May 17, 2012

Mar/Apr 2010

Training Dogs
Stand Still
by Rick Smith & Sharon Potter

f we had to choose one thing that is the very foundation of all the training we do, we’d have to choose teaching a dog to “stand still.” Standing still means being motionless while calm, focused, and quiet, and not just freezing for a second or two while quivering with nervous energy.

The bulk of learning takes place while a dog is still. Why? Because in order to learn, a dog has to be receptive to learning, and that means being able to focus on the lesson without being distracted. Any dog that is jumping around, barking, pushing, running in circles around you, or lunging at the end of a lead isn’t going to be learning much. It’s a lot like a class of grade school kids: There’s a reason they’re supposed to sit still at their desks during lessons. One rowdy child can distract the entire class, and then nobody is paying attention to the teacher or the lesson.

Throughout a dog’s life, there are many things that require standing still, in addition to being able to learn. A dog can’t point a bird if he can’t be patient and stand still. A dog can’t honor another dog’s point if he can’t be still. Even on a retrieve, it’s hard to receive a bird from a dog that won’t stand still long enough to deliver it to your hand. If a dog is jumping around and out of control at the beginning of the hunt, trial, or test, the trial or hunt is likely to reflect that and be less successful. In day-to-day life, our dogs need to be still and calm, whether it’s during training, riding in a vehicle, or living in the house. Nobody appreciates a dog that’s bouncing off the windows in the truck, jumping on people at the store or at home, running through doorways at high speed, and knocking stuff off the coffee table.

Your vet will appreciate being able to examine your dog while he stands still, too. A dog that is trying to crouch down, lean on you, push his head in your face, or struggles to get away is hard to examine. A dog that stands quietly, allowing you to pick up a paw or look in an ear without moving makes life a lot easier. When you have guests, wouldn’t it be great to have your dog stand quietly instead of jumping on them and begging for attention? And just imagine how nice it would be to have your dog stand calmly at the door so that you can wipe the mud off his paws before letting him in the house!

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