Applying the Four D's
By now you have built a solid rapport with your dog and conditioned
him to succeed at come, sit, and down through overlaying, eliciting,
and light physical contact. You have also taught him to pay attention
through leadwork and sound corrections. You have built the foundation
you need for success. Now you are ready for some serious yardwork.
Starfire developed the Four D's:"Duration, Distance, Distractions,
and Degrees of Difficulty, as a way to build the dog systematically
to higher and higher levels of responses, especially to whoa.
You will need to teach the Four D's" in a logical order,
one D at a time to begin with, although later several may be
involved. Keep the sessions short, fifteen to thirty minutes,
and spend much of each session in review.
Start by asking the dog to do things you know he can do, then
introduce the new training for one to three minutes. At the end,
review commands that the dog does well. This reinforces positively,
provides opportunities for praise, and enables you to end each
session with you and the dog both feeling good.
"Reading" Your Dog
Your dog will tell you how the sessions are progressing if you
watch him closely. A dog that is continually looking off into
space and not at you is either bored or is not accepting your
leadership. Pick up your pace and carry out all commands and
actions with precision. Do the exercises at levels at which you
know he can succeed, use guiding corrections, and help him earn
your praise.
If your dog has his tail between his legs and his shoulders are
drooping, you may be barking orders instead of giving your dog
proper guidance on how to |
succeed. Make the sessions more interesting. Your dog will
believe that training is fun if you convey a pleasant attitude.
A dog that is crouching or trying to lie down may be anticipating
punishment. If he has misbehaved and comes to you with a "guilty"
look about him, he is actually showing submission, acknowledging
that you are the boss. Avoid the temptation to whip him or otherwise
cause him to cower into the ground. First, he will not understand
the "lesson" you are trying to "teach" him.
Second, he is already showing you the canine equivalent of surrender.
Accept his apology. To do otherwise is to focus too much attention
on the negative and make it even more difficult for him to trust
or obey you in the future.
You are on the right track if your dog's tail is wagging and
his ears are in an alert position (rather than pinned against
his head), and his lips are drawn back at the corners in a "submissive
grin." If these signs be
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