StandDog rises from sit or down to a standing position and holds it
Essential for grooming and vet exams. The trick is that dogs want to sit or down for rewards, so standing feels like not doing anything. Reward the stillness, and keep your body language neutral.
Also known as: Up, On Your Feet
At a glance
- Tier
- 1 · Basic
- Time to fluency
- 2–4 weeks
- Practice
- 4× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- Small soft treats
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach stand
Lure
From a sit, draw the treat forward and slightly down to pull them up
- Move the treat slowly forward from the nose, parallel to the floor
- Mark the moment all four feet are planted, before they walk forward
- Reward at mouth height so they stay standing
- Do not pull the treat up. That gets a sit or a jump
Hand Signal
Flat palm sweeping forward at the dog's nose height
- Same horizontal sweep, empty hand
- Reward immediately while standing. Duration comes after the position is solid
- Step into the dog slightly if they do not rise from the gesture alone
Verbal Cue
The word before the gesture
- Say the word, pause, then gesture if needed
- Practise from both sit and down
- Add duration in 2-second steps once the position is reliable
- Use it at the vet: 'Stand' while they check the belly
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Does not rise on cue or immediately sits again
- In progress
- Stands on the word alone, holds 5 seconds
- Mastered
- Stands and holds for grooming or a vet exam without fidgeting
Common mistakes
- Luring too high, which gets a sit instead of a stand
- Luring too far forward, so the dog walks instead of standing in place
- Not rewarding the stand quickly enough. The dog sits before you can mark
- Skipping stand because sit and down seem more useful