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Teaching a Puppy "Stand"
from: The Complete DogGiving a dog any command automatically puts you in a dominant role and the dog into a submissive one. Standing is a somewhat dominant canine posture, but the Sit and the Down are submissive canine positions, which can make it difficult to teach a naturally submissive puppy to Stand when commanded. Given the command "Stand," many dogs will obey, but quickly lower their tails, ears and head -- all submissive body language. So you must be gentle and patient.
A perfect puppy Stand has four feet on the ground (that's the hard part), but it would also be nice if the head is up and the tail wagging. Don't worry if at first your puppy seems more intent on being a clown than standing still. They do eventually all grow up.
Let's say your puppy is learning "Stay" which (fortunately in this case) sounds a bit like "Stand." Whenever you catch him standing still, this can work to your advantage. The puppy may pause for a moment to figure out which one you said, giving you the perfect opportunity to reinforce it with a "good stand." However, puppies don't spend much time standing around, so you'll have to teach him and not rely on catching him in the act. A good way to do this is to walk him into a stand.
When he's faily good at heeling, slow down and as you come to a stop, bring your right hand in front of him (palm side toward his nose) as you say "Stand." Do this hand signal gently or he'll think he's going to be bopped and he'll duck! You can practice by taking a couple of slow steps (without a "Let's go" command) followed by a "Stand" command.
Getting his head held high and happy and his tail wagging calls for a treat poised for a moment with a "Watch me!" A couple of reasonable or good "stands" are followed by a rousing romp in the early days of training. Standing still is very hard for a puppy.
Again, use every possible occasion to ask your puppy to Stand. If you've been having him Sit before putting his dinner out, you can alternate a Sit with a Stand -- and offer a treat reward right out of his dinner bowl. The Stand command should be used when beginning a brushing and/or grooming session, but release him after a few seconds. A "perfect stand" is only required of an adult dog for about a minute.
Standing is necessary for at least part of his weekly grooming, but not standing at attention. In fact, during every grooming session you can make use of the Sit, the Stand, and the Down.
Puppy Behavior Training News
Free Lectures on Pet Behavior at the College of William and Mary, July 23, 2010
There will be a free day of lectures on pet behavior at the College of William and Mary on July 23 from 1-5 pm. This event is presented by the Interdisciplinary Forum for Applied Animal Behavior (IFAAB) and Premier Pet Products, Inc. All lecturers are experienced and credentialed. There will be lectures from 1-4 pm and an open Q&A session with a panel of 5 behaviorists from 4:15-5 pm.
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