logo

  • Log In
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Training Camp
  • instagram-icon
  • facebook-icon
  • twitter-icon
  • Courses
    • Schedule
    • By Discipline
    • By Instructor
    • Prerequisites
    • Self-Study
    • Scholarships
    • Gift Certificates
  • Webinars
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
  • Workshops
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
    • Gift Certificates
  • On Demand
    • Pet Dog Presentations
    • Pet Professionals Presentations
    • Self-Study Courses
  • Special Links
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Fenzi TEAM Titles
    • Trainer Certificates
    • Private Lessons
    • Other Free Stuff!
    • Swag
  • Events
    • FDSA Training Camp - Albany Oregon Oct 6-8, 2023
    • Bootcamps
  • Contact
    • Course FAQ
    • Webinar FAQ
    • Workshop FAQ
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Help
  • Courses
    • Schedule
    • By Discipline
    • By Instructor
    • Prerequisites
    • Self-Study
    • Scholarships
    • Gift Certificates
  • Webinars
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
  • Workshops
    • Schedule
    • FAQ
    • Gift Certificates
  • On Demand
    • Pet Dog Presentations
    • Pet Professionals Presentations
    • Self-Study Courses
  • Special Links
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Fenzi TEAM Titles
    • Trainer Certificates
    • Private Lessons
    • Other Free Stuff!
    • Swag
  • Events
    • FDSA Training Camp - Albany Oregon Oct 6-8, 2023
    • Bootcamps
  • Contact
    • Course FAQ
    • Webinar FAQ
    • Workshop FAQ
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Help

OB225: Competition Heeling Part Two - Skills & Engagement

  • Overview
  • Syllabus
  • Prerequisites & Supplies
  • Sample Lecture
  • Testimonials & Reviews
    • Registration
      Apply for a scholarship

  • See Also
  • All Classes
  • All Workshops

OB225: Competition Heeling Part Two - Skills & Engagement

Course Details

 Heeling requires significant concentration and sustained focus to maintain position, focal point and engagement. Heeling is easily the most difficult obedience exercise. When trained properly, it is a beautiful dance between dog and handler that is a joy to watch.

In this class, we will focus on fine-tuning turns and transitions with pace changes. We will work on building endurance in heeling as we put pieces together and lengthen chains. We will break down the Figure 8 exercise, teach the pieces and then put it back together. Our focus will be on building accuracy while maintaining animation and attitude! Heeling should really be a bunch of fun tricks chained together.

Teaching Approach

This class will have written and video lectures each week. There will be video examples demonstrating all exercises. Because everyone has their own learning style, I encourage students to move at their own pace. Students will need access to a space large enough where they can perform straight line heeling for about 40 feet give or take. A space at least as large as a regulation ring would be ideal. You will not need actual ring gates if you don’t have access to them.  Students will need to move around with their dogs as is required for heeling. I am happy to work with you to modify the training to your abilities.

Petra FordInstructor: Petra Ford

Petra (she/her) graduated from Rutgers School of Health Related Professions 17 years ago with a degree in physical therapy and has experience working with an extremely varied caseload including pediatric through geriatric clients with a vast range of diagnoses. Her areas of expertise included in-patient rehabilitation, orthopedics and neurology. (Click here for full bio and to view Petra's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

View Full Syllabus

WEEK ONE

  • Dogs Love Tricks!
  • Juggling Act
  • Maintain Your Vision
  • Cues for Clear Communication
  • Set Your Foundation
  • Marking is Magic
  • Figure 8 Deconstructed
  • Large turns for Figure 8
  • Handling and Heeling without Dog
  • Assessment of Baseline
    • Normal
    • Slow
    • Halt
    • Left
    • Right
    • About
  • Tricks in Motion
    • Spin
    • Weave
    • Bounce
    • “Close”
  • Show me your baseline so we can target what we need to focus on

WEEK TWO

  • Handling Errors With Clarity
  • Offering on Silence
  • Setting Super High Criteria (get less in the ring)
  • Creating Drive in Heeling:
    • Energy Creates Energy
    • Threepeats With Play Release
    • Exploding Reinforcers
  • Managing Arousal
  • Increasing Endurance
    • Normal Pace
    • Slow pace
  • Normal Halt
  • Normal Right Turn
  • Figure 8 Outside Curve, Inside Curve

WEEK THREE

  • Drifting
  • Introducing Fast Pace
  • Normal About Turn
  • Normal Left Turn
  • Transition Into and Out of Slow Pace
  • Figure 8 Transition to Inside Curve
  • Figure 8 Transition to Outside Curve
  • Engagement Games

WEEK FOUR

  • Transition Into Fast
  • Transition Out of Fast
  • Figure 8 Tighten Inside and Outside Curve
  • Figure 8 Setup to Right or Left
  • Halt After Turns
  • Increasing Endurance with Fast Pace
  • Handling Reaction to Judge Calling Pattern
  • Position game in turns

WEEK FIVE

  • Figure 8 Transition out of Left and Right Curve
  • Fast Normal Right/Left Turn Halt
  • Fast Normal About Turn
  • Fast Normal Halts
  • Figure 8 Adding Halt
  • Slow Normal About Turn

WEEK SIX

  • Figure 8 Putting It Together
  • Keep Them Guessing
    • Halts after turns
    • Left Right Left
    • Fast, Slow
    • Halts at Different Paces
  • Half Heeling Pattern
  • Full Heeling Pattern

Sample Lecture

More

The Rule of Three:  Many, many years ago a mentor taught me to never let my dog make three mistakes in a row.  He said three mistakes meant I created a new habit.  Ideally, I will address it when the dog makes the first mistake.  By the time the dog makes two mistakes, alarm bells should be going off.  As a trainer, we need to change something.  The dog doesn’t understand.  Doesn’t matter if we think they should know it.  Clearly they don’t.  Change something. 

I use a similar rule when the dog is doing something right.  Three correct reps in a row and I move on.  I either increase the difficulty of what we are working on, or move on to another behavior.  After three reps, we are just going to bore the dog.  We are drilling.  There is nothing to be gained.  The dog learned.  AWESOME!!  Onward and upward!! 

Dogs Love Tricks!  And so do humans!!  Trainers, observers, dogs all have a grand time with tricks. No one is ever upset or disappointed. Dogs make mistakes and it’s not a big deal. Tricks are highly reinforced with our praise, our energy as well as the actual treat or toy.  Obedience should be the same way.  Because in reality the exercises are just a bunch of silly pet tricks strung together. WE are the ones that take it so seriously. WE get impatient, frustrated, annoyed, etc. We set goals that are not always realistic.  Change your mindset and your training will benefit.  Remember, it’s all just a trick!! 

You will also teach your dog tricks that are functional in heel position.  Then you want to reinforce the tricks soooo often over a long period of time that they become inherently self-reinforcing.  For my dogs, tricks like bounce, spin and touch don’t need to be reinforced.  When I ask for the trick my dogs get super happy and their energy goes up…they love the tricks!!  Now I can use them in heeling AS A REINFORCER!!  I also use them to increase their mental endurance, to help override distractions and pressure and to keep “boring” pieces of heeling (slow, halts) fun. 

It's super important to teach tricks that don’t pull the dog out of heel position. And to make sure that the dog always ends in exact position when the trick is completed.  I use bounce, touch, wave and spin. You don’t have to use those.  Just some examples. If this is already in place, great!!  Make sure to continue heavily reinforcing the tricks for now. 

Need to maintain connection with trick:   

Maintaining position with “bounce”:    

Prerequisites & Supplies

View all Prerequisites & Supplies

Gold level students should have taken the prerequisite class OB215: Competition Heeling Part One - Fundamentals at any level (bronze, silver or gold).   Alternatively, gold level spots may register if they already have a basic understanding of stationary and moving heeling position.

Students will need access to a space large enough where they can perform straight line heeling for about 40 feet give or take. A space at least as large as a regulation ring would be ideal. You will not need actual ring gates if you don’t have access to them.

Testimonials & Reviews

Read All Testimonials

A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...

New class for the August 2022 session

Registration

Next session starts: February 1, 2024
Registration starts: January 22, 2024
Registration ends: February 15, 2024

Registration opens at 11:30am Pacific Time.

OB225 Subscriptions


Gold

Silver

Bronze
Tuition $ 260.00 $ 130.00 $ 65.00
Enrollment Limits 12 25 Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials ✔ ✔ ✔
Access to discussion and homework forums ✔ ✔ ✔
Read all posted questions and answers ✔ ✔ ✔
Watch all posted videos ✔ ✔ ✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum ✔ ✔ ✖
Submit written assignments ✔ ✖ ✖
Post dog specific questions ✔ With video only ✖
Post videos ✔ Up to 2 ✖
Receive instructor feedback on
  • Questions
  • All videos
  • Questions
  • All videos
✖

Find more details, refund policies and answers to common questions in the Help center.

  • Prev
  • Next
  • FDSA
    • About Us
    • What Do We Teach?
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Student Resources
    • Calendar
    • Scholarships
    • Gift Certificates
    • Swag
    • Trainer Certificates
  • Courses
    • Class Schedules
    • By Instructor
    • By Discipline
    • Prerequisites
    • Self Study
  • Webinars
    • Schedule
    • Webinar Courses
    • Register
  • More Learning
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Puppy Book
    • Private Lessons
    • Team
  • Help!
    • Getting Started
    • Enrolled Students
    • Video & Images
    • Webinars

Copyright © Fenzi Dog Sports Academy and individual instructors.

Technical support - send email to help@fenziacademy.com

Connect with us! facebook-icon email-icon instagram-icon