One of the hardest concepts for any of us to grasp is that our Sit Means Sit collar is a “neutral” training aid. What this means is we de-emphasize the presence of the SMS collar to the dog while still utilizing it during training.  But why is this so important?

The goal of most dog obedience programs is to
build the relationship with your dog to the point where training aids are no longer needed. Eventually, your dog will respond to your commands (verbal or otherwise) because of the bond that was created through the progression of the training exercises performed in conjunction with the trainer’s communication aid of choice.  These aids need to be looked at as only a part of the training regimen; the aids are not the regimen.  To use an analogy:

When I was first learning how to ride a bicycle, I rode one that had training wheels.  During the learning process, however, the training wheels were never really emphasized.  The principles that were stressed to me were safety, balance, turning and the rules of the road.  As a result, when the training wheels were removed, I barely noticed that they were gone as I rode around enjoying my new found mobility.  In my mind, they had never been a large factor in learning to ride so I never gave it a second thought when they weren’t there anymore.  Now imagine if my father had made a big deal of the fact that the bicycle on which I was learning had training wheels.  I’d probably look for them every time I got on the bicycle and I might have been too scared to ride without them.
Now take this same thought process and apply it to training our dogs with the SMS collar and its role in the learning process. If we make a big fuss about putting on the collar and purposely display the remote to the dog every time we use it, we would be setting ourselves up (along with our dogs) to fall into a trap. With the press of a button we are able to communicate with the dog at both short and long range distances. The delivery of this communication does not require overt gesturing with the remote or your body.  I’ve personally witnessed a few incidents in which the remote was pointed at the dog much like one points the remote control at the television when changing channels.  Doing this presents a visual picture that is more complicated , unnecessary and can be detrimental to the training process and its results.

INCORRECT                                                       CORRECT

When used properly, the SMS collar teaches the dog to listen to the owner by increasing the dog’s focus on its owner’s commands, not the tap or presence of the SMS collar. When the SMS collar is implemented correctly, in concert with keeping the training exercises at the forefront, you will find that the SMS collar blends into the foundation of your relationship with your dog.  Additionally, we always emphasize the value of repetition to our clients and advocate using the SMS Collar consistently for a period of 12 weeks.  This volume of repetition behind you allows the language of our Sit Means Sit program to solidify in a way that produces comprehension of your commands in almost any situation. The outcome is a happy, obedient dog that listens to you anywhere, anytime!

Leonard Letoto

Sit Means Sit Hawaii

283 3647 (DOGS)