hoping someone can help me gain clairity here and tell me if I am on the right track or point me in the right direction.

Suppose I am in the key of G and I wish to play in dorian mode. The way some people explain it, i would find the 2nd degree of the g major scale which would be A and playing from A to A, this would give me the dorian mode of G. But looking at the dorian mode pattern, we know it is 1- 2-b3-4-5-6-b7 so if i just play G major and flat the 3 and 7th is that not dorian?

Example would be :

-----------------------2--3--5

---------------3--5-----------

--3---5----6-----------------

Lets now suppose I an in the key of A and want to use dorian. Again if I play the A major scale and adjust the 3rd and 7th, this would be A dorian.

------------------------------------4--5--7

------------------------ 4--5--7-----

----------------5----7---------

---5---7---8-------------------

Am I on the right track? Someone keep me from pulling my hair out lol