Mistake number 1.

Shout and Pull

Yelling “heeeeel!” at your dog and yanking him backwards into position

This makes the word “heel” a secondary punisher … dog trainer talk, sorry – what does than mean?

Your dog will link the two things together – when he hears the word “heel” he knows it will be quickly followed by a bad/painful/uncomfortable experience (punishment). This makes the word ‘heel’ a bad word to him because it always precedes punishment. That doesn’t put him in the right mindset to be calm, relaxed and happy on his walks. I’m sure you want your dog to enjoy this walk as much as you want to – it’s for his benefit not yours (unless you particularly like going for walks when its raining and cold!!!).

Remember he isn’t pulling just to piss you off, he can’t help it, he is happy and excited to be out there in the sunshine and you are punishing him for that.