Teaching natural following
What natural following is (and what it isn't)
It's a behaviour, not an obedience exercise. A dog who follows you naturally glances back at you regularly to keep track of where you are: this off-lead reflex is very real, driven by the social bond (Rooney & Bradshaw 2003). The big difference with recall: recall is a one-off cue (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 natural-following problems: the dog simply doesn't think to keep an eye on you.
How to build it, step by step
What do you need? Almost nothing.
0 / 4The principle boils down to one idea: you become a little unpredictable, and your dog learns to keep an eye on you. In a quiet place, with no other dog to grab their attention.
Let them off, or lay the long line on the ground
A line long enough that they forget it's there. It stays a safety net, not a brake: always slack, never a jerk.
Let them get ahead, then change direction without a word
When they're five or ten metres ahead, take a different path, walking normally. No 'come', no running: nothing at all.
They turn round, look for you, catch up
They notice you're no longer behind them and come back on their own. That's exactly the check-in we want to build in.
Celebrate their return, then set off again
A stroke, a warm word, a treat if you like, and you carry on the walk together.
No more than four times a walk
The rest of the time, let them sniff and live their walk: that's their main mental outlet, and it settles them (Duranton & Horowitz 2019). Overdone, the exercise wears thin and they switch off.
On an ordinary walk, the moment your dog glances at you of their own accord, mark it with a warm 'yes!' and reward it (a word, a treat, or simply the go-ahead to head off sniffing again). The more you pay for these 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 old: tiny as they are, they need you and already follow you naturally.
- Let them off in a safe place (or lay the long line on the ground) rather than doing everything on the lead.
- The earlier you let them off, the less they'll go off doing their own thing once they hit adolescence.
An adopted adult dog
- Never too late: the bond builds at any age, it just takes a little more time.
- A twenty-metre long line, foot placed on it when they reach the end, and you change direction just as they turn round.
- Nurture your everyday closeness too: that's what makes you worth following.
A dog who already goes too far
- Often it isn't recall that's the problem, it's following: they don't think to keep an eye on you.
- Bring back the long line as a safety net and vary where you go, so they don't know the route by heart.
- Make yourself unpredictable and interesting rather than repeating 'heel' over and over.
- Rooney & Bradshaw — Dog–owner social bond and dog behaviour (2003)
- AVSAB — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
- China, Mills & Cooper — Recall effectiveness with and without an electric collar (2020)
- Morrill et al. — Canine behaviour genomics (breed explains roughly 9% of individual behaviour) (2022)
- Duranton & Horowitz — Free sniffing and dog welfare (2019)
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Frequently asked questions
My dog doesn't follow me on walks, what can I do?
Often they simply don't think to keep an eye on you: the reflex isn't in place yet. In a quiet spot, let them off (or lay a long line on the ground) and, when they get ahead, change direction without saying a thing. They learn to keep an eye on you. Repeat four times a walk at most.
How do I teach my dog to walk off-lead?
It starts with natural following, not with commands: a dog who already follows you off-lead of their own accord is halfway there. Work in a safe place, with a long line as a safety net, and make yourself unpredictable and interesting. True off-lead walking comes next, once recall is reliable.
At what age should I start natural following?
From the moment the puppy arrives, around two months: at that age they naturally need you and follow you all by themselves, so it's the ideal time. But there's no upper age limit. An adult dog, even an adopted one, learns it too, with a long line and a little more time.
Are heelwork and natural following the same thing?
No. Heelwork ('heel') is a one-off cue: a word, an action, a reward. Natural following is an ongoing behaviour, with no words at all: your dog keeps an eye on you of their own accord. The two go together, but the second saves you from repeating the first all walk long.
My dog goes too far on walks, how do I keep them close?
Many 'recall problems' are really following problems: they don't think to place where you are. Put a long line back on as a safety net, vary where you go so they don't know the route by heart, and pay every glance they offer you with an enthusiastic 'yes!'. If they genuinely take off chasing, get help from a positive-methods trainer.
Can you teach natural following to an adopted adult dog?
Yes, it's never too late. Take a twenty-metre long line, place your foot on it when they reach the end, and change direction as soon as they turn round. Alongside that, nurture your everyday closeness: that's what makes them want to follow you, not pressure.
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