I begin teaching turns and changes of pace simultaneously by using circular heeling patterns. I start with large circles to the left where the dog must slow down a bit to watch my left hand. Next, I do large circles to the right where the dog must accelerate in order to stay in the correct heel position. I use no physical corrections for a dog that either forges or lags a bit. The dog is in the learning stage and needs to be shown what I want before having it demanded of him. Entice your dog with your left hand, then stop and feed him when the enticement draws him into the proper position. Large serpentines are a useful precursor to training more abrupt turns as well as the "fast" and "slow" paces.

When teaching the 'slow', be sure your footwork is the same as it will be in the ring. Keep your stride length unchanged but over two steps, slow your pace down to about 50% of your normal pace. You will later be teaching your dog to anticipate the halt (sit) by a shortening of your stride, so pay attention to what you are doing with your feet. Be sure to stop and feed the dog while doing the slow time on a regular basis. This helps maintain attention during this boring activity.

Many dogs are initially reticent to run with their handlers during the 'fast' pace. It is very common to see a dog completely stop when the handler starts to run for the first time. Never correct for lagging on a fast! This will only cause your dog to lag even more. A dog that is uncomfortable running with it's handler may be best taught a fast pace by training for this exercise separately while on informal walks. Simply start to run with your dog on leash on the left side. When he ends up roughly in heel position, praise, feed or play with the dog, letting him know how pleased you are. Once your dog becomes comfortable running with you informally, you can incorporate a fast pace into your heeling routine rather easily. Encourage your Pem to break into a canter (run) when you do a fast pace. If the dog canters, there will never be a question in the judge's mind about whether a real acceleration has taken place. Dogs with a lot of experience in the conformation ring are often unwilling to break stride from a trot. This is not a big deal, just be sure you are showing the judge a true change of pace.

Right turns and left turns are fairly simple for a Pembroke that has been trained to heel with attention, once changes of pace have been learned. During the left turn, the dog must slow down briefly. On the right turn, he must accelerate for a few steps to keep up with the handler. Most of the points lost on right and left turn are caused by handlers trying to help their dogs. Although these turns are ninety degree changes of direction, they need not and should not be military turns. There should be no change of pace by the handler as the corner is turned, no obvious extra steps or any "hitch in your get-along." I generally turn with my inside foot first, but I don't think this is terribly important. I lean slightly toward the inside of the ring and walk the corner as though I were following a sidewalk.