Stand

Your dog rises onto all four feet from a sit or a down and holds it — the position vets and groomers ask for most often.

🐾🐾 · ~7 days · 5 min/session

Learn first: Sit

Step-by-step

1. Start from a sit on a non-slip floor

   Put down a rug or train on grass — on slippery laminate the paws splay and your dog can’t hold the position. Ask for a sit and stand at your dog’s side rather than in front, so you have room to lure forwards. Hold a treat between your thumb and finger, exactly at nose height.

   💡 Standing at the side matters — face your dog head-on and they’ll back away instead of stepping forwards.

2. Lure the nose straight forwards

   Slide the treat straight forwards, a hand-span from the nose and parallel to the floor. The rear lifts by itself because the dog wants to follow your hand without raising their head. Lift your hand up and you get a jump; lower it and you get a down.

3. Mark the instant all four feet land

   Say “Yes!” the second the back legs straighten and deliver the treat right in front of the chest. A reward one second later catches the step forwards, not the rise. Do 6–8 reps and stop while your dog is still keen.

4. Hold the position for a few seconds

   Reward the rise, but don’t let your dog move off — feed a second and a third treat while all four feet stay planted. Feeding in position explains that the reward arrives here, in this shape. Work up to five seconds before you add anything else.

   💡 Every hold ends with your release word — never with the dog deciding on their own to sit back down.

5. Add the cue and the gesture

   Once the rise is smooth, say “Stand” right before your hand moves. After a few days make the same motion with an empty, forward-facing palm and reward from your other hand. Try it from a down as well — it’s harder, because the dog lifts their whole weight.

6. Take it to the check-up and the brush

   Ask for a stand and run a hand along the back, lift a paw or brush — one second at a time, with a treat after each touch. The position starts to mean “I’ll be handled and it’s fine”. Ask someone at home to play vet a few times before the real appointment arrives.

   💡 For a senior dog or one with sore hips, rising from a down can hurt — work from a sit only and ask your vet.

Common mistakes

• Moving your hand up instead of forwards — the dog hops or sits back down instead of standing.
• Scooping the belly up with your hand to “help” — the dog tenses and starts avoiding your hands.
• Training on a slippery floor — the paws splay, the dog feels unsafe and rightly refuses the position.
• No clear ending — as long as the dog decides when to sit, the hold never gets any longer.

Problems & solutions

My dog walks forwards the second they stand up.

Your lure travels too far. Shorten it to one hand-span and deliver the reward right against the chest, not out in front of the nose. Three quick treats in a row on the spot glue the feet to the floor.

From a down, my dog simply won’t get up.

Rising from a down takes more strength, and it’s worth having a vet check the joints for pain. If your dog is healthy, work from a sit for a whole week and add the down only once the position is automatic.

They stand, then sit straight back down.

The reward lands too late, so the dog has already gone back to the position they know best. Mark the instant they rise and get the second treat in before the rear starts dropping. Several small rewards in position do more than one big one at the end.

Reward ideas

Small soft treats delivered at chest height while your dog is up on all four feet. Several in a row in position work better than one big one at the end.