If you’ve started teaching your dog basic behaviors, you’ve likely begun with actions such as sit and stay. But have you considered teaching your dog to stand when asked? This cue can be a useful addition to your dog’s skill set.
“Stand” means teaching your dog to rise from a sitting or lying down position and to remain in position with their back parallel to the ground. You might want your dog to stand up for a medical exam or when you put her harness on. Or maybe you want to teach a new skill for mental enrichment or to begin participating in a dog sport such as Rally Obedience.
How to Train Stand:
- Start with your dog in a sit or down
- Place the treat to their nose and slowly reach your treat hand towards your knee
- You may have to take a step backward to get them to stand up fully
- Use the marker word (Yes/ Good) the moment they stand on all fours
- Reward Behavior (praise, treats, toys)
- Repeat 3-5 times
Tips
- If your dog won’t move out of the sit or down at all, they might think you want her to stay. Try to reset your dog by tossing a treat away from you.
- If your dog pops up from the sit or down right away, that’s okay! Go ahead and reward her, because you might then be able to capture the behavior.
- Make sure you train on a non slip surface
- Large-breed and older dogs will move more slowly, so repeat this behavior just a few times in a training session.
If you are ever struggling to teach your dog a new behavior please make sure to reach out. I would be happy to help via email or session. I’m always happy to help dogs and owners connect and thrive.
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