Teaching your dog to follow you naturally
What is natural following?
It's a behaviour, not an obedience command. A confident puppy regularly glances back to check where you are, even off lead: that reflex rests on the attachment bond between a dog and his owner. The big difference with the recall: recall is a one-off command (a word, an action, a reward), whereas natural following runs quietly in the background, all the time, without a single word. That's why so many "recall problems" are really following problems: the dog simply isn't thinking about keeping track of you. The reflex is strongest in young puppies, who need you in order to feel safe. In adolescence, often between six months and a year, when he starts exploring further afield, it fades: that isn't a failure, it's the moment to take over with a proper recall.
How to build it
What do you need? Almost nothing.
0 / 5The principle comes down to one idea: you become slightly unpredictable, and your dog learns to keep an eye on you.
Let the long line trail from his harness
You don't need to unclip your puppy to work on following: it works very well with the line attached. Simply let it trail along the ground with plenty of slack, and it stays your safety net, always recoverable with a foot on it. Save going fully off lead for a securely fenced garden, or for the day your dog's recall is genuinely reliable: in open country or near a road, the long line remains essential, even once following is well established.
Let him get ahead, then change direction without a word
When he's five or ten metres in front of you, head off in another direction, walking normally, no faster and no slower. No "come", no running: nothing at all. If he hasn't noticed after a few steps, quietly slip behind a tree or a bush for two or three seconds, watching him out of the corner of your eye: that often triggers the reflex to look for you. On flat ground with nowhere to hide, crouch down and stay still, or put a little more distance between you. If he sticks to you and never gets ahead, so much the better, the following is already there: reward him now and then for staying close, and let him explore a little so he has the chance to come back.
He turns round, looks for you, comes back
He realises you're no longer behind him and comes back of his own accord: that's exactly the reflex you're building. If instead he heads off without looking back, put your foot on the trailing line, or call him once, calmly. That call is a safety exception, not a failure of the exercise: safety always comes before silence. And if he panics rather than simply looking for you (whining, running in all directions), show yourself straight away: the aim is for him to look for you, never for him to be frightened.
Celebrate his return, then set off again
A stroke, a warm word, a treat if you like, and you carry on with the walk together.
Two or three times per walk, no more
The rest of the time, let him sniff and enjoy his walk: that's real mental exercise for him. Dogs who regularly do sniffing games become more optimistic, a sign of better wellbeing, far more so than with a simple lead walk (Duranton & Horowitz 2019). Two or three times is enough: repeated more often, the exercise wears thin and he switches off.
Alongside the exercise, on any ordinary walk: the moment your dog glances at you of his own accord, mark it with a warm "yes!" and reward him (a word, a treat, or simply permission to go back to sniffing). The more you reward those offered glances, the more often they come.
Adapt it to your dog
A puppy who's just arrived
- Start from the very first walks, around two months: while he's tiny he needs you and already follows you naturally.
- Keep the long line trailing from his harness and put a foot on it if he strays: you don't need to unclip him early for this to work.
- Until his vaccinations are well advanced, choose a spot that isn't busy with other dogs.
An adopted adult dog
- Never too late: the bond is built at any age, it just takes a little more time.
- Use a twenty metre long line on a harness, put your foot on it when he reaches the end, and change direction exactly as he turns round.
- Nurture your everyday connection too: that's what makes you worth following.
A dog who already goes too far
- Often it isn't the recall that's the problem, it's the following: he doesn't think to keep track of you.
- Go back to the long line as a safety net and vary your locations, so he doesn't know the route by heart.
- Change direction with no warning and vary your rewards, rather than piling on the "heel" commands.
- AVSAB — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
- China, Mills & Cooper — Recall effectiveness with and without an electronic collar (2020)
- Duranton & Horowitz — Free sniffing and dog wellbeing (2019)
Going further
Frequently asked questions
My dog doesn't follow me on walks, what can I do?
Often he simply isn't thinking about keeping track of you: the reflex isn't in place yet. In a safe spot, let the long line trail from his harness and, when he gets ahead, change direction without saying anything. He learns to keep an eye on you. Do it two or three times per walk, no more: repeated too often, the exercise wears thin.
How do I teach my dog to walk off lead?
It starts with natural following, not with commands: a dog who already follows you spontaneously is halfway there. Work in a safe place, long line clipped to a harness as a safety net, and change direction without warning when he gets ahead: it pushes him to keep an eye on you. Real off-lead freedom comes later, once the recall is reliable and the following is well established.
At what age should natural following start?
From the moment the puppy arrives, around two months: at that age he naturally needs you and follows you all by himself, so it's the ideal time. Work with the long line attached, in a quiet spot until his vaccinations are well advanced. There's no age limit: an adult dog, even an adopted one, learns it too, with a little more time.
Are heelwork and natural following the same thing?
No. Heelwork ("heel") is a one-off command: a word, an action, a reward. Natural following is a constant behaviour, with no words at all: your dog keeps an eye on you of his own accord. The two complement each other, but the second saves you from repeating the first all walk long.
My dog goes too far on walks, how do I keep him close?
Many "recall problems" are really following problems: he doesn't think about where you are. Go back to a long line as a safety net, vary your locations so he doesn't know the route by heart, and reward every glance he offers you with an enthusiastic "yes!". If he really does give chase, get help from a positive-methods trainer.
Can an adopted adult dog learn natural following?
Yes, it's never too late. Use a twenty metre long line on a harness, put your foot on it when he reaches the end, and change direction as soon as he turns round. Alongside that, nurture your everyday connection: that's what makes him want to follow you, not coercion.
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