Training for excellence ... beyond me?

While your looking at foot placement, you may also want to consider your speed during the about turn. Are you slowing down which causes him to forge? The bigger the dog and especially one with a lot of energy the more one has to turn quickly. Just thinking out loud here, but is the ring gating playing a role in this issue?

Dani
OTCh Staymat Magnificent Journey UDX, OM2
Armitage Dazzling Spun Gold CDX, RAE
Double Dare Derrick CD, RAE
Blackmyst Poker Face CD, RN

Yes speed can be an issue. Didn't have that problem with Justice or Ember but Diva could be quite a forger. I had to keep quite a brisk pace with her. Also I need to teach her a focal point(really my left front pocket) at my hip as she would forge and wrap to look up at my face. Obviously she was short and that cause her to be way out of position. She had so much forward extension and drive and bounced like a bunny for 6 months when we started heeling because I was not moving fast enough for her liking.
 
I have a metronome, haven't used it in a while but it is good to use to keep my feet moving...

You're going to smile at this...Dalton, my 10" sheltie, learned that the tick, tick sound of the metronome was one of the requirements to heel, so without the noise he didn't.

Dani
OTCh Staymat Magnificent Journey UDX, OM2
Armitage Dazzling Spun Gold CDX, RAE
Double Dare Derrick CD, RAE
Blackmyst Poker Face CD, RN
 
You're going to smile at this...Dalton, my 10" sheltie, learned that the tick, tick sound of the metronome was one of the requirements to heel, so without the noise he didn't.

Dani
OTCh Staymat Magnificent Journey UDX, OM2
Armitage Dazzling Spun Gold CDX, RAE
Double Dare Derrick CD, RAE
Blackmyst Poker Face CD, RN

there should be an app for that- so you can hear it with your headphones/earbuds but the dog wouldn't......
 
there should be an app for that- so you can hear it with your headphones/earbuds but the dog wouldn't......

Good suggestion!

Some shelties, I won't use their names, can hear a feral cat in the back of my 1 acre property and we have triple pane windows....so I imagine a dog in heel position can hear one's earbud noise. That said, I do believe most dogs would not associate the sounds from a metronome as part of the heeling process, but there are some like Dalton who would. For the new dog owner who is training in group classes with not so experienced trainers, they may not even consider that their dog could become addicted to the metronome noise.

Dani
OTCh Staymat Magnificent Journey UDX, OM2 - 4 yr old
Armitage Dazzling Spun Gold CDX, RAE - 7 yr old
Double Dare Derrick CD, RAE - 8 yr old
Blackmyst Poker Face CD, RN - 2 yr old
 
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