Teaching Positions

The Pause Table – this obstacle can be a bear to teach, for many reasons! Recent rule changes in the AKC has led to some conflicting requests of our dogs, while USDAA, I believe, is still sticking to all down, all the time!  That makes training a new dog easier – just train them to do the down and they’ll be ready for either venue, or, as some handlers do, train different behaviors for different commands.

For instance, you can shape an ‘instant down’ on the table, once your dog is used to hopping onto it, or an instant sit or stand.  Once you’ve shaped the behavior, reward it consistently.

If your dog is surface reactive, start there! Shape your dog to hop up on the table eagerly.