I couldn't disagree with you more.

Every working dog has to have a heel or at least have a command to be behind the handler. Every book I have read on sheep dog training, border collies, the farmers I have had the joy to work with and the breed experts I have met have all got commands for getting their dog to heel.

If a farmer was carrying out a livestock check and there dog wasn;t under control it would try and work every animlal it came across. The heel command and the "That'll do" command are the only ones that are not a cue for the dog to work so even if the dog set off to work and animal and you gave it a "Down" command it would switch into work mode. When they give their heel command the dog knows it is not needed for work so it can tag along nice and relaxed. The vast majority of farmers don't even use a heel command they will use the "That'll do" to call the dog into them and to the dog that is exactly it. If the farmer wants them to work after that a command is given. If not then they walk away and the dog follows. These dogs have tried to be out in front so much and been told off for it becasue a dog can't follow you if it is out in front, it can't see you change direction and for that split second you could lose control and you could potentially lose your dog and a fully trained sheepdog ain't cheap. Not much change from £2000 for a half decent trained dog.

Who ever has told you that working dogs don't need ot learn how to heel is too lazy to teach it.