7 unexpected benefits of ACE Free Work

There’s more to ACE Free Work than snuffle mats and cardboard boxes!

At HeartDog, we use ACE Free Work not just as an enrichment tool - but as a powerful way to support the whole dog: body, brain, and nervous system.

Whether you’re helping a reactive dog decompress, looking to ease chronic tension, or simply want to understand your client’s dogs more deeply, ACE Free Work offers a flexible, thoughtful, and deeply compassionate framework.

In this blog, we’re exploring seven of the many benefits you’ll discover when you start using ACE with intention and care.

1. It enhances proprioception, posture, and physical comfort

At its heart, ACE Free Work is about choice-led exploration - and that includes movement.

The way a dog moves, balances, shifts weight, and navigates surfaces offers incredible insight into their physical wellbeing. By tailoring setups with different textures, heights, angles and sensory experiences, you allow the dog to gently improve balance and posture, develop confidence in their body, and build functional movement in a safe, supportive way.

This makes it a brilliant addition for young dogs, seniors, or dogs recovering from injury or pain. 

It's also an invaluable tool when working with reactivity or stress, where posture and proprioception often become compromised.

Want to explore this further? Our ACE Essentials Workshop gives you everything you need to begin using Free Work safely and effectively with dogs of all ages.

2. It supports emotional regulation and builds resilience

Licking, chewing, sniffing, climbing, digging, and choosing are more than enrichment behaviours - they are self-soothing and regulating actions.

With ACE Free Work, dogs aren’t being told what to do or asked to perform. They’re invited to interact with the environment on their own terms, which taps into innate needs and helps build confidence and calm from the inside out.

This can be especially powerful for dogs who are hypervigilant, easily overwhelmed, or shut down. It also provides useful contrast for dogs who are often asked to be "on" or perform in training or sport settings.

Learn how to use Free Work to support dysregulated dogs in our ACEing Reactivity Workshop.

3. It deepens your observation skills

ACE Free Work helps you become a better listener.

Because dogs are free to move as they wish, you get to observe their natural preferences, comfort levels, and decision-making in action. You’ll start to notice subtle signs of tension, curiosity, hesitation, asymmetry, or effort that might go unseen in other contexts.

You’ll also begin to spot shifts over time: which items the dog gravitates to, which positions create tension, which elements support relaxation. These clues can inform everything from treatment planning to handling choices.

Our Geeking ACE Workshop dives into the science and subtlety behind these observations, helping you sharpen your eye and your practice.

4. It works in real life, even in small spaces

ACE Free Work doesn’t require a studio or fancy setup. It can be done in a corner of the living room, in a hallway, on a balcony, in a small garden, or even during a walk.

You don’t need expensive props either. Trainers use everything from garden pots to baking mats, microwave plates, traffic cones, fleece scraps, and cardboard boxes. What matters most is thoughtful setup and safety.

This makes it easy to teach and share with clients - and opens up support options for dogs who don’t cope well in group sessions or traditional settings.

5. It shifts the dynamic from ‘doing to’ to ‘being with’

In many training contexts, the human takes the lead. We cue, reward, redirect, manage. But in ACE Free Work, we slow down and become observers. We watch. We notice. And we meet the dog where they are.

It shifts your role from trainer or instructor to observer and supporter, creating space for a more meaningful, two-way connection with the dogs you work with. This deeper understanding builds trust and helps you truly 'see' the dog in front of you.

That shift in pace and intention has a ripple effect. It invites more calm, more co-regulation, and more presence. For many clients, it’s the first time they’ve truly sat with their dog without an agenda - and the impact is profound.

6. It builds human confidence & reduces pressure

When you become more attuned to subtle changes in movement, posture, and engagement, you start to develop a sharper, more intuitive sense of what each dog needs. This makes you a more responsive, confident practitioner - better able to support your clients in the moment. And more confident about not jumping to conclusions or rushing ahead. 

This reduction in pressure and performance anxiety feeds through to the guardians you support. Many guardians also feel the weight of ‘fixing’ their dog or getting training ‘right’. 

Free Work flips this dynamic by focusing on support rather than correction. This shift can be a huge relief, making training sessions feel less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone involved.

7. It complements everything else you do

ACE Free Work isn’t in competition with your other tools. It enhances them.

Whether you work with puppies, reactive dogs, assistance dogs, seniors, or sports dogs, Free Work can support your outcomes and give you clearer insight into each dog’s needs. 

It’s also a brilliant way to add value to 1:1s, give clients homework that actually supports progress, and regulate arousal between higher-energy tasks.

Start exploring today

If you’re curious about bringing more wellbeing into your work - and giving your clients a truly holistic experience - ACE Free Work is an excellent place to start.

Explore our ACE Workshop Series and discover how to:

• Use Free Work with safety and purpose
• Support reactivity and regulation
• Sharpen your observation and planning skills

You can buy the workshops individually or as a discounted bundle.

Wherever you begin, we promise: ACE Free Work will shift the way you see dogs - and deepen the way you support them.