Teaching A Small Dog The Stand Command

[Simply Grand]

Any tips on how to teach a good stand in a little dog (11 inches tall)? I've read about putting your hand under their tummy or other various places but to do that, I need to basically kneel on the ground, which totally throws us off in heeling...

He's 16 months old and definitely capable of learning a good stand, at the moment he has a vague idea and will sometimes stay in a kind of stand if I get my hand in front of his face and click quickly enough but then he'll drift into a sit, and usually he goes straight into a sit when I stop because he thinks that's what he's meant to do (he has a very good automatic sit on halt ). He's good with drop, as long as I get my timing right with the command and the hand signal, but I just can't get stand to work!

I know it's nothing to do with his abilities, it's just that I didn't teach him stand when I was teaching sit and drop so now he's confused

So, any particular tips? Do I lure him from a sit to a stand, then click, then repeat, until he gets it without worrying about the heeling for now, or will that make it harder to get him to do it when heeling?

Thanks in advance

[caffy]

Any tips on how to teach a good stand in a little dog (11 inches tall)? I've read about putting your hand under their tummy or other various places but to do that, I need to basically kneel on the ground, which totally throws us off in heeling...

He's 16 months old and definitely capable of learning a good stand, at the moment he has a vague idea and will sometimes stay in a kind of stand if I get my hand in front of his face and click quickly enough but then he'll drift into a sit, and usually he goes straight into a sit when I stop because he thinks that's what he's meant to do (he has a very good automatic sit on halt ). He's good with drop, as long as I get my timing right with the command and the hand signal, but I just can't get stand to work!

I know it's nothing to do with his abilities, it's just that I didn't teach him stand when I was teaching sit and drop so now he's confused

So, any particular tips? Do I lure him from a sit to a stand, then click, then repeat, until he gets it without worrying about the heeling for now, or will that make it harder to get him to do it when heeling?

Thanks in advance

Can you teach your positions with the little guy on a table??

[skip]

Your dog sounds just like mine

She is a chi x and her automatic sit is great. She also heels backwards every which way cause she loves that heel position.

But hard to keep her bum up. I make a sideways gesture with my left hand to signal stand and she gets it. But in stand for exam she does like to sit.

I don't really do obedience as such but a good teacher suggested recently that I stand in front of her. Don't give any command as such but as per norm she will sit by choice. Inch your feet forward and she will stand ready to move back. Mark the stand ( not any other movement such as back) and reward. I can't quite remember but I supose you say stand just before you inch your feet forward? Maybe someone else will know.

I thought this was clever anyway. Don't be forceful with your feet. If the dog is uncertain at first just grab the dogs paws with your toes or nudge gently. The pressure has to be very slight.

Good luck. And it may be just me but some early morning training days after a good day out, rewarding little dogs can make one a bit dizzy.

Oops. have to add that I used the feet squishing thingo just to add meaning to the command stand. So she will sit, stand or drop from a distance. As for heeling I did do the old reach down, run hands down dogs side and tickle to stand. It is only for a while and then the hand movement decreases to just a slight hand movement. Plus I always stop on right leg to signal sit and left leg to indicate stand. (drop has a hand signal as I stop on the left leg).

Edited October 28, 2010 by skip

[skip]

Me again!

Maybe I shouldn't have tried to help cause we're not that great and it is late. I know that when we were learning to stand originally I kept moving (thou slowed a little) while the hand comes down and to the dogs side. Only stopped as hand was under dog.

Just cause you mention dog sitting I thought it might be cause you are stopping too soon. And yes it is hard to reach down so far. It looks a bit

weird for a while but dogs get it eventually. Harder for you if the sit is established already which is where the feet method might help? Good luck.

[wuffles]

I would probably go back to the beginning with him and really teach him what the word stand means before you start adding time or distance or heeling. So lure him into a stand beside you (I know, hard on the back ), C&T as soon as he stands and release before he drops his bum! Might take a bit of practice to get the timing right... do a big happy release and run backwards if you think he'll sit when released. Only once he understands what the word means, increase the time to 1 second, 2 seconds, etc.

You could always do this with you sitting on the ground or him on a table as mentioned above. This way you could lightly use your hand to keep him standing. Personally I didn't teach either of mine using the hand on the side as I found it distracted them more than helped them! But different things work for different dogs obviously.

Also make sure your body language is not saying "sit!" For example sometimes dogs think that eye contact means "sit" as we have drilled it into them so much (Satch certainly does). It can take a bit of retraining so they don't think they have to sit every time you look at them/they are facing you/you reach for a treat/etc.

Edited October 28, 2010 by wuffles

[Simply Grand]

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I do need to get him understanding the word stand before I add in the heeling. I'm sure my body language will confuse him, I'm still working on getting everything coordinated!

I think we'll start off with me on the floor with him, then move to me standing, then eventually work in walking... I'll let you know how we go

[Paul Bright]

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I do need to get him understanding the word stand before I add in the heeling. I'm sure my body language will confuse him, I'm still working on getting everything coordinated!

I think we'll start off with me on the floor with him, then move to me standing, then eventually work in walking... I'll let you know how we go

Yes teaching commands one at a time is the key. When your dog has mastered one, move to the next :D

Good luck!!!

[Rantino]

You could try placing a long soft lead around his middle so that when you say 'stand' you can prevent him from sitting while you remain upright, thus being able to reward him immediately for the correct position. Have you taught him to catch food dropped to him while he is in the heel position? This would be an added advantage 1-he will be looking up at you all the time and 2-you wont have to bend down to him with the treat possibly making him change position before the reward is given.

I hope some of this helps. Good luck

Cheers Leanne