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For me, predictability is the most important thing, especially dealing with strong temperament dogs. So I make sure that the client understands command structure and that I coach them on this as we are teaching the dog. I have my clients begin practicing command structure in phase 1, and while there may be some mistakes advancing into new things, I find that teaching it at the same time minimizes the continuation of the mistakes and takes the nuance out of it. I feel like if the handler thinks that sometimes they don’t have to use the name that we remove predictability from the relationship. I always try to start creating the muscle memory immediately. I find it easiest to make the write ups and instruction with the rules for how to do it properly rather than allowing for nuance based on what the handler wants to do at any given time and leaving the dog to read between the lines and fill in the gaps. I find that putting that responsibility on the handler also creates an attitude of how much false disobedience they’re really is and how it is our job to set the dog up for success and understand what the dog really thinks they are supposed to do and not supposed to do. For me command structure is a nonnegotiable from the jump.
