Dog Training: Stand for Measuring

Dog Training: Stand

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Many people stress out when it comes to standing your dog for measuring. There is no need because teaching the "stand" is easy to do. The results will be a dog that not only stands for measuring in flyball and agility but, should easily allow children to pet him or a veterinarian to examine him.

The "stand" is actually two commands. One is for stand itself. The other is the "stay" command. Stay will be used for sits and downs in formal Obedience but, has no counterpart in Flyball.

Slow is Fast so don't rush any of the steps. Begin by examining your dog all over his body. Be soothing, almost like a massage. Encourage your dog to stand on all four feet as you do this. You are building trust with your dog so, I repeat, slow is fast.

After several times of doing this, if your dog seems to stand solidly without moving as you examine him, try picking up his feet one at a time and place them back on the floor. The goal is to get your dog to allow you to re-position his feet without any movement at all on his part. While being measured under a wicket, you will likely have to re-position his feet so that your dog's weight is evenly distributed so being able to re-position his feet without fussing is crucial.

Assuming you have reached the point where you can give your dog the "stand" command and he is standing on all four feet and then you tell him "stay" and your dog knows he is to stop moving, now is the time to introduce the concept of a wicket. Lightly touch your dog on the shoulders for a moment, praise and treat. Gradually, build the time you have your hand on your dog's shoulder. Continue to touch his shoulders and move down his back towards his tail. Slow is fast. You will not be doing this all in one training session. Eventually, you will have a dog that will "Stand/Stay" for several minutes reliably.

Finally, have some family members examine him while doing "stand/stay". Eventually, you should have some strangers examine him as well.

Remember to keep it fun. Training sessions should be short in duration and, if possible, several times a day. I think every dog should be taught to do this, not just little dogs that are destined to become "height dogs".

See you at practice!