[Starvt]

How to I train my puppy to hold the stand? He holds a sit and a down for a minute or more, he will stand up on command- but I can't figure out how to get him to stand still. He takes a step or sits down again very quickly.

 

[lily cd re]

I find putting the pup on a platform to be useful for teaching all positions with holds. Reinforce your sits and downs with duration on a platform so holding positions is well understood then work on the stand. The platform can be very low, just needs to delineate a place to stay in position. A piece of plywood would work although I use playground mats. Cut whatever you decide to use to be just a bit wider than the dog's stance and just a bit longer than they would need for a down or a stand.

Your vet and your groomer will both appreciate a dog that can hold a stand.

 

[Poodlebeguiled]

Also, besides the good idea Catherine gave you, be sure to break it down into small successes. In other words, reinforce with a treat very soon after he is standing properly. Don't wait for him to give you any duration. Don't wait for him to mess up. Catch it (reinforce it) before he has a chance to move. And treat very frequently as he stands. Only ask him to do this for a few seconds, then release him with your release word, which I hope you have installed. If not, start working on that too. Let him know though, that he's finished standing and make a happy fuss over him. Let him move around, take him in a circle. And start the exercise again. "Stand" (count to yourself, 1, 2 seconds, treat.) Gradually add another second of duration with you standing right there in front of him or beside him. Then break it up with your release word. You're showing him the contrast between standing how you want him to stand and permission to move. You're reinforcing or rewarding him for success...standing for 1 second, then 2, then 3.

Next you'll break that predictability up by asking for 2 seconds, 3, 1, 5, 1. Try not to ask for more than he's ready for. If he breaks up by himself without your release word, you've asked for too much too soon. Go back to where he was holding that stand and work from there again. He'll catch on in no time. It's just a matter of giving him good, concise feed-back. When he's doing what you want, tell him, "yesssss!" (or use a clicker) in a happy voice to let him know what he's doing is going to get him a treat in a second. Good luck.

 

[lily cd re]

For sure poodlebeguiled: duration (very short at first); then distance from the pup, than add distractions always returning to shorter duration when adding the distance and the distractions. And randomize reinforcements as quickly as possible.

 

[Poodlebeguiled]

Yes, the three D's. Duration, distance and distractions. Those are always done separately at first. When you get some decent duration going and he's getting it, you can then work on the distance between the two of you. But...when you do, relax the duration criterion for a bit. Now the pressure's on for him to understand he needs to stand when you step back one step away from him. BUT only for a heart beat. Step back, then immediately step closer to him again and reinforce. Then step back two steps and don't even shift your weight because you're going to step right back again close to him, like there's a magnet pulling you back again. lol. Treat. So get that distance built up and once he's standing okay without moving when you're adding distance, (which you will also vary before he gets too anticipatory with the timing of these distances) you can then combine the two Ds. (a little duration and a little distance) Work them together, gradually asking for a little more. THEN...when he's got that down quite well, start adding distractions...very mild at first and build on that. Again...when you start adding those distractions, you want to reduce the pressure of the other two D's. He's working hard to resist a dropped toy or a human walking past. So don't ask for too much perfection with duration or distance from you. Built on that little by little. It sounds like a very long, arduous task, but it's not. Once he gets onto the idea of learning this, it'll go pretty fast. Just stay the course.

 

[Starvt]

Thank you all for your tips! I do use a release word and mark with yes. Thinking through your suggestions made me realize that I have been working only from getting into the stand (from sitting or lying) and I think it will help to mark the stand when he is already doing it, and build the duration from there before putting the two parts together. Also I have not been using my release as often (since we have been working on chaining behaviours), I think I need to add more single commands back into our sessions so that he is reminded about waiting for the release on commands he already knows.