The Karate K9
For those of a certain age, you may remember the original Karate Kid that came out in 1984, and if not, here’s a refresher.
Daniel wants to learn Karate from his new friend/mentor Mr. Miyagi, and over the course of several weeks, the only assignments that Mr. Miyagi has given Daniel are chores such as painting the fence and waxing his collection of antique cars.
Fed up with what he feels is nonsense, Daniel yells at Mr. Miyagi that his goal was to learn Karate, NOT menial work around the yard!
Suddenly, Mr. Miyagi screams out “Show me paint the fence” and as Daniel’s hand reaches upwards in a brush stroke, Mr. Miyagi blocks Daniel’s hand. Then he calls out “Show me wax on” and Mr. Miyagi stealthily intercepts Daniel’s side movement.
In his epiphany, Daniel realizes that he’s been training all along for this new skill, which, spoiler alert, he uses during the Karate competition, after having his leg broken in an illegal maneuver, by his evil opponent!
Absolutely stunning end to this drama!
So you may be wondering what any of this has to do with dog training. In this business, most of us aren’t training dogs, but rather we are coaching humans to help their dogs thrive. This must be done with baby steps so that the human can learn the necessary motor skills, and once learned, we increase the level of difficulty so that the client can take the basic skills and apply them to situations, some of which are not always foreseen!
And while most clients realize that we begin by doing these baby steps, once in a while, I encounter the client who cannot see how simple behaviors, practiced over time can be used in difficult situations, and they do not think it’s necessary to practice the small steps.
But for those who do understand, here are a few cases: The client who taught her dog to respond to a “Puppy come!” cue and then ran away so the dog would give chase, saved her pup when her husband left the backyard gate open and the dog was heading to a busy street.
The client who taught her dog to run to his mat and lie down, prevented her dog from chasing a child on a scooter, and the client whose dog learned to target the fists of unfamiliar people, taught her dog an alternative to jumping as a way to safely greet visitors!
I realize these examples lack the high drama of the Karate Kid, however, they still began as simple exercises so that the dog guardian developed the necessary tools to implement at the right time.
So for those of you wanting to skip the work, I say, “Wax on, wax off”, because the skill you develop today, even if you think it’s unnecessary, may save your dog, or some innocent bystander from your dog, tomorrow!
HAPPY TRAINING & ENRICHMENT!
