Chapter 8
🐾 Keep the momentum into heelwork
In this part, we look at the dynamic turn-in.
The goal is to keep the dog’s energy, momentum and motivation when moving into heel position, instead of first coming to a complete stop and losing some of that drive.
A simple way to do this is to turn over your left shoulder.
This keeps both you and your dog in motion.
🔄 The dynamic turn-in
You can:
➡️ Turn one or two rounds over your left shoulder
➡️ Let the dog stay in motion with you
➡️ Guide him in an arc into heel position
➡️ Start walking directly from that movement
Especially in the beginning, the dog may also chase the hand a little before being guided into position.
This can help maintain the dynamics and make the transition feel more exciting.
🎉 Keep the game rewarding
It is important that the dog does not chase the hand unsuccessfully all the time.
That can quickly become frustrating.
So make sure he also gets success in between:
✅ Reward from the hand
✅ Let him win the toy sometimes
✅ Keep the motivation high
I personally also like to use a toy between repetitions, so the dog can bite into it and release some energy.
⚖️ Motivation with control
Even though we want more energy, the dog should still stay under control.
The goal is not for him to become completely overexcited or start jumping wildly.
The dynamic turn-in is simply a tool to carry the existing momentum into heelwork without creating a break.
💡 Not every dog handles this kind of dynamic setup equally well. Adjust the intensity to your dog and always keep the balance between motivation and control.