Stacking is an essential skill that your dog must learn in order to look his best at conformation dog showing events. The dogs who are the best at it make it look easy and quite natural looking. So much in fact, that many people do not realize that it is a skill that usually has to be taught. Most dogs do not naturally stand in the ideal stacking position while at rest. There is an art and a science to getting the movement just right.
While you are teaching your dog how to stack, be aware that the rest of your dog will tend to follow where his head goes. If his head is crooked, drooping, or too tense, then the rest of him will tend to be out of place. If your dog is having trouble understanding something and moving completely into the correct position, then you can break the steps down even further and reward him for any effort toward the correct movement.
My dog listens to me at home but not outside. Why???
Hello Shubham, Outside there are a lot more distractions to compete with. Pup may have a great Basic Obedience level of training - where they know commands and can perform them consistently in a calm environment. For pup to listen outside, where there are more distractions, pup needs an Intermediate level of Obedience - where they have learned to perform those same commands, but around distractions also; to accomplish that level, you need to spend intentional time with pup outside on 6 foot and 20 foot training leashes (leashes even in fenced areas so that you can enforce commands consistently for training and safety purposes), intentionally practicing pup's obedience commands in that more distracting environment over and over - until pup can obey in that environment too. Start with easier distractions, like your front yard around birds, and gradually progress to harder distractions and environments as pup improves, such as your yard, then cul-de-sac, then busier part of your neighborhood, calm park, busier park, pet store, outside a dog park (not inside - that's never a place to do this type of thing on a leash due to fight risk), close by other people or dogs, ect... Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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