I've never bothered to teach stand until now, so we had our first go this afternoon. I started trying to teach stand from sit but Molly was really puzzled and kept lying down and looking hopeful ( she's been so heavily rewarded for down that it's now her default position!) so I changed to starting from down and moving to stand. After a while I got a few correct responses, though she did tend to bounce to her feet. We started a new class on Tuesday and one of the exercises was to change your dog from sit or down to stand and back from a distance. Molly will do sit and down from a distance but I couldn't get her back on her feet. The class is run by the dog club I belong to and is for anyone who has passed KC gold. It's in a scout hut and we were jammed in like sardines, but the dogs were so good - off lead and all focusing on their owners. We did some of the exercises with everyone working at once, so less time sitting waiting. There's no real instruction (all volunteers) but a good chance to practise near to other dogs and to see what people do. Molly's concentration was very good and I was really pleased with her recall across the room going past a sausage on the floor. However most of the other exercises were beyond us so I've got things to work at.
Ah, so pleased to hear Molly is making good progress - staying focussed in a Scout Hut full of other dogs is a massive achievement! As is recalling with a sausage on the floor! Great stuff. I saw a great video from Susan Garratt the other day on training stand. But you had to like her facebook page to get it! It took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to find the link. It was worth it though, very good method. Previously, I've trained Charlie by simply luring with a treat so he moves forward out of a sit into a stand. I've also trained him to stand and be still with his front paws on a bread board! It was really hard to overcome his default sit when a vet wanted him to stand to examine his back legs (poor boy, he is tired of vets messing with his back legs, and tends to sit down very firmly as if to say not again.....).
I think you are moving too quickly to distance work, sequentional distance work yet, when you only got a "few correct responses" after only just starting to teach STAND yesterday. Unless Molly is a super genius dog of course. Are you doing the distance with verbal or hand signals?
Coco struggles with "stand" too - probably because it is the least practiced out of sit/down/stand. I use the lure (either a treat or an empty hand), but usually he doesn't stand still, he noses at my hand for the treat. Often he will throw a down or a sit, like he's guessing. Not tried "stand" at a distance, I will get it reliable at close quarters first. Having read your post Joy, I feel motivated to concentrate on this more.
Glad to hear Molly is continuing to make progress I taught Harley to stand from quite young to enable me to examine her tummy, legs and generally getting her used to being manhandled. I used a tea at to lure her the first few times and said 'stand' as soon as she done it. She picked it up quickly and it has been really useful.
I have been taking Jess to training school and they teach us that once the dogs are standing if you stroke their tummy and repeat the word stand it helps them to stay still. Won't help for distance work but we haven't got there yet !!
I'd like to watch that Susan Garrett video @JulieT . I liked her page but I can't find it. Can you share it? Or tag me in a comment? Please
I've sent you a facebook link - it's the agility page you have to like. Hopefully I've sent you a link. You click the 'free stand video' in the app box, then it tells you to like the page and click continue.
@JulieT Any chance of sending me a link please? I've found her page on Facebook but can't find the agility page to like or the video ( just the promotional snippet.) @Snowshoe - the exercise at the class was to do the moves at a distance (OK for sit and down) but yes at home I've started teaching stand while I'm next to Molly. I tried luring from a sit but even though the treat was at nose level and forward she lay down - she's convinced lying down is always rewarded!
So the right page is the agility page, it's this one: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGarrettDogAgility In the apps box on that page is the promotional bit of the vid. You click that, it plays and then says 'you have to like the page to see the full vid'. You like the facebook page, then go back to the app box and click 'I liked the page, continue'. It is tricky, I messed about getting it to play and liking and unliking the page and clicking continue for a while before it would play, unfortunately. I don't know if you will see what I do in this link (because the vid now plays for me) but the stand video is here: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGarrettDogAgility/app/195646697137509/
Having watched it, it was essentially what I ended up doing yesterday - encouraging Molly to jump to her feet. I would have like Molly to be more like Emily Larlham demonstrates on her kikopup video but for now I'll settle for the bounce.
Not sure if it's relevant/helpful but we learnt 'stand' from heel work so it would be on the move to stationary. The theory was it is easier this way as they go from walking to standing so no real change in stance (i.e. they're already up on all fours but go from moving to not moving).
Which would be perfect if I hadn't already taught my dogs to park their bum when I stop walking - DOH!! In fact I reckon I'm fighting a losing battle as I've spent years teaching them if in doubt sit down and wait for instruction
Hmmm. Well I'm definitely no dog trainer but Ella has somehow (I'm sure - someone must be training her in the night when I'm asleep haha) learnt that when I stop she must sit but when I stop and use a hand signal/verbal cue then I want her to drop or stand (depending on the signal/cue). Occasionally, it seems, we actually get something right
