Heeling Hands
This may be a silly question but it's got me wondering if I'm missing something. When I walk Benny I have him on my right side. Now I'm training him to heel and have been doing so with him on my right hand side. Looking at info on the web and in the Two training books I have bought they all say to have your dog on your left hand side. You tube video of Crufts obediance -*test*-('")s show dogs on the left. Does anyone know why this is? Or does it really matter as I feel more comfortable with him on my right.

Hi there, yes it is normal practice to have your dog on your left for obedience training etc but really, it is down to personal choice. After all, there are many with perhaps an illness or a disability that cannot use their left side. As long as Benny is walking well and you are comfortable - it doesn't matter what the 'experts' say! Our Finn always walks on the left and when my hubby walks them both together, he can manage both on the left, I have to have a dog on each side of me so Willow walks on the right then. As long as I have her slip lead on correctly, she is perfectly happy. So in my non-expert opinion - if your doing ok as you are, keep it up!

I completely agree! do whatever you and your dog are happy with :D in the horse world, people tut-tut if you mount your horse from the 'wrong' side. I can get on my horse from whatever side I like and he doesn't bat an eyelid. I'm told that the reason people traditionally mount from the side they do dates back only a few hundred years and is because a horseman's SWORD would have been hanging on the other side!!! not so important, then, when you're just going for a hack over the fields!! :lol:

So you don't carry a sword anymore then eh! ha ha! Some people are really quite snobby aren't they! :wink: