“KMODT Lesson 2 – Why It Works”
by Deb Kidwell
The key word for this lesson is “Responsibility”. The objective of the week is to establish for your dog that he or she is responsible to a place, in other words, that the dog is responsible for maintaining the proper position in relation to you. We provide various forms of this principle of responsibility by structuring puppies’ learning environment. For example, puppies learn how to navigate different types of surfaces and terrain (concrete, asphalt, sand, grass, inclines, etc.) and foot placement (learning by experience how to balance or avoid holes), by not allowing them to bolt out of the crate and many other large and small lessons that are part of a puppy exploring its world. In short, our objective this week is to make our dog responsible to a place that is aligned with your outside pants seam, with its rear in line with its head. Until this skill is perfected, we can allow up to 2 feet of leeway, leaving us 4 feet to make a correction if necessary.
The techniques we will use to teach this skill include:
RATT = The Right About Training Turn for forging
LTT = The Left Training Turn for crowding
RT = The Right Turn for heeling wide/lagging
AS = The Auto Sit (when handler halts)
Praise (perhaps the most important element, for every Sit, every time)
The Right About Training Turn works because the dog is pulled back into you (and sometimes surprisingly so) as you change direction 180 degrees. The Left Training Turn startles the crowding dog, thus making them uncomfortable, and shapes the realization that it must pay attention to the handler or be made uncomfortable as the handler bumps or walks directly into the dog. Each turn is specifically designed to be used whenever the learning dog is out of correct Heel position.
The first motion of the Auto Sit stops the dog’s forward motion (in a way they can see and feel), and the second motion (putting your hands together, Days 5/6) puts you into position to make a correction when necessary. These techniques allow us to subtly and not-so-subtly make the dog uncomfortable so that it will choose the proper position to restore its comfort. As for pushing the dog’s rear down silently, this placement technique follows the principle of teaching the desired behavior and then, once the dog learns the behavior, pairing it with a command, “Sit”.
Remember to never give a second command as it begins the process of eroding your authority and equates to negotiating with the dog. Dogs see weak and uncertain leaders as not credible, and they do not follow poor leadership that is without authority and credibility. In this case, trainers must resort to confrontation, and eventually force, to produce the correct behavior. Once force enters the training process it must be kept up and the trainer must resort to ever increasing levels of confrontation and force to maintain control.
This is not at all what we, as KMODT trainers want. We want to structure the training environment such that the dog can choose a correct behavior that restores its comfort, earns praise from the handler, and cements the cooperative and team ethic, while maintaining the trainer’s authority and leadership. And speaking of praise, this component of the equation not only reinforces the correct behavior once accomplished but also begins to instill a work ethic in the dog. Once developed in this way, you will find your dog waiting by the backdoor or crate in anticipation. You will also see a ready and willing pupil that is looking forward to the new lesson activities. You will have piqued the dog’s interest in work and learning.
Dogs want to be good at their job, and that involves respect, interest, and learning. A dog proficient in basic obedience skills means that the trainer has established their leadership, and as Roxanne says, “The dog learns that you mean what you say and say what you mean.” Week 2 is the beginning of this new relationship based on the ‘work’ together.
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