# stand not sit!



## nutmeg07 (Sep 14, 2013)

Ok I have totally overdone the 'sit' command, as 'stand' has become impossible. I was perfectly luring my V into positions, sit-drop-stand, when she was 10 weeks old, and now at 10 months I find myself still luring her into stand. She knows 'sit' and 'down' by hand signals or by verbal command, but I cannot get her to 'stand' except by luring her into it. Now I know why they say only use luring at the very start and then move on. I've totally got myself into this. She will pop into a stand with the lure, and then sit straight away. I ask her to sit frequently everywhere, so this is what she always offers first if shes not sure. We dont hunt, but we do obedience classes, and this is such a frustrating thing to try and correct! : She knows many tricks and is very good with everything else I ask of her, so it really is just my mistake! Should I just start asking her to stand in everyday lie situations when I've previously asked her to sit, like when going through doorways, waiting at the top of stairs etc? would this help? Any tips?


----------



## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Switching it out for sit in day to day situations is a great idea. When she sits instead of standing just nudge your foot under her belly. That usually gets them to stand immediately. Just make sure to follow with lots of praise. 

I've been working on teaching stand through Mo Lindley's method. It's a nonverbal command, though you can overlay a word later. Basically he uses a leather pinch collar and a check cord. He walks the dog around at heel and will gently and quickly tug upward on the cord near the collar, while staying perfectly still himself. After a few seconds, he taps the dog's side as release and continues walking. He builds up the length of time the dog is required to stand and will start stroking the dogs back with long, gentle strokes as praise. I was worried about the pinch collar with my soft girl, but it doesn't effect her like my impatient sighs do and we've made good progress!

This kind of "stand" might be different than what you're trying to teach, but I think it might be an easier idea to grasp for the dog to pause while walking than to get up and stand from a different position.


----------

