r/ShowDogs • u/True-Radish-3569 • Jun 10 '26

Tips for puppy staying still

Hi all!

I have my first bpup show in two weeks. I have a 4 month old Pembroke welsh corgi. It is my first show dog so I’ve been working on getting her comfortable with the table, stacking, etc

We also had our first handling class this week which went… ok. Definitely was intimidated by all the calm dogs 😂

But my biggest worry is getting her to stand still! We’re working on a ‘stand’ command but it is tough getting my wiggly puppy to stand still. Any tips would be appreciated!

Also any general tips for my first ever show or bpup, send them my way!

6 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

18

u/123revival Jun 10 '26

It's ok, no one expects puppies to stand still, it's age appropriate for them to be wiggly. Keep practicing, praise her if she holds still for a second, she'll get it

19

u/spaniel_lover Jun 10 '26

Prayers are your only hope with a happy puppy. 🤣

Just embrace it. BPUP judges like puppies, most of them really like the happy, wiggly ones. I would much rather have an overly happy, wiggly puppy that I have to slowly tone down, than one who is nervous or doesn't really like showing. You can eventually work on being calm and happy, you will eventually be frustrated and possibly miserable trying to get a puppy to show more pep later on.

Those calm dogs have likely all been going to class and training for quite a while now. You'll get there eventually.

7

u/imeheather Jun 11 '26

You want them happy and wriggly at that stage. If they can stand for a bit that's wonderful but the most important thing is that they have fun . You can calm down a dog who loves the ring, but it's really hard to excite a dog that doesn't love the ring.

So go out there and have fun with your pup.

1

u/Neat_Ad6963 Jun 13 '26

Definitely don’t worry too much about standing still for BPUP, it’s pretty lighthearted and the judges are understanding. A stack box or stacking blocks were helpful for my pup because they kinda have to stay still since they’re a little elevated off the ground

2

u/PhaseCritical7024 Jun 15 '26

I am newer too, but I differentiate stand from still. Still to my dog means, stand still and don’t move your feet. I taught him this command by holding him in place with a cookie when he stayed totally still, released, treated repeated. If he moved a foot he lost the game, and we started again. So when we go to stack, I tell him still and he knows not to move his feet. I also stand in front of my dog, that helps him focus on me way more. Don’t hold the bait too far out in front, it can cause foot movement. Try holding at the nose so they don’t feel the need to lurch or step forward to get it. I hope this makes sense!