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Reading through all entries in the contest was a real joy! Here are a few of your thoughts: Biggest challenge is to keep it fun bor both of us so as to be able to go through real distractions It has been a great experience to get training tipps every day and it was...

The heelwork challenge that we've had the last couple of weeks has been so much fun! We've really enjoyed following all of you in your training! During the challenge we've recieved quite a few questions - and we believe that you have lots of more questions. Therefore...

Last day of the heelwork challenge! I hope that you feel that your heelwork has improved - at least mine has. I would like to send you some final, summary words - and of course know how many heelwork sessions you have done in the past few weeks. The one with the most...

Initially, I talked about different parts of the heelwork - details, endurance and distractions. I often train them separately, but they must of course also be combined. I can't keep on turning around or walking in circles for all eternity since the goal is to be able...

Something that often happens when walking to heel is that the dog gets a bit too excited and moves around like a bouncing ball - it walks a little too far ahead, jumps back, walks nicely a step or two, walks ahead a little too far, jumps back, and so on. It often...

I like measurable things, bars and charts. If it's possible to measure something, I would love to do so - preferably in Excel. When I started to clicker train , I did a lot of logging of different behaviors I trained, but in the gun dog training I haven't been logging...

Many dogs quickly build an expectation of who's really in charge - it's that interesting person with the gun or the dummies .All of a sudden, the dog walks to heel with them instead of with you ... https://youtu.be/C8CeJye3oFU Tassla walks to heel ... with the guns...

I like to teach my dogs "default" behaviors, things that they should do even though I don't say anything but the situation itself tells them what to do. One such behavior is that when I take off the leash, the dog should walk by my side (if I am in motion, if I stand...

Something we talk a lot about on our courses is reward expectation and reward placement. Used properly, they are great training tools, but they can also counteract the training if we're not aware of them. I simply use reward placement to create the reward expectation...

Many dogs are happy to walk properly for a while, but then they get tired. The heelwork is something that needs to last for quite some time, so it is important to build endurance early. With eager dogs I think the "dull heelwork" is a very good foundation, but even...

Some dogs get very excited as soon as something happens - they walk nicely when you turn away from the distractions but get excited again as soon as you turn back. Then it is even more important not to let the dog work out of that anticipation but to turn around, walk...

Besides being able to walk for a long time at my side when I walk straight ahead, the dog needs to be able to follow along when I turn in different directions, when I stop and when I take a step backwards. Here it is great to bring in the obedience heelwork and work...

"My dog can walk to heel for a long time as long as there are no distractions nearby" is something I hear often. And that's right - when we train at home or walk longer distances, it usually doesn't happen much, so the dog just tags along. But when something happens...