Many dogs have this issue - you've all seen those wonderful Border Collies doing great heelwork in obedience classes, or doing fabulous rounds in agility, but what do you see when the show has finished and the dogs are being walked back home...? Lots of them in Haltis! and still straining against the lead!

For many breeds of working dog it's not natural to them to be at heel - they are meant to be apart from the handler, sometimes way out in front (BC for instance), working independently. That's why they are working dogs really, not meant to be waiting in the background but having initiative to do what they do.

Yes Merly can walk nicely to heel but most of the time he won't. Every single day of his life with me so far (3.5 years and counting) on every walk he is reminded what we learned at class and I make sure he spends *some* time doing what he was trained to do, walk nicely at heel watching me. he'll do it for a while, but then it's back to normal dog stuff, sniffing, marking, being "a dog". We have a compromise though - if I ever stop still, he automatically 'reins in' and comes back to the heel position.

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