You don’t need training tips and tricks…you need a roadmap

Great 1-to-1 coaching call with

today, working on focused heelwork.

James had already created very nice movement and a really good overall picture, but reached the stage where progressing further became difficult.

The main challenge was fading away the lure without losing precision.

His dog is also much more driven for toy play than food, which creates another challenge: how do you bring toys into the training, increase drive and enthusiasm, but still keep the precision?

So during the call we discussed the whole roadmap from where he is now all the way to the final heelwork behaviour.

Not just what to do in the next session, but how every stage connects to the final picture.

We adjusted the strategy for using the lure and then fading it away step by step, while still giving the dog enough information to understand exactly how we want the heelwork to look.

We broke down how to:

• fade the lure without losing precision

• introduce toy rewards without losing the picture

• teach drive switching from food to toy and toy back to food

• work in high drive without sacrificing precision

• teach the dog to think in high arousal

• nurture enthusiasm while keeping clarity

• progress into turns and more advanced heelwork

• prepare the foundations now so heelwork around the decoy doesn’t become a problem later

This is something I see very often.

You create a really nice picture, the dog has good movement and enthusiasm, but then you reach the point where you’re not sure how to progress without losing what you already have.

And this is why I don’t think you need another collection of tips and tricks for your heelwork training.

On the way to the final behaviour, you will always face challenges.

What is much more useful is having a system — a roadmap you can follow step by step — that gives both you and your dog clarity about what comes next.

Instead of waiting for problems to appear and then trying to fix each one with another tip or trick, you understand where you are, where you are going, and what needs to happen in between.

That is what we built during today’s call.

Thank you James for trusting me with your training. You’ve already created a really nice foundation and now we have a clear path forward.

Looking forward to seeing you progress towards truly masterful heelwork.

I love our community but I also offer private 1-to-1 online coaching calls.

If you’re stuck with your heelwork, play, motivation, confidence or another training problem and want a clear step-by-step roadmap rather than another handful of tips and tricks, drop me a message and we can schedule one.

Alex 🥋4️⃣🐕

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You don’t need training tips and tricks…you need a roadmap