Me and my 15 months old Giant Schnauzer are currently working for heeling.
Recently, as I was happy with his sit, down, come and heel-on-leash, I tried to take off leash when heeling, under minimum distraction. An unexpected problem occured: very often, he walks closer instead of running away, but he pushes me so that I have to struggle pretty hard for the straight direction. He seems to like it a lot. At the same time, he began to pull a bit when on-leash.
I like this better than going away from me (which is certainly going to happen the first time he meets a playing dog, his maximum distraction), but I want to try a normal heeling. Any idea?
I did not mention he is wearing a prong or a choke collar (i use to change them); he becomes nevrotic for a ball only during work; he minds best with food.

Can you elaborate a bit on how you taught the heeling (compulsion, food lure, intermittent food rewards, no ball I assume?)? Why do you think he is crowding you - is there a toy he is trying to get, trying to get near your food pocket, etc...

My dog does the same thing. Really wraps himself around the front of my left leg. Great eye contact, awesome enthusiasm, etc., but if you weren't familiar with this dog, you'd wind up on your face. He watches your head for the left turn, and does it fine, but it's kind of a bumpy ride.

Lee, is using a ball bad for the heeling exercise? I, um, er, of course I would never make that mistake, um...

No, it's not bad, only the mis-application of it can be bad. Are you holding the ball where he can see it - at your chest, under your armpit, etc? Is it always in your right pocket so he wants to wrap around to get as close to that right pocket and your hand as possible? Those are the most common reasons for the dog to wrap around the left leg. Also if you are consistently rewarding him either by presenting the ball in front of you so he jumps up and grabs it or you are right handed and consistently throw it forward or to your right, this will also cause the dog to want to be in the best position to intercept it as quickly as possible, thus they forge/wrap. Sometimes you can be doing none of these things, yet the dog is so fixated on wanting to make eye contact (in order to drive you to give him the reward) that he gets in front of you to make it easier on himself to make good eye contact. I'm big on never having the reward where he can see it; it's always in my pocket, out of sight. That cures one problem. And when I reward, I spin left, into the dog, and throw the ball behind him. That cures wanting to forge in order to hurry to get to the ball.

Good advice. I'll try the pivot thing.

I started him with the ball under my chin. I gradually moved it to my chest, then into my right pocket. He knows it's there (thus the wrap, I guess). I also alternate him with occasional food reward, or just praise.

Iain,
Have you checked out the video "Training Drive, Focus & Grip with Bernhard Flinks"? He shows alot of focus work with a ball and it includes positioning for both you and the dog for an ideal heel picture. I think it's currently the best explanation around for folks to be able to see what the correct heel position should be like and the easiest way to achieve it.

Don't have it yet, but I've heard good things about it. I'll pick it up when I get to my next duty station.

In the beginning I used food to actually drive his nose. Later, with the dog on leash, I used both food and the prong, food comming always from the same right pocket.
I realize now that I also have to be careful when I want him to wait, because he instantly comes without beeing called if I put my hand into my pocket.

Try carrying your food in your left hand, and since he's a tall dog, I imagine you swing your left arm outside his body/head. When you like the picture, bring your left hand in front and give him a treat. Let him know the food is in the left hand, and as he gets better at realizing that he has to ignore where the food is in order to earn it, start carrying your left hand in front and to the left of his head. Start this at the stationary, basic position. When he takes his attention off your hand/food and looks up, reward. Pretty soon, he'll be able to heel with your left hand right in his view yet totally ignore it. It will help get him off your body cuz there's no incentive to be there anymore.

I forgot about heeling and just stayed. I said 'fuss' to the dog while holding the treat in my left hand. The very beginning was awful: firstly, he tried to move in front of me and looked up to beg for the hot dog, then he got stuck to my hand and totally ignored me. Only when he did sit and faced me like asking 'what's up?', and I felt the basic position was good, I rushed to say 'BRAVO' and gave him the food.
I don't know if I did well: I walked the dog on leash, I did not say anything (not 'heel', not 'let's go', nothing) and I carried the hot dog in my left hand all the way. Gradually he lost interest in trying to 'steel' the food from my hand. From time to time, 'fuss'.
At the end of the first session, I can't believe the dog could sit 3 times by my knee and show me his eyes (eyebrows :-)), no pushing nor wrapping around.
Thank you a lot, I think it is going to work and soon we can go back to heeling.