In this video, I'm working on a few positions, and also working on Excel holding the stand until I cue a behavior.
In this video I'm specifically working on stands. I'm luring him into a sit and verbally cuing the stand. I'm also adding some distance.
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When I said sit, he was already anticipating coming to front, so you can see how I handled that. No big deal, just throw a reset treat, and look how nicely he did the next time! He's also learning how to find stand on the target on his own, without me being right there to help.
Adding Movement to Your Moving Stand
I use the front foot target initially when I add movement, but Excel responds so well to the wait that I don't really even need it. When you're first starting this, go slow and cue the dog to stop when the feet are on the target.
And finally, we get to the beginning of the final picture! This was Excel's first time working on moving stands, and I quickly discovered that he responded better with saying "wait" instead of "stand."
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The first step is getting the dog to stop in a stand instead of a sit, with you pausing next to the dog. Once your dog can do that, you will slowly start to move away. You can see that was hard for Excel at first, but he got a whole lot better when I started saying wait.
My reward marker "yes" means come to my hand to get the treat, so when I say "yes" Excel is leaving the position to come to my hand.
Additional tips and tricks for the Moving Stand
Notice how slow I'm going as I'm working through this. You can also see that I'm giving the hand signal high and Excel is jumping up towards my hand and landing in a stand, which is my preference. It's certainly not necessary for all dogs to do that.
As he gets more solid on the stand cue, I will start to speed up to normal pace.
After the dog is doing well at this step, I will vary what I do after the stand. In obedience I need to walk forward 10-12 feet and turn
around to face him. In rally I will need that skill as well, and I'll also need to be able to circle around the dog while he maintains the
stand.
If you take the time to break this skill down, it shouldn't take your dog very long to master the moving stand!
Nicole Wiebusch started competing in dog sports as a teenager in the 90’s and quickly became addicted to the sport of obedience.
In 2001, she acquired a golden retriever named Tucker who taught her that traditional methods weren’t the best way to a happy confident dog. This realization started her on the journey to positive reinforcement training.
In 2008, Nicole started her own dog training business, Golden Paws Dog Training LLC, and teaches both pet owners and dog sports people dog-friendly training methods. She started taking classes with Fenzi Dog Sports Academy in 2013 and actively competes in a variety of performance events with her three golden retrievers.
Nicole’s golden retriever Toby UDX2 OM3 RAE was retired due to physical problems just 30 points shy of finishing his OTCH. Her current competition dog Strive has earned her UD and is working on her UDX. Toby and Strive both have multiple High in Trials in Obedience and High Combineds in both Obedience and Rally. Nicole’s dogs also hold advanced Agility and Rally titles, as well as hunting, dock diving, and TEAM titles.
In addition to operating Golden Paws Dog Training, Nicole is a field dog trainer for a service dog organization, a Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog Evaluator, a Professional Member of the APDT, an instructor for the Fenzi Pet Professionals Program, a TEAM judge, and has earned the Obedience/Rally/Freestyle Trainer’s Certificate from FDSA.
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