The Hardest Part of Heelwork Isn’t What You Think
Important Note:
Heelwork is not the same as everyday leash walking. While leash manners are about moving together comfortably without pulling, heelwork is a precise training skill that involves attention, alignment, and teamwork. Dogs don’t need to heel for an entire walk. This type of training is typically used for sport, routines, or as a focused training exercise.
Heelwork in dog training might sound straightforward. Afterall, isn’t it just teaching the dog to walk by your side? Yet, any trainer who has worked on precision heelwork knows it is far more nuanced. Heelwork is more than movement. It is about communication, consistency and attention to detail. Most of all, heelwork training requires showing up and staying the course.
There is no single definition of heelwork. For some, it means a relaxed dog walking politely beside the handler. For others, like me, it involves focus. I train for a precise and stylized heel, where the dog’s body remains aligned, the head stays up, the focus is clear and the energy is present. This version of heelwork is not about walking from point A to point B. It is about connection and performance. I use a different cue than I would use when just out for a walk.
The hardest part is not the training itself, but the mental commitment. It is about staying with the process long after the excitement of the first few sessions fades.
Every Session Is Different
No matter how many dogs you have trained or how many times you revisit the same skill, dog training sessions do not repeat themselves. Every session is its own mix of distractions, goals, environmental factors, emotional states and motivations. This is especially true when working on something as intricate as heelwork.
I was working with one of my dogs, Leven, the morning I wrote this post. It was early in the morning. A rabbit just beyond the fence was only one of the distractions that morning, yet I could tell her focus was on me. That moment mattered. It told me we were on the edge of something important. The step we were about to take felt like the one we had been building toward. Leven can heel by my side with enthusiasm, but I started to further define what I want from her when it comes to heelwork. With a goal of more precision, I was working towards just those first few steps, in the correct position.
Why Heelwork Feels So Difficult
Technically speaking, heelwork is not complicated to understand. The rules are clear if you are training for a sport like AKC obedience, and the goals can be broken down into small components. Yet, executing those details with consistency takes more than understanding. It takes persistence.
The real difficulty is not in teaching the dog to move at your side. The challenge is in maintaining focus over time, both yours and the dog’s. It is about committing to the level of repetition needed to achieve precision. That is the part most people underestimate.
When progress slows, many trainers move on to another skill. It is easier to switch to something that feels fresh and rewarding. I get it. But, if you want the kind of heelwork that pops, that inspires, that communicates confidence and joy between you and your dog, you have to keep showing up even when it is hard or not as exciting to train as something new.
Define It for Yourself
If you are new to heelwork, the first thing you need to do is define what it means for you. That definition should not be based solely on what you have seen others do. It should come from your goals and your vision. This is not just about copying someone else's routine. This is about creating your own.
For me, heel position is treated like a trick, one that demands precision and style. The dog is on my left side (I also train right with another cue), head up, eyes on me, body aligned but not crowding. Whether I turn, slow down or halt, the dog stays in position. When we stop, I want that sit to be straight, automatic and full of energy. I want to see motivation in the dog’s movement. That is what makes it feel like a dance.
I do not expect this level of heelwork during daily walks. That is when I focus on loose leash walking, polite manners and general comfort, but I will occasionally cue heel for a few steps during walks to reinforce the behavior and build fluency.
My Early Heelwork Training Experience
The first dog I seriously trained to heel was my “Novice A” dog, an English Cocker Spaniel. I was around 12 years old at the time, and I earned a CD title with that dog.
That dog taught me a lot. He had some minor ring stress. He was also an intact male, which brought its own set of challenges at dog shows. Most of all, he taught me that consistency mattered. If you wanted good heelwork, you had to put in the time. I remember being so excited to practice after school, that I would be outside training even on cold winter days.
I have trained too many dogs to count since then, and helped many others do the same, whether they were preparing for a competition or just wanted a more focused connection with their dog. You do not need to compete to appreciate good heelwork. It is useful in Rally, canine freestyle, obedience and even everyday training games.
Set Your Criteria
Once you have a vision of what heelwork should look like, define your criteria. Decide what “heel” will mean for your dog. Will your dog focus on your face or your shoulder? How close should they be to your side? Should they avoid touching you? What happens during halts and turns?
If you are training for competition, study the rules of the organization. Learn where your hands should be, how the dog should align and what qualifies as a clean performance. Watch videos. Attend trials. Pay special attention to dogs that are built like yours, since structure affects movement.
If competition is not your goal, you can still take inspiration from those same sources. Set high standards for yourself, not because you need a ribbon, but because it will make your training stronger.
Figure out how your dog will know when they are in heelwork mode. What is your cue? How does heel differ from casual walking? This distinction matters.
The Importance of Planning
The planning stage is essential. Do not skip it. Before stepping into a training session, visualize the result you want. See your dog in position. See yourself handling clearly. Know what you want the first few steps to look like.
I train many different skills with my dogs and training time is a small part of the time I spend with them. This means that adding heelwork to the mix calls for careful planning. I must manage my training time and make our sessions productive. Training should not take up all of the time we spend together. I want those sessions to be effective. Clear planning helps make that happen.
Why We Quit (And Why You Won’t if You Do This)
New skills are exciting. You can often teach tricks quickly, especially when your dog has strong foundation skills. It feels great to see progress, but heelwork is different. It is a slower skill to build if you want to follow it through to a very precise style of heelwork. There are more steps, more refinement, and fewer instant payoffs.
That is where most people get stuck. They do not see the full picture yet, and the daily steps feel too small to matter. So they drop the skill. They move on.
But, if you can plan for that drop-off, you can move past it.
Anticipate the boredom. When you feel like quitting, that is when it matters most. You can pause, yes, but schedule your return. Keep showing up to train, and you will see the results.
The Moment That Matters
Back to my session with Leven.
What I was waiting for was one perfect step. One moment where she moved forward while keeping her head in position, maintaining focus, and aligning her body. That was the piece we had been working on.
This moment did not involve luring. Instead, I focused on clear, consistent hand positions and practiced formal handling. There is a difference between moving your dog through a pattern and teaching them to hold a position through movement. That is what we were building.
Seeing her take that one step with the energy and intent I had been visualizing confirmed our progress. It was not a performance, but it was perfect. It was the next step we needed. Yes, she can heel full patterns, but it was about getting that step of the heelwork just right. If we do that every time, the pattern that follows will be where I want it to be.
One perfect step leads to heeling forward for several perfect steps.
The Secret
The hardest part of heelwork is not the skill. It is the commitment and choosing to move forward even when there are not instant results.
Precision takes patience. It requires getting up early or squeezing in a session after a long day. If you want another secret, here it is: make every heelwork session a play session too. Keep it fun. That joy is what keeps you coming back. Play is essential for your dog’s success, too.
Heelwork has taught me more about consistency and focus than almost any other skill. Sometimes, the best sessions are the quiet ones. The ones where you celebrate one step. Time with your dog is what makes it worth it.
