The answer
No, and the trainers volunteer it to families who never asked. Their name for heeling a dog for the whole walk is heel grinding, and the rule against it is stated by at least five handlers across more than thirty-five dogs. Kelton puts it as a house rule with a temper: "If I find out you're heel grinding your dogs, I'll be super mad." To Bandit's owner he defines it - keeping the dog in a heel for like forty-five minutes, "the most boring walk ever" - and names the usual cause: a six- or four-foot leash, so there is nowhere else for the dog to be. To Rocky's family: "i don't like the thing where you heal the dog for the entire walk it's like that defeats the purpose of the walk". Marvin's lead trainer puts it most simply: heel is "not a way to take a dog on a walk"; it is a command with a situational function.
What heel is for, positively, is the same in every file: walking past someone who seems uncomfortable with your dog, through a crowd, past another dog - then release. Bullet's trainer gives the scale: release after forty-five seconds or a minute. Roxy's trainer supplies the reason to own one at all: it lets a dog be at liberty near you without being recalled over and over.
The reasons given are three. Heel is effortful: the dog has to attend to your moving body the whole time, unlike a sit, a down or place, "That's why you don't leave them in it for a long time." Drago's trainer adds that heel is a behaviour chain, many things at once rather than one position, so it degrades first. Second, the walk is the dog's reward: sniffing, looking and exploring are what the training is paid with, and a ground-down walk spends them. Third, the trainers warn that sustained heel frustrates a dog, and several say that in a nervous or snippy dog it can end in a bite; Dutchess's trainer gives the owner version - people put a dog who bites in a heel everywhere "because that's safe. Wink, wink." Those warnings are the trainers' professional judgement, stated with confidence and not sourced to a case; they are reported here as said.
The alternative for most of the walk is freedom on a longer line, with 'let's go' to move away from a trigger - which, Luna's trainer says, gives the dog the choice. Marvin's owners supply the before-picture: an earlier trainer told them to whip him back into position, and every walk felt like pressure.
The 30 Sep footage repeats the rule at five more dogs' lessons and adds two things. The first is where a trainer's sense of the cost comes from. At Kali and Kane's lesson the trainer says 'i despise heel grinding' and explains how he knows a heel is hard work: teaching trainers and owners, he has stood in for the dog, wearing the leash and e-collar, and been corrected when he thought he was in position and was not - 'it gave me empathy for the dog'. His use is the house use: someone uneasy about the dog, another dog to pass, 'a heel for 30 40 seconds or a minute however long is necessary', then release. The second is a dog-specific reason. At Stormi's go-home the trainer says that for a nervous dog like her, being held in heel the whole time would 'crank up her nerves' and take away the exposure she has been getting; Mazi's owner hears the same warning, with the same claim that heel grinding a nervous dog is a sure way to get a bite within months. Boog's owners are told that long heels are 'really frustrating to dogs' (Connor), Pepper's trainer calls heel 'just a different type of walk' with releases to sniff and keeps his own dogs' walks out of heel 'because I still want the walk to be enjoyable', and Bandit's last walk before going home is made 'very leisurely' as a reward.
A wider reading of the session notes finds the rule at eighteen more dogs' sessions, often in the same words - 'I despise what what I call heel grinding' (Akira), 'Heel grinding sucks' (Apollo the Sharkie), 'i call that heel grinding and it's gross' (Bun), 'that's called heel grinding don't ever do that' (Oscar) - and the same scale: a heel of '30 seconds to a minute minute and a half' and then back to exploring (Bubba Gum), a couple of minutes or a store aisle every few walks (Apollo the Bully), a few reps spread through a walk (Murphy, Kodak). It adds two reasons. At Astro's update evaluation the trainer says a dog heeled all walk against its wishes can develop 'a more generalized suppression where they just don't they choose not to do things now'. At Oscar's go-home the trainer explains how pulling a dog in close as another dog appears feeds the reaction: the dog meets resistance and links it to the dog he has just seen. And at Lucia's session the trainer is careful about the owners: people who heel-grind are not bad people; other trainers have told them to.
Said on film: all of the above. Inferred: that the effort, reward and frustration reasons are one mechanism. Nobody on film measures duration against outcome.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Use heel for moments, not walks: someone uncomfortable with your dog, a crowd, another dog coming - put him in it, walk past, release. Then give the walk back to him: a longer leash, sniffing, exploring. If your only leash is four or six feet, get a longer one, because a short leash is the commonest reason owners end up heel grinding. Always end heel with the release word. Reach for 'let's go' rather than heel when you want to move away from a dog. Do not heel in the house. And if your dog bites or snaps, do not solve it by keeping him in a heel everywhere - the trainers name that as the thing that makes it worse.
What the trainers say
I will say don't heal heel grind. If I find out you're heel grinding your dogs, I'll be super mad. Heel grinding is when you go on a walk and make your dog heel for like 45 minutes. It's icky, don't do it.
on the walks like you see on the walks like i'm not like i didn't heel grind this dog i hate heel
grinding uh heel grinding i is the the label that we give when someone goes on a walk and i see
walk ever it's so unnecessary right but a lot of times people do it because one they don't have a
as needed um the reason is because i don't like the thing where you heal the dog for the entire walk it's like that defeats the purpose of the walk
think of heal it's not a way to take a dog on a walk instead it is a command
do that. Give them the release. Let them go do their thing. Don't heel grind them, please.
harder skill these are what we call behavioral chains so when we're teaching uh sit or down
cuz that's the whole point. Um, I despise what's called heel grinding.
Instead of leaving those rewards on the table, put them back on the table. Use the heel for times when it's useful.
more than sit, it requires more than down, right? Because those are both resting positions. The heel, they have to be paying attention the entire time. That's why you don't leave them in it for a long time.
um it's called so there's a there's a thing it's called heel grinding and heel grinding is where
my my thing is like i want the dogs to keep their personality just make them obedient so like
Actually, if you put a dog in a heel for long periods of time and never let them out of it, you do something called heel grinding, which is really dangerous. It's where you frustrate the dog.
Because the whole point of doing a foos or a heel is that the heel command is supposed to make them entirely focused on you for however long the duration of that heel command which is why i recommend don't heel grind your dog
This is why I need to work on the heel obviously. track because to keep her around me, I have to keep calling her back.
it's useful to be able to call her back and have her like stay with you and heal for a minute if you are off leash
of dogs around and I say that because it's way better to just give kind of like a generic like let's go around a dog because then the dog gets the choice
think of a walk as like all right like a sensory experience for thing he gets to go sniff things do stuff not like all right the whole time right here don't heel grind your dog
And when you're walking with him, don't keep him next to you all the time. Let him go and explore and do things 95% of the time.
right, um, heal is very useful. It's useful in my opinion for temporarily keeping him close to you while something else is happening that you need him close to you for, right? So like crowded area,
like that with the heel or with any command and then you go right back with the heel over and
can walk like this for a minute or two um i don't push this for a super long duration because you know it's nice to let him go look at stuff
there's something called heel grinding and i despise heel grinding is when you take your dog
in a heel for 30 40 seconds or a minute however long is necessary and then I
heel is just it's really frustrating to dogs if you put him in a heel for like
can't grind it heel grinding is where you put a dog in it for like 20 minutes it it's actually
So, yeah, so that's the don't heel grind because for her, it would probably crank up her nerves, right?
It's just a different type of walk.
dogs are just out walking they're not like healing with me for the whole walk
voluntarily like they'd rather go sniff like bro why like what the heck yeah um because that will cause a more generalized suppression where they just don't they choose not to do things now
oh i don't like plexies i want like the that's called heel grinding don't ever do that right heel grinding is when you like keep them right there all the time yeah i really encourage people not to do that
Then I might ask them to heal for like 30 seconds to a minute minute and a half and then I'm like alright break and Let them go back to exploring because I don't like the what I call heel grinding where they're like any heel 24-7
you should heal grind really i'm sorry but if that's your opinion that's completely bonkers
them to go do stuff so i use it primarily when i'm gonna make someone else nervous
Cause then it's just like a permanent heel. And that's like miserable for the dog.
How it looks, dog by dog
Bandit
Kelton, at the first owner lesson, points to the walks on film as the evidence: he did not heel grind this dog, he hates it. He defines it as keeping a dog in a heel for something like forty-five minutes - the most boring walk ever - and gives the practical cause: owners have a six- or four-foot leash and nowhere else to put the dog. Across Bandit's sessions the heel in motion comes on before the entry, and the trainers track the two separately; the heel is kept short and functional. On the go-home day (30 Sep material), after the off-leash work in a large park, the trainer makes the rest of the walk 'very leisurely' on purpose, as a reward for how well Bandit has done: sniffing, hanging out, heel only in short stretches.
On film
on the walks like you see on the walks like i'm not like i didn't heel grind this dog i hate heel
walk ever it's so unnecessary right but a lot of times people do it because one they don't have a
It's more so just like his entry that he's still less confident about it.
I'm making this walk very leisurely. I just want him to, you know, honestly, I just want
Bandit to kind of enjoy himself. He's done so well in the training and he's listening and stuff like
Rocky
At a lesson with Rocky's family, the trainer separates the heel entry from the heel in motion and then says he uses the moving heel only as needed, because heeling the whole walk defeats the purpose of the walk - which is fun for both of them, and sniffing for the dog. The use case is the standard one: walking up to some people, put him in a heel, walk by, release.
On film
as needed um the reason is because i don't like the thing where you heal the dog for the entire walk it's like that defeats the purpose of the walk
but say that you're walking up to some people yeah put him in a heel walk by the people release
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
The case where heel grinding is what the family arrived with. Marvin's owners had trained him earlier with someone who told them to whip him back whenever he got ahead; every walk felt like pressure and he resisted. The trainer names it heel grinding and reframes heel: not a way to take a dog on a walk, but a command with a situational function - for example, people coming toward you with a dog. In the first part of the lesson he shows the owners why a six-foot leash forces the problem: release a dog into freedom on six feet, and everything he wants to sniff is further away than that. His answer is a long Flexi.
On film
think of heal it's not a way to take a dog on a walk instead it is a command
is a little bit relieving to us because sometimes we felt because we did training with him when he
the problem is you're always trying if people are always heel grinding the
Drago
Drago's trainer gives heel's fragility a name: sit and down are one-position behaviours, heel is a behavioural chain with many things happening at once, so it is the harder skill and the first to degrade on a long line or off leash. In the instructional video he closes the loop for owners: give the release, let them go do their thing, don't heel grind them.
On film
harder skill these are what we call behavioral chains so when we're teaching uh sit or down
do that. Give them the release. Let them go do their thing. Don't heel grind them, please.
Bullet
The fullest statement of the economics. The trainer despises heel grinding, defines it, names the cost as forgone reward - the sniffing and exploring a ground-down dog never gets - and ranks the duration commands by effort: place costs almost nothing once settled, sit and down are resting positions, heel needs attention the whole time. Use it when it is useful, then release after forty-five seconds or a minute.
On film
cuz that's the whole point. Um, I despise what's called heel grinding.
more than sit, it requires more than down, right? Because those are both resting positions. The heel, they have to be paying attention the entire time. That's why you don't leave them in it for a long time.
Deuce
The concept arrives unprompted at Deuce's handover, as an argument against overusing the command the family has just been shown. He ties it to what he wants for this dog: keep the personality, just make him obedient - no desire to press a big personality into submission. An hour later he adds that heel tires a high-energy dog quickly, which is a reason to use it deliberately.
On film
um it's called so there's a there's a thing it's called heel grinding and heel grinding is where
my my thing is like i want the dogs to keep their personality just make them obedient so like
If you do it with him all the time, then it won't be as tiring because he's used to it.
Dutchess
The owner version, with the mechanism and the worst case in one breath: put a dog in a heel for long periods and never let them out, you frustrate the dog, and some nervous or snippy dogs will after six months just randomly bite a kid. He names the owner behaviour that produces it and says it is common - she bites, so I'll heel her everywhere because that's safe. He scopes it to this dog: he does not think she would go that far. Before any of it, the mechanical rule: heel is a command like any other and you release her out of it.
On film
Actually, if you put a dog in a heel for long periods of time and never let them out of it, you do something called heel grinding, which is really dangerous. It's where you frustrate the dog.
So people do that all the time with a nervous dog, right?
next to me thank you it's the command that you have to take her out uh yeah so every i mean every
Lola
Kelton's two-dog lesson carries the rule with a temper and then the one application that fits this family: if someone is visibly uncomfortable because she is a pit bull, put her in a heel for a minute. An earlier solo session goes further for a fluttery nervous dog: the trainer will not force a heel at all, because teaching one means pushing harder than keeping one.
On film
I will say don't heal heel grind. If I find out you're heel grinding your dogs, I'll be super mad.
so like one application of Lola would be like if somebody is intimidated because she's a pitbull and they are obviously uncomfortable that your dog is out in front of you put them in a heel for like put her in a heel for
for a nervous dog that like is kind of fluttery. I'm not going to try to force a heel. There's like inherent dangers with that.
Dolce
The rule stated with its definition: heel means she is entirely focused on you for its duration, which is why you do not heel grind her through a forty-five- or thirty-minute walk; it is something done temporarily, when walking by someone with a dog or someone uncomfortable with yours. Her file also holds the one client-facing framing of the walk as a contest - are you walking your dog or is your dog walking you - beside another session's one-rule walk: she is in no command, can sniff and do anything, as long as she does not pull.
On film
which is why i recommend don't heel grind your dog don't like keep going at that forever um you know like 45 minute walk or 20 30 minute walk instead of that's something that you do temporarily
in many other cases it's just a practical use case thing when you need to use it uh for some particular reason like walking by somebody with a dog walking by somebody that seems uncomfortable with your
so like right now she's not in any commands she's just around so she can be around and sniff she can do anything she wants as long as she's not pulling it is the rule
Roxy
The positive half: heel is what buys freedom. Mid-walk the trainer notices he is substituting a stream of recalls for a heel he does not have yet; at the owner lesson heel is described as useful for calling her back and having her stay with you for a minute off leash. Her file also says why heel is finished last: the standard is grey, and negative reinforcement on an unclear criterion causes real problems.
On film
This is why I need to work on the heel obviously. track because to keep her around me, I have to keep calling her back.
it's useful to be able to call her back and have her like stay with you and heal for a minute if you are off leash
The big problem with heel is that it's kind of gray, and so you have to reinforce something something that's as clear as possible from the dog.
Phoebe (the Rottweiler)
On a downtown session the trainer warns against going straight back into heel after a joyful recall, over and over, making the day heel drills - the dog ends up looking miserable. The point is the dog's attitude toward coming to you.
On film
like that with the heel or with any command and then you go right back with the heel over and
Luna
Connor's go-home version: heel should not be the automatic go-to on a walk with dogs around; a generic 'let's go' is better because then the dog gets the choice. In the family's home a different handler keeps her heel in short durations, saying a long one would be unrealistic.
On film
of dogs around and I say that because it's way better to just give kind of like a generic like let's go around a dog because then the dog gets the choice
i'll do it in short durations and then like i'm not going to get her to do a long duration here because i'd be like really driving her to where it would be
Finn, Bo, King, Zeus
The same rule at four more handovers. Finn (Kelton): a walk is a sensory experience, not 'the whole time right here'. Bo: let him explore ninety-five percent of the time and heel all walk 'creates reactivity'. King: heel is for temporarily keeping him close in a crowded area. Zeus: a minute or two, because it is nice to let him look at stuff.
On film
think of a walk as like all right like a sensory experience for thing he gets to go sniff things do stuff not like all right the whole time right here don't heel grind your dog
the walk instead of like all right he has to be here the whole time because that creates reactivity
can walk like this for a minute or two um i don't push this for a super long duration because you know it's nice to let him go look at stuff
Kali
At Kali and Kane's second owner lesson, after the owners have had Kali in heel and released her ('she looks happy now'), the trainer gives his 'other qualification' about the heel. He despises heel grinding - a thirty-minute walk all in heel has 'almost zero purpose', short of a very crowded place. It is hard on the dog because it takes focus, and he knows because he has played the dog for trainers and owners, with a leash and an e-collar on, and been corrected when he thought he was in position. So: give grace on right turns, and use heel for a purpose - someone uneasy about the dog, another dog to keep yours beside you - for 30 or 40 seconds or a minute, then release.
On film
there's something called heel grinding and i despise heel grinding is when you take your dog
out on a walk for 30 minutes and you make them heal the whole time yeah that's craziness there's
this and i even thought i was in the right place i thought i was in heel and they didn't and i got
shocked right so um so it's basically what i'm saying is it gave me empathy for the dog where
in a heel for 30 40 seconds or a minute however long is necessary and then I
Stormi
Stormi's heel is introduced last, in short drills with rest between them, because being made to 'stick super close' after having freedom is intense for any dog. At the go-home the trainer makes 'don't heel grind' an owner rule and gives a reason particular to her: she is a nervous dog, and held in heel the whole walk she would get frustrated, more fearful, and lose the exposure she has been getting. He repeats the general warning that heel grinding a nervous dog raises the risk of a bite, while saying Stormi herself is not a biter. Heel is for passing someone, an aggressive dog, the edge of a road - 'maybe five to ten minutes' - not for twenty or thirty minutes every walk.
On film
because it can be kind of intense in general for a dog to learn that because it is like oh
the dog gets really frustrated dogs that aren't as timid as her um that's actually sometimes you
So, yeah, so that's the don't heel grind because for her, it would probably crank up her nerves, right?
And she's not having that exposure like she did have.
you need her to stay really by you then that's perfect you know maybe five to ten minutes but
Mazi
At Mazi's second owner lesson heel is still the command being finished, and the trainer gives the owner the rule ahead of the handover: heel grinding is a dog put in heel for twenty minutes, with no sniffing, which frustrates it, can build nerves in a dog already a little nervous, and - in his experience - is a sure way to get a nervous dog to bite someone within six months to a year. In the same lesson he says that with bully breeds, who tend to hate heel and down, he spends a lot of time on the heel while teaching it, sometimes five or ten minutes.
On film
commands okay like bullies in general that's why i spend a lot of time on the heel specifically with
with those dogs like i'll sometimes put them in a heel for like five minutes ten minutes okay yeah
can't grind it heel grinding is where you put a dog in it for like 20 minutes it it's actually
and it can in some cases build nerves if the dog is already a little bit like nervous especially
Boog
On the walk at Boog's owner lesson Connor describes the heel Boog will have when training is done - next to you, matching your speed, sitting when you stop - and gives the warning with it: long heels are really frustrating to dogs.
On film
actually done training him he'll have a heel which is where the dog like locks
heel is just it's really frustrating to dogs if you put him in a heel for like
Pepper
Pepper's trainer keeps heel and walk apart in both directions. On an outing he breaks the heel up with releases to sniff, so that she does not take heel as a punishment - 'It's just a different type of walk.' At the owner lesson he says his own dogs' ordinary walks are not spent heeling, because he wants the walk to be enjoyable; the standard is a calm walk with sniffing, no darting or tangling.
On film
So like, we don't want the dog to think keel is like a punishment or anything.
It's just a different type of walk.
dogs are just out walking they're not like healing with me for the whole walk
or anything like that because I still want the walk to be enjoyable and
Akira
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the in-person evaluation the trainer gives the family the rule in his strongest words - heel grinding is 'the most boring thing ever for the dog' - and the uses: a crowd, or another dog on a trail, then release.
On film
way more fun like I despise what what I call heel grinding you don't put your dog in heel for like 30 minutes gross why because it's the most boring thing ever for the dog
Apollo (the Bully)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the second owner lesson Christian gives the practice dose: a couple of minutes of heel every few walks, or an aisle at a store, then the release and he can go and do what he wants.
On film
why, like, this is something that I will randomly practice, like, every couple walks, I'll do a couple minutes a heel, where, or, like, every time I go to a store, I'll do a couple minutes, where it's not, like, it doesn't have to be a long time
Apollo (the Sharkie)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. Apollo's trainer warns against it twice: in a heel session to camera ('a good way to flatten the dog out'), and at the go-home lesson, where play and the environment are named as the best way to take him on a walk.
On film
So what I always tell people is don't be the guy that heel grinds with your dog all day. Heel grinding sucks. It's where you just put him in the heel and you just grind.
Heel grinding is a good way to flatten the dog out and make them suck.
Astro
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At an update evaluation the trainer names heel grinding as the example of rules made arbitrarily strict, and gives a reason not heard elsewhere: a dog heeled for a whole walk against its wishes can stop choosing to do things at all - 'a more generalized suppression'.
On film
that I despise is what I call heel grinding drives me bananas when people go on like 45 minute walks and the dogs can heel the entire time
voluntarily like they'd rather go sniff like bro why like what the heck yeah um because that will cause a more generalized suppression where they just don't they choose not to do things now
Bernie
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the go-home lesson the family is implored not to keep him in heel for a whole walk; walks are on a 26-foot retractable and about 90% free. In a public proofing session the trainer gives the reason: a real heel means his attention is on the handler the whole time.
On film
one thing i implore you don't take your dog for a long walk and just keep him in heel the whole time there's no point in the heel
the purpose of the heel and the reason we don't do it for an entire walk is because a real heel is supposed to be his attentions on me the entire time, or at least just looking forward.
Bubba Gum
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the go-home lesson the trainer gives the scale - a heel of thirty seconds to a minute and a half, then 'break' and back to exploring - before teaching the owner the hand position on a loose leash or retractable.
On film
Then I might ask them to heal for like 30 seconds to a minute minute and a half and then I'm like alright break and Let them go back to exploring because I don't like the what I call heel grinding where they're like any heel 24-7 That's no fun for the dog.
Bun
Not a map member; added from the session notes. To camera the trainer caps a heel at a minute or two, five at most if really needed, because grinding makes a dog's life less fulfilling; at the second owner lesson he tells the family a 45-minute heel is 'gross', and that most of his walks are the dog doing whatever on a retractable, line or off lead.
On film
What you don't use it for is go on an entire walk in a park, and at the beginning of the walk, you say heel and then you take 45 minute walk and he stays in heel the entire time i call that heel grinding and it's gross please don't do it
maybe more so you could think of it as boring it just makes the dog's life a lot less fulfilling and they don't ever actually get out to the freedom
Callie
Not a map member; added from the session notes. On a loose-leash walk in a Short the handler states the house view to camera: freedom to sniff, not a dog kept at your side.
On film
We also believe in freedom, dog freedom, so we let them be dogs and just sniff things and not have to have them right beside us at all times.
Coco
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the first in-program owner lesson the trainer sets the radius as the alternative: some space round the handler, because a dog kept right beside you is in 'a permanent heel', which is miserable for him.
On film
It's like some space for the dog to move around and do their thing because you don't want them like right here all the time. Cause then it's just like a permanent heel. And that's like miserable for the dog.
Kodak
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In the Kodak and Rocko sessions Kelton spreads heel through long free walks: with Rocko, ten or fifteen seconds of correct heel and then the release; with Kodak, a few entries across a walk, and the advice not to drill obsessively but to have a normal walk and ask for things now and then.
On film
you don't have to like obsessively drill the dog just have a look at normal walk with them man have a good time walk around and then like spread out throughout the walk
he found the spot again we walked for you know about 10 15 seconds after that at most maybe maybe less and then i released him
Lucia
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In a session about autonomy the trainer points at Lucia and asks whether a dog like her could be content walking at your side all walk - and says the people who think so are not bad people; other trainers have told them to.
On film
look at her look at her do you think that that dog is the kind of dog that's just going to be totally happy and fine not have any further desires just walking lazily by your side for the entire walk in a heel
Max (Goldendoodle)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At Max's go-home lessons Kelton says he does not need Max beside him - he prefers him out in front, sniffing - and keeps heel for when he is about to make someone nervous, such as walking through a crowd.
On film
he can just walk wherever he wants to walk it's fine um so i don't have to have him beside me all the time please don't it's gross i don't like it um i call it heel grinding
the reason i don't like healing with dogs for a long time is boring for the dog um and it's annoying for me
Murphy
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In Murphy's Shorts the trainer teaches heel sparingly - a few reps spread through a longer walk, each ended with the release and lots of freedom.
On film
i don't do it a whole bunch in a row i do it very sparingly um little by little again slow is fast so only a few repetitions spread out for your longer walk
Oscar
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At Oscar's go-home the trainer praises the family for already walking on a retractable and names heel grinding as what not to do, with a mechanism: pulling an energetic dog in close as another dog appears gives him resistance he links to that dog, and he pulls harder.
On film
oh i don't like plexies i want like the that's called heel grinding don't ever do that right heel grinding is when you like keep them right there all the time
right what's he gonna do he's gonna be like what is it what is it oh now i'm gonna like pull pull forward even more because now he's like oh i'm getting resistance for some reason yeah it's attached to that dog that i just saw
Penny
Not a map member; added from the session notes. Kelton tells Penny's family that a forced heel is not functional: she needs to hold a good few minutes without breaking, and then it is used for a stroller going by and released.
On film
just use it for the things that needs to be used for but there's no real purpose in healing a dog for 30 minutes for like the vast majority of dogs
Peque (PK)
Not a map member; added from the session notes. In a park Short with Peque (PK) the handler explains that after 'okay' the dogs are encouraged to walk in front and sniff like regular dogs, not stay in heel all walk.
On film
We encourage them to walk around, walk in front of us and sniff things like regular dogs do, you know, just outside and not just stay on a heel the whole walk. We want them to enjoy the walk and not just stand right beside us the whole time.
Ramsey
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the park Connor will not be picky about Ramsey's radius: forcing him into a near-heel all the time is rough on a dog and defeats the point of having a heel.
On film
i mean i'm not gonna make him forced into a semi heel 24 7 because that's just rough for a dog but again why would you do that what's the point of heel if you're gonna force the dog into almost you all the time
Sputnik
Not a map member; added from the session notes. At the go-home lesson for Sputnik and his housemates Kelton tells the family he will call them if he hears they have been heel grinding: let him go to the end of the leash and smell things.
On film
heel grind them yeah if i if i if i hear that you guys have been like here like heel grinding the whole time i'm gonna call you like stop doing that let him go off to the end of the leash and smell stuff
Why it works
Three stated reasons. Effort: heel requires attention to the handler's moving body the whole time, unlike the resting positions and place, so it is not a position to leave a dog in (watch 11:39); it is a behavioural chain, many behaviours at once, which is why it is harder and degrades first (watch 01:18); and it tires a high-energy dog (watch 15:00). Reward: sniffing and exploring are the pay the training is funded with, and a heel-ground walk spends them (watch 09:39; watch 59:21). Frustration: sustained heel with no release frustrates the dog, and trainers warn that in a nervous or snippy dog it can end in a bite (watch 04:22); Bo's trainer states the stronger causal claim that heeling all walk creates reactivity (watch 24:10). The replacement is freedom on a longer line, 'let's go' to move off a trigger because it leaves the dog a choice (watch 27:44), and heel for a minute where it is needed. Inferred: that effort, reward and frustration are one mechanism. The bite timescales are stated as experience, not sourced to cases; nobody on film tests heel duration against outcome. 30 Sep update: two additions. The effort reason is given from experience: Kali's trainer has stood in for the dog with a leash and e-collar and been corrected when he believed he was in heel, which 'gave me empathy for the dog' (watch 62:07). And a fourth reason, for nervous dogs: held in heel the whole walk, Stormi would get more frustrated and more nervous and would lose the exposure the training had been giving her (watch 44:56). The bite timescale ('six months to a year') is repeated by the trainer at Mazi's and Stormi's lessons as experience, not sourced to a case (watch 10:51; watch 43:26). Coverage pass (1 Oct 2026): two further stated reasons. Generalised suppression - a dog kept in heel against its wishes for a whole walk may stop choosing to do things (watch 02:17). And the leash reaction - pulling a dog in close as another dog appears gives him resistance that he links to that dog, so he pulls harder (watch 30:45); this is the first on-film mechanism offered for the claim that heeling all walk creates reactivity (watch 24:10).
Where the trainers differ
Is the walk a contest of control, or a sensory experience with one rule?
One view
A contest: are you walking your dog or is your dog walking you.
On film
i'll talk to other people about this and like clients and stuff it's about like not letting your dog walk you like are you walking your dog or his dog walking you
Another view
A sensory experience with one rule - no pulling.
On film
so like right now she's not in any commands she's just around so she can be around and sniff she can do anything she wants as long as she's not pulling it is the rule
think of a walk as like all right like a sensory experience for thing he gets to go sniff things do stuff not like all right the whole time right here don't heel grind your dog
How to read it
Both said to clients about the same dog; never set side by side.
For a nervous dog: teach the heel carefully, or not at all?
One view
Not at all: teaching a heel pushes harder than keeping one, and for a fluttery dog that has inherent dangers.
On film
for a nervous dog that like is kind of fluttery. I'm not going to try to force a heel. There's like inherent dangers with that.
Another view
Teach it softly and keep it short.
On film
i'll do it in short durations and then like i'm not going to get her to do a long duration here because i'd be like really driving her to where it would be
How long may a heel last?
One view
Under a minute: walk past and release after forty-five seconds or a minute.
On film
Instead of leaving those rewards on the table, put them back on the table. Use the heel for times when it's useful.
in a heel for 30 40 seconds or a minute however long is necessary and then I
Another view
A minute or two at a time.
On film
can walk like this for a minute or two um i don't push this for a super long duration because you know it's nice to let him go look at stuff
A third view
Five to ten minutes when it is really needed, or while teaching a dog who dislikes the command; twenty or thirty minutes is the grinding.
On film
you need her to stay really by you then that's perfect you know maybe five to ten minutes but
with those dogs like i'll sometimes put them in a heel for like five minutes ten minutes okay yeah
How to read it
Nobody disagrees it should be short. Teaching sessions on film run heel longer than these using durations, and the difference between teaching and using duration is never stated on camera. The 30 Sep footage widens the range: Kali's trainer keeps to under a minute, while Stormi's go-home allows five to ten minutes when needed, and Mazi's lesson describes five- or ten-minute heels while teaching bully breeds. All three call twenty or thirty minutes grinding; the line between teaching duration and using duration is still not drawn on film.
Common owner mistakes
- Using heel as management for a dog you are worried about - beside you everywhere because it feels safe.
On film
So people do that all the time with a nervous dog, right?
Dutchess · Watch at 4:41 ↗ - Walking on a four- or six-foot leash, so heel is the only place the dog can be.
On film
walk ever it's so unnecessary right but a lot of times people do it because one they don't have a
Bandit · Watch at 39:36 ↗ - Snapping the dog back every time he gets ahead, so every walk is pressure.
On film
is a little bit relieving to us because sometimes we felt because we did training with him when he
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer) · Watch at 24:14 ↗ - Never releasing him out of it.
On film
do that. Give them the release. Let them go do their thing. Don't heel grind them, please.
Drago · Watch at 20:17 ↗ - Going straight back into heel drills after a happy recall.
On film
like that with the heel or with any command and then you go right back with the heel over and
Phoebe (the Rottweiler) · Watch at 10:04 ↗ - Reaching for heel when a dog appears instead of 'let's go'.
On film
of dogs around and I say that because it's way better to just give kind of like a generic like let's go around a dog because then the dog gets the choice
Luna · Watch at 27:44 ↗ - Heeling the dog in the house.
On film
and then like you went down right but it's not you're not like healing your dog in the house
Deuce · Watch at 4:58 ↗ - Correcting the heel while the criterion is still unclear to the dog.
On film
The big problem with heel is that it's kind of gray, and so you have to reinforce something something that's as clear as possible from the dog.
Roxy · Watch at 22:17 ↗ - Treating heel as a punishment or as the whole walk, so the dog learns to dread it.
On film
So like, we don't want the dog to think keel is like a punishment or anything.
Pepper · Watch at 12:32 ↗
Questions owners ask
When should I use heel?
For a moment with a purpose: someone coming toward you who seems uncomfortable with your dog, a crowd, another dog passing. Put him in it, walk by, release. Bullet's trainer puts the release at forty-five seconds to a minute.
On film
but say that you're walking up to some people yeah put him in a heel walk by the people release
in many other cases it's just a practical use case thing when you need to use it uh for some particular reason like walking by somebody with a dog walking by somebody that seems uncomfortable with your
Isn't a dog at my side the whole walk the safest option?
The trainers say no. Heel takes constant attention, frustration builds without a release, and several warn that in a nervous or snippy dog that can end in a bite. Dutchess's trainer says owners do this all the time with a dog who bites. The safer routine is freedom on a longer line and heel for moments.
On film
Actually, if you put a dog in a heel for long periods of time and never let them out of it, you do something called heel grinding, which is really dangerous. It's where you frustrate the dog.
Why is heel harder than sit or down?
Because it is not one position. Drago's trainer calls it a behavioural chain with many things happening at once; Bullet's says the dog has to pay attention the entire time, where sit and down are resting positions.
On film
harder skill these are what we call behavioral chains so when we're teaching uh sit or down
more than sit, it requires more than down, right? Because those are both resting positions. The heel, they have to be paying attention the entire time. That's why you don't leave them in it for a long time.
A previous trainer taught us to snap him back whenever he got ahead. Was that wrong?
Marvin's trainer calls that heel grinding and reframes heel as a situational command, not a way to walk. The owners said walks had felt like pressure every time; the change was a longer leash and freedom, with heel for moments.
On film
think of heal it's not a way to take a dog on a walk instead it is a command
What should the rest of the walk look like?
His. Bo's trainer says let him explore ninety-five percent of the time with the leash as a prop; Finn's handover calls the walk a sensory experience. The one rule that stays on is no pulling.
On film
And when you're walking with him, don't keep him next to you all the time. Let him go and explore and do things 95% of the time.
think of a walk as like all right like a sensory experience for thing he gets to go sniff things do stuff not like all right the whole time right here don't heel grind your dog
My dog is nervous. Isn't keeping him in a heel the safest way to walk him?
The trainers say the opposite. At Stormi's go-home the trainer tells the owner that for a nervous dog, being held in heel the whole walk would crank up her nerves and take away the exposure she has been getting. He and Mazi's trainer both warn that heel grinding a nervous dog raises the risk of a bite, giving six months to a year as their experience; that is their professional judgement, not a filmed case. Use heel to get past something, then let the dog have the walk.
On film
So, yeah, so that's the don't heel grind because for her, it would probably crank up her nerves, right?
And she's not having that exposure like she did have.
and it can in some cases build nerves if the dog is already a little bit like nervous especially