Apologies for the long video, this is a play session from today and it’s an area of training I want to get more from. Would love your thoughts on this Alex, as you mentioned the hecticness of the chewing also can relate to other areas!

Great 1-to-1 coaching call with @James Jaggard today, working on focused heelwork. James had already created very nice movement and a really good overall picture, but reached the stage where progressing further became difficult. The main challenge was fading away the lure without losing precision. His dog is also much more driven for toy play than food, which creates another challenge: how do you bring toys into the training, increase drive and enthusiasm, but still keep the precision? So during the call we discussed the whole roadmap from where he is now all the way to the final heelwork behaviour. Not just what to do in the next session, but how every stage connects to the final picture. We adjusted the strategy for using the lure and then fading it away step by step, while still giving the dog enough information to understand exactly how we want the heelwork to look. We broke down how to: • fade the lure without losing precision • introduce toy rewards without losing the picture • teach drive switching from food to toy and toy back to food • work in high drive without sacrificing precision • teach the dog to think in high arousal • nurture enthusiasm while keeping clarity • progress into turns and more advanced heelwork • prepare the foundations now so heelwork around the decoy doesn’t become a problem later This is something I see very often. You create a really nice picture, the dog has good movement and enthusiasm, but then you reach the point where you’re not sure how to progress without losing what you already have. And this is why I don’t think you need another collection of tips and tricks for your heelwork training. On the way to the final behaviour, you will always face challenges. What is much more useful is having a system — a roadmap you can follow step by step — that gives both you and your dog clarity about what comes next. Instead of waiting for problems to appear and then trying to fix each one with another tip or trick, you understand where you are, where you are going, and what needs to happen in between.

ok I decided to do something crazy. Heelwork for Dummies online course is now for 1$ !!! for this weekend only. Go to https://www.skool.com/karate4dogs/classroom and grab while you can :)

I’m finishing Play with Purpose – Second Edition, which builds on the original challenge and goes deeper based on real implementation and the questions that came up from you. Because you’re inside this community, you’ll get free access to the Second Edition when it’s released. Here’s where I need your help. If you’ve already been through Play with Purpose and it changed how you use play, motivation, or structure in training, I’d appreciate a short, honest review. Nothing polished. Just: - where you were before - what shifted - what you do differently now You can leave it here: https://g.page/r/CeTWEis3qMEnEAE/review or in the comments or by email. If you’re also waiting for Heelwork Hackers, community members will get priority access and a loyalty discount when it opens! Thanks to everyone who’s been in this early group — your feedback directly shapes what I build next. — Alex

Thanks for jumping in here early – you’re basically the founding members of this community. This space is for all of you who already follow my work and want a place to go a bit deeper together. Please say hi in the comments and share: - Who are you and what dog/dogs you have? - What are you mainly working on right now? - What’s the first thing you’d like to learn here – one topic or problem you want me to cover as soon as possible? Many thanks, Alex