Precision Heel (Figure 8)
Prerequisites: Basic & Advanced obedience.
Note: The figure 8 heel is an intense obedience exercise for your dog. Do not attempt without
instruction.
Find or place two obstacles (trees, poles, chairs, people) 6 to 8 feet apart. Practice your heeling around the
obstacles in a figure 8 pattern.
Initially, you may want to heel in a 'bow tie' or 'hourglass' pattern, making sharp, wide turns past your obstacles.
To help dogs who lag: speed up on the outside curves of the figure 8 pattern until the dog is hustling to keep up
around those turns.
To help dogs who creep forward: slow down on the inside curves and either use your LEFT 90 degree angle turns
(it's okay to abandon the pattern to correct creeping while you are practicing).
Practice until the dog can do the figure 8 in either direction, holding the heel the entire time.