Portland, OR · Obedience Training School
Heel teaches handlers and dogs to actually understand each other — one leash correction, one marker word, one proud moment at a time.
Real clients, real milestones. Every photo submitted by the handler who lived it.
"She finally held it for a full 10 seconds!"
Biscuit · Golden Retriever
"No more shoulder bruises. Week 3."
Arlo · German Shepherd
"Two full minutes. I cried."
Nell · Border Collie
"He came back. Every single time."
Pepper · Hound Mix (rescue)
"Day 1. She's a natural."
Maple · Labrador (8 weeks)
"Graduated together. Best six weeks."
Theo & Mochi · Vizsla & Shiba Inu
"The moment your dog looks up at you on a loose leash — that's not obedience. That's a conversation starting."
— Sarah K., Head Trainer
"She walked past a dog without lunging. First time ever."
Rosie · Pit Bull Mix (rescue)
"First qualifying score. 95 points."
Blaze · Australian Shepherd
"He was terrified of the leash. Not anymore."
Pretzel · Dachshund
"Forty feet. Full sprint. Perfect recall."
Clover · Golden Retriever
"My 9-year-old trained her herself."
Duchess · Standard Poodle
"Six weeks ago he couldn't sit for two seconds."
Baxter · Beagle
"Marker timing is everything. The click or the word has to land within half a second of the behavior. That's the whole game."
— Marcus T., Reactive Dog Specialist
Three programs, one philosophy: clear communication between you and your dog.
Weeks 8–16
Six weeks of structured play, marker training, and real-world exposure. We teach puppies to default to eye contact instead of chaos — and teach owners how to read what their dog is actually saying.
For rescue & reactive dogs
Eight weeks of threshold work, counter-conditioning, and systematic desensitization. We don't suppress the reaction — we replace it. Rosie walked past three dogs on her graduation day.
AKC Rally & Obedience
Ongoing group sessions for handlers preparing for AKC Rally, Novice Obedience, or CGC. We drill precision heeling patterns, attention exercises, and ring procedure. Blaze earned his first Q in 11 weeks.
Dogs Graduated
Client Retention Rate
Years of Practice
AKC-Certified Trainers
"I adopted Rosie from the shelter and she was a mess on leash — barking, lunging, the whole thing. Three weeks into Reactive Rehab I actually cried on a walk. Not from frustration. From relief. She walked past a dog and just... kept walking. That moment paid for every session."
Danielle Okonkwo
Rosie, Pit Bull Mix · Portland, OR
Sarah Kim
Head Trainer & Founder
CPDT-KA · KPA CTP · 12 years
Sarah founded Heel after years of watching owners quit because no one explained what their dog was actually feeling. She specializes in building handler confidence alongside dog skills.
Marcus Torres
Reactive Dog Specialist
CSAT · Fear Free Certified · 8 years
Marcus works exclusively with reactive and fearful dogs. His approach: never flood, never force. He's helped 200+ reactive dogs find their calm in the past three years alone.
Tell us about your dog and we'll match you to the right program. The trainer reads every submission before the first call.
A 7-day starter guide: what to teach, in what order, and exactly how many repetitions per session. No YouTube rabbit holes.
What happens next
We review your submission and your dog's photo.
Sarah or Marcus calls within 24 hours for a 15-min chat.
We match you to the right program and reserve your spot.
