Stand is a useful behavior that we teach in our Puppy Kindergarten and Basic Manners classes. We teach it when we’re working on sit or down as a third position change.
Adding the stand position along with sit and down is a great way to vary your training routine. Dogs are very good at learning routines and changing the order your training routine (sit, down, stand, down, sit, stand, etc) can make sure that you keep your dog’s attention, and that they actually understand the cues for the position changes. Stand is also used in many canine sports, including Treibball. For Treibball, a herding game, dogs need to move behind exercise balls and stand until they are cued to push the ball towards a goal.
To teach your dog to STAND from a sit:
1. Start in a quiet place with no distractions, and have your treats easily accessible. Grab your clicker if you have one.
2. Ask your dog to sit and treat the sit.
3. With a treat in your hand, put the hand in front of your dog’s nose (within an inch) and slowly move it straight back towards you, away from your dog. Move your hand slowly enough that your dog follows it and keep your hand parallel to the floor, palm facing the dog.
4. Click and treat as soon as your dog is in the stand position.
Repeat the sequence to teach your dog to STAND from a down. Cue your dog to down, and treat the down. With a treat in your hand, put the hand in front of your dog’s nose (within an inch) and slowly move it back towards you and up towards your knees.
Check out our video of dogs learning “Stand” to see how to get this behavior started.
