Cruise Control for Power Heeling is, naturally, a video about heeling. But that's like saying that Moby Dick is a novel about a whale. I've only seen Janice DeMello heeling with her dogs a few times, and each time I've gotten chills. It's difficult to convey in non-sappy standard English exactly what watching Janice and her dogs heeling is like: fluid, natural, effortless, precise...and something more. But the results that I've seen are little short of dazzling; so seamless is the partnership that it's simply impossible to tell who's leading and who's following. Janice and her dogs make it look easy.

But Cruise Control is a wakeup call: this sort of heeling is anything but easy. This video is packed with detailed information on methods that have helped Janice DeMello attain the partnership with her dogs that she enjoys. It most emphatically is not a tape for the novice, or the weekend trialer interested more in titles and fun than in competitive scores. It may not even be a tape for the average OTCH trainer. But for those who are willing to put in the time and effort to achieve heeling excellence, Cruise Control is simply packed with information.

The video opens with a sequence of Janice heeling with her Tibetan Terrier Boggles to music. Boggles, of course, heels precisely and with perfect attention. But this is no ordinary AKC obedience ring sort of heeling. Janice and Boggles demonstrate all sorts of backwards and sideways swirls that make it appear for all the world as if this dog and his person are dancing. At the tape's beginning, Janice emphasizes the fact that one must have a dog with perfect attention in order to embark on the cruise control program. Cruise Control for Power Heeling makes use of the dog's high level of attention by teaching the handler advanced body awareness cues and footwork. The dog is then taught to lead with his rear in heeling, similar to the sort of pivot involved in turning toward the number three glove in utility. The result of this head-up, rear-leading form of heeling is very impressive.

So who should purchase Cruise Control for Power Heeling? It's not a tape for those without exactingly high goals, unless they're simply curious about where great heeling comes from. But if you strive for perfection, you can't be without this tape. I particularly hope that anyone interested in the emerging sport of Freestyle will take the time to study it.