For those of you with dogs that are trained to heel accordingly, you are ready to make the transition into off-leash training.

What You Will Need

You will need two pieces of rope, five feet in length each. One of the pieces of rope should be strong and preferably made of nylon. The nylon line should be about the same thickness as a regular kite string. The second piece of rope should actually be a five-foot length of ten-pound test salt water fishing line.

The length of nylon line will be referred to as the "B" line, while the fishing line will be called the "A" line. You will begin by using the "B" line, so you may put away the "A" line for later use.

Tie one end of the "B" line to the ring of the snap on the leash. It must be tied through the ring - rather than the snap - to prevent the line from coming loose. Make sure the line is tied securely. Next, tie the other end of the "B" line on the dog's training collar, making sure that you tie it onto the same ring that the leash snaps onto. Then, snap the leash onto the collar in the normal manner.

You will notice that you are dragging a loop of line on the ground and either you or your dog will be getting your feet all tangle up, so pick up the "B" line slack and - using a clothespin - attach the "B" line excess right to the leash. This will keep it up and out of the way until you are ready to use it.

The first five minutes of your training period should be just as normal as always. Review all obedience commands so that your dog will be in the proper frame of mind for the upcoming lesson. The second five minutes of the training period should consist of nothing but heeling exercises. Do not go more than five feet in any single direction without either stopping, making a right turn, left turn, or about turn.

Do it fast and smartly so that your pet is performing like a real professional. Then stop and give him praise and a pat on the head. While he is preoccupied with the praise, unsnap the leash, in a nonchalant way, wrapping it into your right hand. One end of the "B" line is still attached to the ring of the leash and the other end to the ring of the training collar.

Put away the clothespin and prepare for a few more quick start-stop heeling exercises. Keep slack in the "B" line and do not allow the line to tighten. If your dog suddenly senses this new feeling of freedom and decides to goof off, he will be in for quite a surprise. Nylon does not break easily and a properly timed correction will produce a sudden revelation to your dog. He will discover that just because the leash is absent, the requirement for obedience is still there, and so is the correction for disobedience as well as the praise for a job well done.

Heel your dog back and forth, making right turns, left turns, about turns, and sudden stops while only the "B" line connects you to your dog. Just before your fifteen-minute training period is up, give your dog praise and snap the leash back on. Finish off the session with a bit more on-leash heel work.

For the next two weeks, you should alternate between working your dog on-leash and using the "B" line. Alternate back and forth, so that your dog won't be aware of which of the two he is attached to, and doesn't care either. Working with the "B" line can be a bit awkward and you'll find that it gets in the way once in a while, especially on the recall exercise. But this transition is important so be patient.

Crates are an essential housetraining item that most puppy owners find incredibly practical if used correctly.

A crate is not a prison or a cage. Rather, it is a comfy den, and no dog wants to poop in his comfy den. That's what makes the crate such a good investment: You are using the dog's own natural instincts to help him understand where you want him to do his important business.

Crates work well because a dog or puppy does not want to soil his bed or immediate area, so providing that you don't leave your dog crated for unreasonable periods, you can use a crate to educate your puppy to wait until you take him outside.

To be effective, the bottom of the crate should be covered in bedding, otherwise the puppy will assume that anywhere other than the bed is OK to use as a potty, and that habit can be a hard one to break.

The size of the crate is critical to its effectiveness. You'd think that your pup would want a nice, big crate, but in actuality, the den should be small and cozy.

In the beginning stages of housetraining, the crate needs to be only large enough for your dog to lie down and turn around comfortably. Too large, and your pup may use a corner to relieve himself. Plastic-style crates are usually a better choice because they have more of a den-like feel for your dog.

The best option that as worked for my personal use with my puppies are of two varieties: the metal folding crate and the plastic airline type that bolts together in two halves with a metal door.

Some dogs don't like the close-in plastic type because they can be dark and not as inviting as the more open, wire type. The advantages of the folding crates are that they work well for transporting your dog in a vehicle or for taking your dog on vacation, plus they fold flat for storage.

When Choosing The Right Crate:

1) Choose one just large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around.

2) If you have a large-breed pup, buy a crate with a divider to make the crate bigger as he grows, otherwise you'll have to buy several crates as time goes on.

3) If your dcor is a concern, there are many attractive crates available, including rattan, wooden and doghouse-style crates.

4) Soft-sided crates aren't ideal for housetraining because they are more difficult to clean and the smells of potty accidents can linger, causing your pup to want to eliminate there again.

5) Some folding crates come with handles or nylon bags, making travel a breeze.

6) If you're going to move the crate around a lot, get one with wheels. Wheeled crates are also great for travel.

There are two extremes of personalities in dogs - the introvert and the extrovert. However, there are many degrees in between those two extremes as there are dogs in this planet.

Regardless of where your dog's personality lies on that scale, once you have given the command to heel you must start walking and continue walking. Encourage your dog to accompany you if necessary. Correct his heedless rush with absolute right-about turns if necessary. But, you should never, ever give in if your dog decides to not follow your command and just "sit this one out."

Dogs learn by associating their actions with a pleasing or displeasing result. Therefore, the dog who tries to take advantage of the new shortened leash by surging and keeping a strain on it comes to a sudden discovery that you still have the situation very much under control. As soon as he can cause the leash to tighten, he will take his eyes off you, only to feel the sudden jolt of your right-about turn.

By using the reserve slack in your hand properly, your dog will realize that the leash is no different than the long line, except that he must pay even closer attention since the six-foot leash gives him less time to react than the fifteen-foot long-line. He'll realize how much more pleasing it is to walk at your side so that he can see which way and when you're going to change direction. Your left hand giving him a pat on the head when he's in the correct heel position is also more pleasing than the sudden jolt that he gets when not in the proper position.

On the other hand, your introvert dog, one that stands as if he had feet glued to the cement, suddenly feels the slightly displeasing effect of the short, sharp jerks of the leash. Hearing your enthusiastic tone of voice and seeing your left hand pat your leg invitingly will do wonders to make your pet choose the more promising alternative. The moment he does, he will discover the warm, affectionate praise and pat on the head to be far more enjoyable than the series of sharp jolts he experienced as a result of his initial reluctance to walk with you.

You may have to spend each of your fifteen-minute training sessions for the next four days in this simple leash introduction so the introvert-type will walk without any reluctance or fear and to stop the extrovert's heedless rushes by your unannounced change of direction.

Don't Be Afraid To Use Too Much Pull

Let me describe a scene of what an extrovert dog may do when prompted with a distraction. Picture a dog tied to a tree on a twenty-five foot rope lying in loose coils on the ground. He is sleeping comfortably under the tree when a cat walks by past the dog at a distance of about twenty-seven feet.

The dog wakes up, spots the cat and rushes recklessly to pounce on the poor cat. The dog will be stopped two foot short and very abruptly too. After regaining his composure, he will still strain and tug to try and get the cat. But, unless he's a total fool, he will not make that reckless rush a second time - not while still tied to a tree. But does he blame the tree? Of course not.

You are not as firm as a tree, so don't be worried about hurting your pet. Your objective should be clear. Your dog should walk at your left side, neither lagging behind nor surging ahead.

Always remember that the leash should be slack. Eventually, you'll be heeling your dog without the leash and you will realize the importance of that slack. If your dog is used to feeling a tight leash restraining him in the heeling position, he'll be long gone when you walk him without the leash later on.