How to Use Happy Legs to Train Puppies

Part of the challenge of showing a dog is training it to stand with its legs perfectly positioned. The dog should hold this pose while the judge examines it, and it should walk naturally into this position anytime it is being shown. Happy Legs is a training device that is designed to make this process easy and painless for both the dog and the owner. It works on dogs of any age and can be especially effective for puppies.

Things You'll Need

  • Happy Legs training device
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put the Happy Legs stilt box on a flat, level surface. You can use the floor or ground for larger dogs, and set the box up on a grooming table for smaller breeds.

    • 2

      Open the Happy Legs box. Adjust the stilts as needed to fit your dog. These should be positioned so that your dog will be posed the same as it would be in the show ring.

    • 3

      Lift your puppy carefully, and dangle its legs over the stilts. Keep the pup supported with your hand. Let it feel the stilts and get the idea of placing its feet on them. Puppies under 8 weeks old should be placed on the stilts for just a few seconds at a time, once a week. As your puppy gets older, you can gradually allow it to stand on the stilts but continue to support it.

    • 4

      Put a collar on your puppy and begin to use the collar instead of your hand to help the puppy stay in place. Slowly reduce the amount of support you give the pup until it is able to stand on the stilts without help. How long this takes will depend on the size and coordination of your dog.

    • 5

      Brush your puppy and open its mouth while it is standing on the stilts. Keep it fun, so the pup will learn that standing still while being handled is a game it can enjoy. Offer bait but make sure the dog doesn't move while eating.

    • 6

      Lift the puppy off of the stilts when it has been there long enough. For an 8-week-old puppy, 30 to 40 seconds is plenty. Continue these sessions and your puppy will quickly be trained to stand in a perfect show stance, on or off of the Happy Legs stilts.