How to Teach a Dog to Stand Nicely

(December 22, 2009)

Teaching your dog how to stand nicely is a part of imparting good behavior. Whether you like it when your dog jumps on you to welcome you, or enjoy it even if your clothes get dirty while your dog is showering you with attention, the truth is that no one wants a jumping and misbehaving dog when there is polite company.

Teaching your dog to stand nicely has many benefits. Since it is the starting point of many other tricks, this can be the focal point of giving the dog some great training. Though it is not of much practical use, a dog that can stand nicely is disciplined and appears much more alert.
To teach the dog to stand nicely, you will have to use some treats. Use the treat to lure the dog into a standing position and then stop moving the treat so that the dog remains still. Keep the treat still for sometime so that the dog also remains still for that period. Now before the dog has time to move, give it the treat. Repeat this over and over, increasing the time for which the dog has to stand every time.

While you are teaching your dog to stand, another important thing to teach it is to stand while it is being handled. This has many practical uses and may be one of the best things that you teach your dog. The difficulty in this is to make sure that the dog is happy while it is being handled. This can be helpful when your dog is being groomed or when it is being handled by the veterinary doctor.

You can use the command ‘stay’ for the action. However, whenever you are using the command, always make it a point to come back and reward the dog for remaining in this position. This way you will be reinforcing the behavior. Also be careful to ensure that your dog receives a treat for staying; the treat should be given before the dog moves. Otherwise, the dog may get confused and assume that the reward is for moving.

The duration of the stay should be increased gradually. If the dog moves, do not give it a treat. Aim for slow progress. The dog will take time to learn the command. Therefore, patience is required. The entire exercise should be such that the dog should believe that by staying when you ask it to, good things will come out of it.