won't get into those specifics here.
Does that mean you shouldn't teach your dog to heel? Well, I'm not going to tell you what you should and shouldn't teach your dog. But heeling is NOT a necessary socialization skill. LLW is. Unless you are training for companion events or other sports that require it, you don't need to teach heeling at all.