Tips on Stacking a Show Dog

The stack is a dog show pose that shows the dog off to its best advantage. This pose involves the dog standing with its legs directly underneath its body with its head up. In some breeds, the hind legs are stretched back. The dog holds this pose as the judge inspects its body. Stacking a dog requires keeping it still during the examination, and training a dog in this way requires persistence.

  1. Provide Visual Cues

    • When you are first training your dog to stack, give it several visual reminders. Place a marker on the ground, one for each foot and where it should be. Position the dog on the marker and reward it for holding still. You may also choose to set four bricks on the ground and elevate your dog's feet, making sure it knows the required spacing. Afterward, progress to stacking your dog without the visual cues.

    Reward After Signaling

    • A dog who is good at stacking will not break its pose until you give it a prearranged signal. It is tempting to reward a dog after it has held its pose for a certain length of time, but it is important for the dog to understand that stacking is only meant to end when the owner indicates that it can relax. Do not reward your dog until it has learned that it should hold its pose until it sees you signal, whether you do that with a click or with a hand gesture.

    Move the Dog Appropriately

    • Especially when you are just getting started with stacking a dog in the show ring, you will need to make several adjustments to the dog's stance and the way that it is standing. When you go to move your dog's foot, grip the dog's limb at the elbow. Do not move the dog's paw. Moving the dog's limb from the elbow allows the dog to stay firmly on the ground and it will not feel off-balance. Similarly, reach over your dog's back rather than under its belly if you need to rearrange a paw on the opposite side.

    Keep Up Obedience Training

    • When you are training your dog for the show ring, do not neglect other forms of training. It is important to remember that a dog should be as well-trained in the ring as out of it, and vice-versa. Obedience training ensures that the dog stays attentive and alert when it is working with you. Even a few minutes of obedience training every day keeps a dog interested in working with you and attentive to your commands.