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Raising the Sport Dog Series
Within this series of articles I have been covering the beginning work relative to raising a competitive working dog. The goal of our foundation work is to raise a dog that is strong and confident, active in his drives and highly motivated.
- Teaching The Stand -
In Schutzhund, the stand exercises are seen only at the SchH3 level. They are the stand while walking and the stand while running, which is followed by a recall. There are two different ideas about when to teach the stand. Wait to teach it until the dog is close to trialing for SchH3, or teach it at the beginning with the sit and down exercises.
I have done both. My experience and of those around me suggests that teaching it to the puppy or young dog is the most successful approach. The reason has little to do with the dog and everything to do with the handler. A dog can learn something new at any stage of its life. A handler however does not seem so gifted. When the stands are taught to an adult dog, the handler in most cases has completely forgotten what it was like to teach something new. The handler forgets how long it takes to fully understand a new exercise, they forget that although the dog may know all these other complex exercises – they don’t know the stand. The result often is pushing the dog through the learning stage, which in turn means the exercise is taught poorly and/or incompletely. This of course results in the dog making mistakes. In the meantime, all focus is put on the stand prior to trial with the assumption that the dog knows the sit and down. If only it were so simple. The pressure of the new exercise shows in the performance by the dog incorrectly performing one or all of the motion exercises. Therefore the normal human handler puts more pressure on the dog after trial and continues compounding the problem.
Let’s save ourselves and mainly our dogs from this traditional path by teaching the stand at the puppy and young dog stages. If you also happen to be showing your dog in conformation, teaching the stand early will assist you there as well. Remember that a dog can learn any number of words you wish to teach. Ideally there should be one command for stacking in the show ring and one for the stand in motion exercises on the working field. Although both involve similar behaviors, they have different rules attached to them.
Whether your dog is young and untitled, or whether he is a SchH2, the methods described will work for either situation. Again it is the mindset of the handler that makes a difference.
- Introducing The Stand -
The command as written in the rulebook is pronounced shtay, the command as used on the trial field is any number of variations on those letters. Some use just the “a” sound; some give the command softly, others sharply. Some draw the word out; some make it very short. None of these variations has an advantage over the other. So pick a way of giving the command that works for you, although playing around a little in the beginning can help isolate what works best for the dog as well.
Correct execution of the exercise is the dog halting immediately upon command in a standing position. The dog should not move a single foot at any time until commanded to do so. This requires a sense of calm for most dogs, so the stand is taught calmly and quietly. Unlike previously described motion exercises, there is no active method to teach the stand.
To introduce the stand concept, an excellent approach is to use food or a toy, getting the dog to “hold” for either reward. With food, you could fake tossing the treat a few times to get the dog to stand still(photo 1). Use the shtay command in the process. Once the dog holds still for a moment wondering if you will ever toss the treat - toss the treat and tell him that was right. Same approach is used with a toy, preferably one that is easily caught by the dog. Gradually ask for a slightly longer hold before tossing the reward. First one second, then three seconds, then 5 seconds, etc. When a few seconds have been added in consistently, emphasize the dog standing square on all four feet. If the dog accepts this method well, it should be fairly simple to encourage slight foot movement with another fake toss or two. Then reward when squared out.
The reason for this is the same as all other exercises discussed thus far. We want the dog to learn the most efficient and correct method from the beginning. For the stands, if a dog learns to stop square they will have no reason to move a foot, as they won’t be off balance. It is very difficult to tell a dog he is wrong for trying not to fall over. So looking down the road at the whole picture of the performance, we prevent this problem by teaching a solid square stand.
Fake tossing the toy/food to get the dog to stand. The handler does not need to have his leash arm out in this manner.
- The Walking Stand -
The next step in teaching is to stand after movement. We begin with the dog on leash, walking – NOT heeling – very slowly(photo 2). We give the command and stop simultaneously. With the dog on our left side, we can pivot slightly placing our left foot in front of their right rear leg(photo 3). This helps prevent an automatic sit response to stopping. The leash should be short but not tight. If the dog maintains a standing position, reward him with a treat and praise. If the dog tries to sit, keep your left leg under his right flank, blocking his right knee from coming forward and encourage the stand verbally. If the dog tries to keep moving forward, block him with the leash. Do at least three of these in a row, with small treat and verbal praise reward when done correctly. If not done correctly, quietly tell him that wasn’t right and try again. When he can accomplish three in a row at some level of success, break off and reward him with something more active. Simple play, active praise, anything the dog may find more appealing than slowly walking and standing.
As with the sit and down, work just one motion exercise per training session. If you work several sessions in a day, work just one command all that day. Once the dog begins to grasp the concept, only then can you add in another motion exercise in the same day or session. In the early stages, there should be a significant break between working two motion exercises. Maybe work the sit for awhile, then work active drive recalls or heeling, then work on the stand or down.
Once the dog is doing the slow walk with pivot well, we can progress on. Dogs being dogs, he will cue on the body pivot before the verbal command in his learning. So the next step is to wean off the pivot. Maintain the same walking speed, but try to give just the command while stopping, without pivoting, without using your foot. Because the handler is still stopping as well, this is usually pretty simple. Although an even smaller change would be to stop, don’t pivot but use your left leg to block. Try to do that only if necessary.
Next progression is to continue walking after the command. Maintain the same walking speed, give the command, and walk past the dog and pivot in front of him. Initially you will use your leash and possibly the left foot to get the dog to stand, however in this step once the dog has stopped you should continue to move and pivot in front of him. Tell him he’s a good boy and keep working.
Continue trying to wean off any body cues at the command. By pivoting in front you prevent the dog from continuing forward, thus enforcing the stand. Stay close in front, within 3 feet of the dog. If he moves while you are in front, tell him that’s not right and maintain position for a while longer so you can enforce what is right. If the dog moves a lot while you stand in front, simply back up a step or two in the teaching progression.
When you can slow walk, give the command with no body cues, continue past the dog 3 feet, stop and pivot in front of him – then you can do some minor proofing of the position.
This would include walking around the dog, stroking the dog from head to tail, putting light pressure on the croup area (photo 4), and light pressure on the leash pulling forward (photo 5). Begin releasing and rewarding the dog both in front and in heel position. However at this stage, do not – do not – ask the dog to sit in basic position out of the stand. The dog is not ready for that, asking for the sit in basic can wait until the dog is almost polished.
The next progression for the walking stand is walking at a more normal pace in the build up; beginning the exercise from basic position; and leaving the dog to trial distance of 30 paces. If at any time the dog makes an error twice or more in a row, that is your signal to back up one or two steps in the teaching. Always maintain a calm, relaxed method to your handling. Responding too harshly to a mistake will cause the dog to either down in submission and/or continue making mistakes.
Begin with the dog on leash, walking very slowly.
Pivot slightly placing the left foot in front of their right rear leg.
- The Running Stand -
The running stand is merely an extension of the walking one. The most common training errors are progressing too fast and doing too many recalls. Progressing too fast sets the dog up to make mistakes that are then over corrected. Too many recalls causes the dog to creep rather than maintain position.
The exercise begins at a run immediately out of basic position. This is dramatically different from the other motion exercises, which begin at a walk out of basic. Start by moving forward at the same pace as the walking stand, yet in a running motion, essentially running almost in place. Give the command, moving only to the front of the dog and pivot, facing him. Different presentation with the same command requires backing up a step or two in the teaching progression. Take your time with this and move at only a slightly fast pace. When the dog understands the exercise better you can play with different speeds, finding what works best for you and the dog.
The running stand is where your focus on a square stance at the beginning pays off. If the dog stops off balance, take the time to remind him to stand square.
Add the recall out of the running stand sparingly. Call the dog only when he has consistently stopped correctly and you can continue to trial distance from him. Once a couple recalls have been done out of the stand, ensure that the stand position is still solid and secure.
Motion exercises are nearly impossible to teach correctly without assistance from other people. Here is where using a spotter is invaluable. You can shake off any handler help with the spotter pointing them out. The handler can also move down the field confidently, while the spotter ensures the dog maintains position. Spotters should move freely around the dog with the handler down field. Most judges will test the dog’s position by moving near them. Judges will also walk in towards the dog during the recall. Spotters should be used to introduce these experiences during training.
If teaching the stands to a young dog, you have the freedom of taking it slow. Break the segments down and teach one section at a time. Teach it well. Then leave it alone for a while. Several months later go back to the stands, pick up where you left off and progress to another segment. By the time your dog is ready for SchH3 you’ll have the stand taught.
If teaching the stands to an adult dog, try very hard not to push your dog. Don’t attempt perfection - do seek knowledge of the exercise.
Proof the stand with light pressure on the croup.
And light pressure forward. Pressure exaggerated for photo purposes.
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