WW235: May 16 - 3 Steps Back: Teaching Backing Up in Heel Position

Does your dog really struggle with the backing up signs in rally? Would you like to clean up those left turns and pivots to make them just a bit more snappy? Having a dog that understands how to maintain heel position, whether going forward or in reverse, makes teaching all of this stuff so much easier and will really clean up your heeling. This workshop isn’t just for rally peeps, it’s for anyone whose goal is a nice competition heel.

In this workshop, we’ll start with some basic left pivot stuff and will test how well your dog understands how to stay in heel position. The left pivot foundation skill is important so we will spend some time outlining how to get a left pivot without a disc. We’ll briefly cover the steps to teach the dog to back up in front of you to a rear foot target, then you’ll learn how to transfer that skill to heel. While this skill is very helpful in teaching back initially in heeling, it is not required.

Once you get the dog moving backward in heel, I’ll show you how to teach the dog to stay straight and in heel as you move backward more steps and even do right and left 90 degree turns in reverse. Once your dog understands the concept, the sky is the limit!

Working dogs should have a basic understanding of heel position and should be proficient in left pivots on the disc.

Watch the trailer:

This is a previously run workshop.  Your purchase will provide access to both the original presentation recording and the student feedback recording. There is no opportunity to submit video or ask questions. 

Instructor: Nicole Wiebusch

Nicole Wiebusch CPDT-KA (she/her) has been competing in dog sports for over 25 years.  Starting in 4-H, Nicole quickly became addicted to the sport of obedience and has been showing in obedience, rally, and agility ever since.  (Click here for full bio and to view Nicole's upcoming courses)