Micro Heeling
Teaching the micro-heel position is the first step in getting your dog to off-leash heeling.
Simply put, we want the dog to no longer only understand the heel as a motion-based position that he finds during your
movement, but instead we want him to believe it is a TINY position he should seek whether you are in motion or not.
1. Warm the dog up with some quick heeling and sitting. If he is out of position on the sits, correct.
2. Give the heel command and step forward only ONE step and stop. Does your dog move forward only one full step
and assume the auto-sit next to you in the heel? If so, GREAT! Mark & reward prn. If not, we've got work to do! If
your dog is not in the heel position after only 1 step, do the appropriate heeling turn (most likely a left into/through
him), heel a few paces and stop. Try again.
3. Repeat step 2 with a full, single step forward until the dog is holding the heel consistently and you are marking at
random. You can keep him on his toes by alternating single-step heel, and several running rapid steps, so he never
knows what will be next.
4. Give the heel command and step forward only about 6 to 10 inches. If he keeps the heel in this small space, mark &
reward prn. If not, give the appropriate turn and repeat the process of micro-heeling until he finds the heeling spot.
5. Pivots: Begin directional changes in your micro heeling. Start by pivoting by inches, and gradually pivot right or left
a full 90 degrees, without stepping out. Follow the protocol from step 2 to build more and more precision in your pivots.
Off-Lead Heeling
Prerequisites: Basic & Advanced Obedience
The process of teaching the off-lead heel should not rushed. You'll need to clear your practice area of any large
debris the long line may catch on.
1. Put your dog on his 50 ft. long line and his training tab. Hold the long line at the point you would hold it when
heeling with your 6 ft. leash. Allow the rest of the line to drag out behind you.
2. Give your dog the heel command and proceed forward as you normally would. Warm the dog up with some heeling
turns and sits - watch that you don't tangle in the extra line!
3. When the dog is doing well, drop the line from your hand entirely and continue working heeling turns and sits,
allowing the line to drag out behind the dog.
4. Anytime the dog leaves the heel, immediately grab the long line at about 3 feet from the dog and RUN for 5 steps.
Drop the line again and continue with your turns and sits.
5. You may want to keep your right hand at your waist - convincing the dog you're holding the leash there still, just as
you would during heeling on a 6 ft. leash.
6. If you have to correct more than 3 times in a 20 minute practice period, your dog is not quite ready - go back to
micro heeling & figure-8 heeling until the dog is heeling perfectly on his 6 ft. leash.
7. When you are no longer having to correct the dog, attach a light line (this should be made of strong, but nearly
weightless material - heavy fishing line, drapery cord, clothes line rope, etc.) and continue practicing steps 1 - 5 above.
8. When working on the light line, if you need to correct, do not grab the line - grab the dog's tab and give a pop &
release correction for leaving the heel. If the dog moves away from you as you try to correct, immediately step on the
light line and give a 'sit' command. If the dog doesn't sit, go to it and correctly sharply with the tab. If at any time your
dog tries to bolt, you have not done enough recall and distraction-proofing work.
Final Notes: Continue to practice working the off-lead heel, until your dog can do it in the fig-8 pattern, as well as
around distractions and with varying speeds.
DO NOT rush this process. If your dog gets lazy, defiant, or fearful during off-lead heeling training, you will have to go
back to elementary heeling for a LONG time, to reteach and regain trust and respect from your dog.