Training to stand on the table

How old is he?? Will he not stand at all on the table? or just not stand still?

 

I teach them to bait first. Bait them in front of you, then teach them "wait", which is don't move at all. When they wait on the ground, you'll be able to teach them to wait on the table.

To teach them wait on the ground, bait them in front of you, get on your knees, and place their feet square. At the beginning, I say "wait" after I move every foot. After a bit of training and treats, the puppy will get the idea that wait means don't move when you say that.

 

We start our puppies with a clicker, and them on the ground, at about 8 weeks. When they set their front feet (easier for them at the beginning) and pull themselves up for the bait we click. This progresses to they have to also set their back feet before the click, so eventually they are 4 square. This translates to the table. Put them on the noose, set the four legs, you may need to hold their collar to do this. Click and treat. I also have "Happy Legs". you can check it out on www.happylegs.com. I really am having fun with them, and am able to completely groom Tansy, just 6 months, while she is on them. Tofu Pup has always trained our puppies, so I am going out on a limb even writing this post, LOL We never "hard stack" our dogs from day one. Shelties can learn where to put their own feet.

 

One other thing, we don't get down with the puppies, because it "compresses" them. They tend not to use themselves. Where if you are standing, they will use their neck and pull out of themselves. Then where you hold the bait (high or low) you set their head, muzzle level with the ground. I find if you use a word like "wait", you end up saying wait, wait, wait, wait. Pretty soon it sounds like nothing to them. We praise them when they succeed, for encouragement and that is the only thing we say.

 

Different strokes for different folks.

While training, I use wait much more often than I do after the puppy gets it. After all, Shelties are very smart, and it doesn't take much to teach them. Molly taught herself sit, and Jock, her sire, only had to be told to "wait" once, and he would stack himself perfectly.

I was taught (by a prof. handler) to free stack my dog (loose leash, in front of the dog), and to stack by kneeling by the dog. Sometimes, by kneeling by the dog, that's how you stand out in the ring.

 

I just have to ask, was it a sheltie professional handler or an all-breed? All-breed handlers want to hard stack everything. You can not get a beautiful arch of neck and outline getting down with a dog.
I agree you can use the word wait, but more times then not, in the ring or ringside you hear newbies saying, wait.....wait.....wait.....wait....wait....wait.
The only time you get down with a herding dog is if it is an unruly puppy that needs reassurance. It would look absurd to see a sheltie handler in the group get down with their dog. This truly is, just my opinion after showing shelties for over 20 years. I'm still waiting for the day Tom Coen gets down with a dog.
If you want YOUR DOG to stand out in the ring, conditioning and grooming is the way to do it.

 

Sheltie handler/breeder. Owner handler. Yes, you can. I've gotten a beautiful outline from the ground. The beautifully arched neck, the expression, etc. And, I've seen other Sheltie handlers get down with their dogs. Seems to be more of a CKC (Canadian) thing, but I have seen it done.

I've been showing them for over 15 years. My kennel's been around for over 20.

Funny thing about grooming and conditioning. Please, explain to me why a dog pulled from a backyard, with no grooming, that was drug around the ring, beat a beautiful, well-moving, AKC champ? Because it was handled by a prof. handler. In my state, it's NOT how your dog looks. It's WHO handles the dog. In my state, the ONLY people I see winning (in the Sheltie ring) are prof. handlers. There are little to NO owner handlers winning.

Sorry, but you really don't know everything.