[nagdu] GDF's step refusal

[Jenine STANLEY]

since there seems to be a little confusion about our step refusal procedure, let me try to explain it. 
Step refusal is a procedure used when you come to a downward flight of stairs. The rationale is this. 

Usually when you are walking and your dog stops at a change in elevation, say a curb or single step down, You pause, maybe investigate if necessary and give the “forward” command, assuming that the next step you take after stepping down onto the lower surface will be in the same plain, in other words, on flat ground. This may not always be the case. 

Have you ever been, say, outside or exiting a building and what you thought would be one step down turned into 2 or 3? It’s not a fun feeling as you skid down those unexpected stairs that you just told your dog you were OK with and knew about. 

Step refusal is a check and balance, a command process that has been taught to both you and the dog to use as you wish. More on that later though. 

Step refusal as it’s taught during class, and I know, some GDF grads’ milage may vary here, begins with you and your dog stopping at the top of a flight of stairs. Even if you have asked your dog to “find steps down” and your dog has taken you to the right side hand rail if there is one, something GDf dogs are taught to do, Your dog technically is not supposed to move until you have investigated the space and put your left, not right, foot down on the next step. This, in theory anyway, shows the dog that you are not just blithely stepping out into space because you are in a hurry. 

During class this is taught by having the person swing the right foot forward as if to step out. The dog should not move. If it does, a slight verbal correction is given. 

Then the person steps down with the left foot, issues the “forward” command and the dog moves down the stairs as usual. 

People who have their dogs trained for balance work on stairs do this differently and I won’t detail that as it’s different for each team. 

OK, you ask, but in the real world, do people actually use this? Truth be known, many GDF grads either do not, or change the foot from left to right. It’s there if you need it though but only if you routinely practice it now and then and actually use it once in a while. 

How is it different from, say, just stopping at a change in elevation? Albert was correct in that once you stop, the dog is waiting on you to reposition yourself then give a command. It’s really another form of intelligent disobedience in which the dog is waiting for you to be in a safe position, one foot firmly planted on the next step, before moving forward. 

It’s not unlike the stop the dog would make at, say, a train platform edge or edge of a hole. The dog wants you to investigate and be sure of your footing before moving. We just added downward steps to the list of obstacles for such intelligent disobedience. 

Can you break your dog of this command? In a heartbeat. You can also untrain your dog to stop at any change in elevation by simply forcing the dog enough to just go up or down without even a pause. 

A well coordinated team can almost look and feel as if they don’t pause, but I know I at least try to pause slightly at an upward change and if not come to a complete stop, at least do a longer pause at a downward change. 

I hope that better explains step refusal. It’s often misunderstood, by both grads and others and is a lot more subtle than it sounds.