It’s the end of summer. It’s hot and you’re tired, and who knows what’s next in the slow slide into the apocalypse (aliens? really?). It can be really hard to get past the boob sweat and find motivation to train anything – especially heeling.

But maybe, just maybe, I have the boost you need to get up and do the training.

Starting September 4th, I will be hosting a 21-day training challenge that includes both exercises to improve your heeling AND valuable prizes!

Over the course of 21 days, we will provide you with daily exercises and training tips that will help you achieve a tighter heel position with your dog.

You will also get access to our exclusive facebook group where you can get your questions answered and stay motivated.

Our challenge is suitable for dogs of all ages and breed types. Whether you have a new puppy or an older dog, a border collie or a bulldog, our program is designed to teach the skills needed for precise heeling in a positive and fun manner.

Are you stuck trying to teach your dog where heel position is supposed to be and how to get there?

Are you confusing your poor dog and you don’t know what to do?

Looking for an effective program to teach your dog how to find precise heel position? With less barking and sadness? (for either of you)

We will help help to actually break things down into steps that you and your dog understand rather than just begging and pleading!

When you know how to break things down and actually teach your dog how to find heel, you will be amazed at what you can do together!

Fair warning – I know training your dog consistently is not easy. It takes both commitment and flexibility. I know you care a lot about doing it right, but sometimes a little external motivation can go a long way. Am I right?

So to help keep you focused and jazzed up, not only will participating in this challenge give you the sweet reward of high quality training, you also have the opportunity to win ACTUAL prizes!

Here’s what you can expect from our 21-day challenge:

• Daily training exercises and tips to help you achieve a tighter heel position with your dog
• A community of like-minded dog owners who are also taking part in the challenge
• Live Q&A sessions to answer your questions and help you troubleshoot
• Opportunity to win cool prizes based on IMPROVEMENT and good training practices, not just the most “ideal” heel by some arbitrary standard

Registration for the challenge will open on Friday 8/25. We can’t wait to help you and your dog achieve a tighter heel position and build stronger communication!

Goal:

Your dog can independently, enthusiastically, and consistently find precise heel position without micromanaging, prompting, or nagging.

What will this challenge cover?

• Getting extremely nerdy about criteria, muscle movements, balance, and component behaviors to build awesome heeling
• Teaching your dog to coordinate + control their hind end using a Pivot Platform
• Teaching your dog how to shift their weight back + balance their body so that they can respond seamlessly to your cues
• Transferring these new behaviors to heel position with and without props
• Introducing formal heeling pattern components like right and left turns
• Exercises to improve your own handling skills and communication so that you can be the best teammate possible for your dog
• Balancing training for precision + enthusiasm at the same time (no sad donkeys!) using the most cutting edge positive reinforcement strategies

What won’t this challenge cover?

• Full heeling patterns 
• Incorporating distractions
• Finished ring performance
• Behavior or training challenges outside the scope of competition heeling

What questions do you have?

Can you really teach perfect heeling in 21 days? 

No, of course not. But we can give a REALLY good start! Seriously though, heeling is a complex skill that is never really “done”. There is always work to be done to maintain what you’ve got and tighten up the weak skills to perfect your performance. Behavior is dynamic! 
But 21 days is enough time to give you the skills to teach your dog how to find a really tight stationary position, get started adding movement and identify what areas to focus on moving forward.

Is this for dogs that already know how to heel or ones that are starting from scratch?

Either! We’ll be going over the 20% of exercises that I spend 80% of my training time on with my own dogs, both to teach a new pup just getting started in heeling and to refine and maintain skills with my adult dogs that are actively competing. 

If you’ve already started teaching your dog to heel, some of the exercises may be familiar and we can identify ways to optimize them for your individual dog. Some of the exercises may be different from how you’ve trained heeling so far, and combine synergistically with your dog’s learning history to give them a more complete, well-rounded understanding. 

What are the prizes?

• 1 full membership to Zero to CD when it opens in October ($2000 value) 
• Gorgeous semi-custom cork collar from D2K9 ($250 value) 
• Super sparkly semi-custom collar, leash, and matching bracelet from Dog Nerd Designs ($350 value)
• 5×7 custom oil portrait of your pet from Linda Shantz ($150 value)
• Pre-recorded webinar library from the HEART Collective ($450 value)

This is not like your typical dog show!

All prizes will be awarded based on improvement, enthusiastic participation, joyful teamwork, and showing progress in general. 

To be eligible for the prizes, you will submit a “before” video showing your baseline at the start of the challenge, and an “after” video upon completing the challenge.