Puppy Stacking Lesson 1

By Theresa Robinson

It is best to use a grooming table because the puppy will feel insecure and will be less likely to move around a lot.

You want the puppy hungry. So do this lesson before his/her regular meal.

    Place the puppy on the table. Have the puppy sit or lay down like in photo #1. Place the bait in front of the puppy. If the puppy is scared, I will place the bait on the table and let the puppy eat it. You want the puppy to start to relax and become focused on the bait. Notice how I place my hand under the puppies head. I am just barely touching her. My hand is there to keep her head up and in front of the bait. Once the puppy starts taking the bait, move the bait slowly forward away from the puppy as shown in photo #2. The puppy will start to stand to reach for the bait. Remember to hold the puppy's head up. Because he/she will try to drop his/her/ head. By start out with the puppy's feet straight and even in front of them while sitting or laying down, the puppy should be straight when standing. Once the puppy is up and baiting, I pick up the rear and set it by just lifting it. This also gives me a clue as to the correctness of the rear. If the toes point in or out I know to watch the puppy's rear as it grows. The same with the front, but I do like to see a slight bit of toeing out in the front. I find if a puppy is perfectly straight in the front it will elbow out or toe in when moving as an adult.

You can start to teach the puppies to stack as soon as they are up on their feet. You can start a dog at any age. I like to work with the puppies until they are relaxed on the table before moving on to the next lesson.

For those puppies I call, "Puppies from Hell," those puppies that are afraid of nothing. We will talk about them in the next lesson.

Remember to end on an up note and don't overwork the puppy. Two to three minutes is enough. Stop the lesson while the puppy is still wanting the bait.

Once the puppy is comfortable standing and baiting on the table, You will have them stacking like a champ!

 Have question about this lesson?

        Contact the Author: Theresa Robinson