Additional cues like back and watch are used to isolate parts of the exercise. Same as Get It and Hold cues are used for parts of retrieve.

Additional cues are faded out when the dog starts offering the desired behavior without the cue.

There are many ways to teach the same behavior and some people prefer not to use additional cues.

Lure, leash pressure, props and voice cues are all handler help that has to be faded out at some point.

 Quote: Ana Kozlowsky

Additional cues like back and watch are used to isolate parts of the exercise. Same as Get It and Hold cues are used for parts of retrieve.

Hummm. Interesting! Never thought about it that way. I only use 'bring' for the retrieve. Hahaha.

ME teaches each exercise in small steps, for example, I taught my dog how to "front" and "hold" as two separate commands, then "front" and "hold" together, then combined them into a retrieve.

Now when I tell her to "aport," or retrieve, she knows to bring the item back to me in a front position and hold it without additional commands.

I taught my GSD the "back" command separate from the heeling, then I combined them, now she knows when I walk backwards during heeling, she just follows me without an additional "back" command.

ME likes to make all of his commands black and white for the dog, so there is no gray zone for the dog to guess.

I agree with the additional commands for the retrieve, I do the same too. As described in the ME video on retrieve.

As for using my right or left leg. I use my right leg always when leaving the dog on a sit stay or while heeling. It gives the dog a split second advantage in knowing that some thing is about to happen. What they are supposed to do depends on what command has been given to them (heel or sit stay)

I have seen the ME heeling DVD, but have never taught any of my dogs to back up. I sort of went with what Kelly says "Heel means Heel".

You can see how helga does. She does it like a champ and she does not know what back up means.

Helga spinning like a top


With bommi too I never taught it , and she did not have this problem before her litter. Not sure why she is doing it now. I will blame it on the little cute girl puppy, I think she and her mom are conspiring against me

Plus I always reward next to my left thigh.

Plus Focused heeling is not needed in our Indian K C shows and therefore I did not train that.

Having said all that, I think I still need to teach her to backup to fix this problem.

OR CAN I TEACH HER THE CONTACT METHOD? To touch shoulders with my leg.

 Quote: Ramachandran Subramanian

OR CAN I TEACH HER THE CONTACT METHOD? To touch shoulders with my leg.

I can't help you there friend, I've spend all my time trying to get Koenig THE HELL OFF MY KNEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahahaa. Dang crowding dog!

Crowding does not equal contact heeling. Contact heeling is a focused exercise with focus away from the handler (decoy/helper/object)

The one thing I see is rewarding with your right hand. Zuki will surge forward if I reward with that hand too.
I try to always reward above the head and right in line with where I want her to be. Just my 2 cents...