Jack of all trades….. One of the greatest myths of show dogs that I hear, is that you can’t do anything else with them. So many people come to me saying that they have been told to stop basic/puppy obedience and stop teaching sit, down etc if they want to continue showing and they should only teach their dog stand
To me this is one of the biggest myths, although you will need to work harder if you want to teach your dog more. Just make sure you work evenly on teaching your dog to do everything that you want to do with your dog.
To me, basic puppy training with a local obedience club is paramount in any of my dogs training to be well socialised pets (and show dogs) and there is no reason why you can’t compete in obedience one day and go to a show dog the next day or throw in some agility, gundog work or Rally-O while you’re at it!
Standing you dog – part 2 When standing your dog they can either be stacked or free stood. Most breeds will have a certain way of standing them, although some breeds it is acceptable to either stack and top and tail, or free stand them. Below I will explain about free standing your dog. If you have a stacked dog, please refer to Standing your dog – part 1 blog post.
Free stood dogs Free stood dogs are those who are stood with little or no touching and the handler normally stands in front of the dog.
It can be said that a free-stood dog is more difficult to show although I find a free stood dog is harder to train. Once trained a free stood dog can be a dream to show.
It does require a certain amount of understanding between dog and handler to get the perfect stance but with training and patience it does happen.
If required then you can position your dog’s feet by hand, then adopt a position in front of them. Some breeds though are traditionally stood with no intervention from the handler.
No matter how you stand your dog though, it is important that you keep their attention on you and on the job in hand.
If your dog is a fidget, move them back then walk him forward into the stand or take you dog round in a circle. Personally I prefer to teach my dogs ‘backwards’ and ‘forwards’.
To keep your dogs attention there are many ways to try and each dog will be different. Winning Paws can help you work out the best way to stand your dog and keep their attention so they stay still.
A free stood bitch who requires no touching. She will happily stand still watching her handler.This is a free stood puppy who was being baited to help keep her still and to bring her legs into position. (This was her second show in the UK and only met me as many times, so bribery was needed!)
Nothing in life comes for free
I saw this picture the other day and just had to share with you all. It is so true on two aspects and worth remembering at all times when training and handling your dog.
Firstly there’s the judge asking for a free stack (or stand as we would say in the UK!) This is becoming more common for judges to ask for a free stand, normally at the end of the movement. This gives the judge a chance to see the dog stand in its own way and doesn’t allow the good handler to hide any faults. Therefore it is important to teach all dogs to free stand and extra work put into those normally stacked.
Secondly there is the dogs thoughts. A dog will rarely do anything for free, they want payment. Remember to reward your dog when they do what you want correctly. This can be with food, toys, fuss or verbal praise. It’s important you let your do know when they do something correct, they will then repeat the behaviour to get the reward again.
What treats or toys do you use to reward your dog?
