05/03/2025
Recently, someone on the interwebs asked if I would ever try some challenge issued by some big-name trainer. I don't remember who the trainer was, and I don't really care to know, because it was BONKERS to me.
Would I, for a chance at $50,000, walk my dog or a client's dog down the street in New York City, off leash, for 30 minutes, in a perfect heel, alongside this trainer and their dog, to prove that positive training works?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Here's why:
1. IT'S UNETHICAL
Never trust anyone who is willing to put your dog's life at risk in exchange for money, prestige, good press, "likes," or whatever else. Being off leash on a busy street is simply a risk that I'm not willing to take with my dog or anyone else's, no matter how long we've been working on a solid heel. Please ALWAYS leash your dog in that kind of environment (unless they are a service animal whose tasks would be impeded by a leash). Don't wish you had. Nobody ever thinks it's going to be their dog, until it is.
2. IT'S POINTLESS
There's no reason that any pet dog should be expected to do this. Even most service dogs aren't expected to do this. So... why would I put a bunch of work into training for it? To look cool? For social media clout? Just to show I can? No thanks! When I work on off-leash behaviors, it's for a practical purpose such as emergency preparedness, not to take robotic walks down busy streets *just because*. Never feel pressured to do things with your dog just because you'd look good doing it.
3. IT'S A WASTE OF A WALK
I don't know who needs to hear this, but let your dog sniff on walks!! The portion of the canine brain dedicated to smell is absolutely enormous, and engaging it tires them out far more than a militaristic march down the street. If I were walking Ezra in New York, the last thing I would make him do is heel unless I really needed him to. That city is a cavalcade of smells, and it would be silly to keep him from going "sightseeing" with the strongest sense he has at his disposal!
4. IT'S ILLEGAL
NYC has some pretty strict leash laws, so in order to prove to this person that I'm a good trainer, I would have to break the law. Seems legit, right? Please always follow your local leash laws. They exist for a darn good reason, and my reactive client dogs would appreciate your cooperation!
5. WE ALREADY KNOW R+ WORKS
At this point, every dog training discipline at every level has been infiltrated by reinforcement-based trainers. We don't need to prove that it works anymore. It does. Get over it. 😘
6. I'm just not that kind of trainer!
The majority of the dogs I see have some kind of deep-rooted behavioral issue that can't be cured with mere compliance, so we work less on "commands" and more on things like self-regulation, changing underlying emotions, and improving overall welfare. Many of my client dogs have gone on to crush it in all kinds of jobs - service dogs, obedience competitors, agility rockstars, stock dogs, guardians, the list goes on - but I refer them to trainers who know what they're doing. Asking me to prove I'm good at my job by heeling through NYC is like interviewing a nanny with questions about the history of cheese! Dog behavior is a diverse field with a plethora of specialties, and a perfect half-hour heel is not some ultimate test of skill for most of us.
I would issue an alternative challenge to every dog guardian: prove to me that your dog is SAFE and HAPPY.
Teach them to think, not to listen; and have fun, even if it's not impressive. 💙
Image: Senior Belgian Malinois before city skyline. Text: NYC Heeling Challenge and why I don't care!
