Heel Work Off Lead

At this level, your dog should have a good understanding of the heel command and be walking nicely on a loose lead. We are now going to start transitioning that heel work to being off lead.

Moving from on-lead heel work to off-lead can feel like a big step, so take your time and build your dog’s confidence gradually. If you feel that going completely off lead is a little daunting, you can use a heeling lead as an intermediate step.

To begin, put the heeling lead on your dog and remove the slip lead. Allow the heeling lead to simply fall and follow your dog as you work through the exercise. This gives you the security of having something attached while your dog learns that the expectations remain the same.

Go back to the basics you established with your on-lead heel work. Change your pace, change direction, stop, start and keep your dog focused on you. Reward your dog regularly for being in the correct position and for choosing to stay connected with you.

As your dog becomes more reliable, gradually increase the distractions and environments you train in. Practice in different locations, at different times of the day and around different distractions to ensure your heel work is reliable wherever you are.

Remember, off-lead heel work is not built in one session. Take your time, reward the behaviour you want and continue to build a dog that chooses to work with you.