Course Details
Contact heeling is a movement skill built around clear physical reference, rather than visual focus or formal precision. In this style of heeling, the dog learns to maintain intentional body contact between their shoulder and the handler’s leg, using that contact as information for position, speed, and direction while moving through space.
This six-week class teaches contact heeling as a structured transport behavior that can be used across sport, training, and daily life. While we will briefly cover where contact heeling originated and how it is used in ring sports, the primary focus of the course is on teaching the behavior itself and building clarity and reliability through thoughtful progression.
Students will learn how to introduce the contact behavior using both luring and shaping, with optional use of props such as a pivot disc to support understanding of position. We will focus on developing clear criteria for the contact point and the amount of pressure appropriate for each dog, then systematically add movement one step at a time. Movement will be built in multiple directions, including lateral, forward, and backward steps, to ensure the dog can maintain position with clarity.
As the behavior develops, we will explore different reinforcement strategies, including food, toys, and later remote reinforcement, with an emphasis on how reward delivery influences position, pressure, and commitment. Once the skill is established, we will begin testing it by adding distractions and environmental challenges. This includes navigating obstacles such as platforms, stairs, and handler movement tasks, while maintaining contact and connection.
In the final portion of the class, we will discuss long-term applications of contact heeling. These include using it as an A-to-B behavior in daily life, applying it as a management and behavior-support skill, and using it as a transport behavior between exercises or events in other sports such as scentwork, agility, and obedience. The course will also include a brief introduction to starting defense of handler-style exercises using food, toys, and a helper, without the use of bite work equipment.
This class is suitable for a wide range of teams and disciplines, with criteria adjusted to meet individual dogs and handlers where they are.
Teaching Approach:
Lectures will be released weekly and will include written instruction, demonstration videos, and voiceovers. The class will take a progressive approach, starting with teaching the contact point before gradually adding movement, reinforcement strategies, environmental challenges, and real-world application.
Students will see multiple approaches to teaching the behavior, including shaping, luring, and the use of props such as pivot discs or platforms. Exercises will be broken down into small achievable pieces to help teams build clarity before progressing to more complex movement and distractions.
Feedback will primarily be written with time stamps and detailed observations about mechanics, reinforcement delivery, and movement progression. Additional video or voiceover feedback may also be used when helpful for illustrating more complex concepts.
