Justicemom
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Well there is a lot of schools of thought on that. I actually look about 3 feet in front of Diva and watch Diva out of the side of my eye. My instructor believes in maintaining a certain amount of eye contact for the exact reasons you mentioned. You can actually push the dog back or forward depending on where you look. Maintaining eye contact on things like signals can actually freeze them in place. So we are taught always look were you want to the dog to go. I guess this is why Justice and Ember can actually do signals with just eye movement.
For example on the figure 8 when we are doing the part with the dog on the outside you look at your feet and not at the dog. You don't move your head just your eyes this will cause the dog to speed up to keep look at you the same. Also you can push them back or forward on the finished at looking at our left or right foot. Justice tends to sit forward so I look at my left foot and that keeps him back. Ember tends to sit back of my so I look at my right foot and that pulls her up. Diva, I don't know yet. The same thing can be done with your shoulders. That is why if you have a lagging dog down look back and don't slow down. Dogs are amazing at playing off the pressure your body gets them be that your eyes ,legs, hands or body. If you look at the second day, off leash heeling you'll see Diva jump out wide and then come back. That was me I moved my hand out and the cause Diva to move out. I was nervous so I was moving my hands weirdly. I also get nervous and don't look where I am suppose to look. The problems are usually me but not always.
Other people teach the look forward thing but it really doesn't matter as long as the dog stays in position at least here in the states.
I tend to pick a focus point about 5-6 feet in front of me while heeling. :shrug: works for us 