GM News - September 2026

and
    "Build skills deliberately, in thin slices, so they hold up under stress, over time, and in unfamiliar places."  Suzanne Clothier

 

Let's take heeling as an example:
Start in the hallway (or row of chairs or couch)
- the solid passage helps dog and handler maintain closeness
- distractions are few and manageable
- practice off-lead and then on-lead

Take some video of practice:
- What did your hand signal look like?
- Did your hand signals vary, or were they consistent?
- When did you deliver the reinforcement (food reward/praise)?
- How did you deliver the reinforcement?  (e.g. above your dog’s head, behind your dog’s head, etc.)
- Where was your dog looking when you delivered the reinforcement?  (e.g. was your dog looking up at you and paying attention to you?)

When handler's action and dog's response are fluent, move to the backyard and then the driveway. [Back to the hallway might be needed if
- The handler needs to practice techniques to recapture the dog's focus
- Moving outside showed the dog doesn't really understand "heel".]

When heeling skill feels solid, heel out and about. 

But before we can reasonably expect the dog to heel anywhere, anytime: 
Consciously think about and plan for new elements: maybe need to reward more frequently, heel for shorter distances, heel away from rather than in parallel to distractions
Before practising, do some analysis
For example:
  Handler tired? -> easy, short and sweet practice 
  Dog stressed? -> skip the practice, focus on fun  (if stressed is a regular state of being, address the causes)
  Windy? Noisy?  -> is a somewhat sheltered location available for practice?
  New place, new smells? -> period of sniffy exploration before practice

Maintenance is also required - skills fade if they're not used.