Why does my dog anticipate the order of the positions?

Because they've learnt "their" sequence by heart rather than the words: it's actually a good sign, they've understood the game. Shuffle the order, and when they offer a position before your signal, wait in silence and only reward the response to the real word.

Do you need a clicker to teach the positions?

No, a short marker word works perfectly well: a crisp "yes!" at the exact moment they take the position, followed by the treat. The marker says "that's what pays", and your voice does that just fine.

At what age can you teach the stand and the transitions?

As soon as the sit and the down hold on the word alone, even in a puppy. Slow transitions on the ground are gentle: stick to very short sets, with no running or jumping around them, on a floor with good grip.

My dog refuses a transition, is that serious?

If it's new when it used to go fine, think discomfort first rather than stubbornness, especially in an older dog. Ease off the down→stands, simplify the exercise, and if the refusal sticks around, ask your vet's advice.

The "stand" & position changes

Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

The "stand" & position changes

Q: How do I teach my dog to stand?

Start with them sitting and lure them forwards with a treat at nose height: they rise onto all four legs. Mark it with a "yes!", reward, then empty your hand and add the word "stand" once the stand-up becomes predictable. Never by lifting them.

Q: What are "puppy push-ups"?

It's stringing sit, stand and down together in a varied order. The point isn't performance: it's a brilliant thinking game (your dog has to tell three words apart) and a little core workout for their back end.

9 min read

The "stand" comes quickly, once sit and down hold on the word alone. Then the real game begins: mix the three positions in random order, so your dog answers the word rather than a sequence learnt by heart. You lure with a treat, you mark at the right moment, and you never push or lift him.

Three words, not one gesture

Your dog has to recognise three different words and produce the right movement for each one, in an order you change every time: harder than a plain "sit", and a great workout for his head, not just his body. If your dog gets stuck, it isn't stubbornness: most of the time, he was reading your hand signal, not the word itself.

Two things need to be solid before you start mixing positions: if they aren't yet, no problem, go back to those basics first, without rushing.

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Ready to start

Teaching the "stand"

A few minutes per session: you lure the movement, you mark at the right instant, then you fade the hand.

Start from a sit or a down, on a floor with grip

Your dog beside you, sitting or lying down, on a rug or in the grass, never on slippery tiles: his back end needs grip to push up. A treat pinched between your thumb and index finger, and keep a few more in your pocket or in your other hand: you'll need them as soon as you start fading the hand.

Draw the treat straight forward, at head height

Hold the treat right against his nose, at head height (low if he's lying down, higher if he's sitting). Draw it slowly and horizontally, straight forward, about a hand's width (10 to 15 cm), never lifting it. To follow his nose, he steps forward and comes up onto all four legs.

If he doesn't get up as planned

From the down, if he crawls along on his belly instead of standing, hold your hand just a touch higher and mark the moment he pushes up on his legs, never while he's crawling. Still from the down, if he sits instead of standing, your hand went too high: bring it back to nose height. From the sit, if he doesn't move or lies back down, the treat isn't travelling far enough: take it a bit further out in front of him, nice and horizontal.

Mark the instant he's steady on his feet

Say "yes!" exactly when all four feet are down and he stops moving, not a second before, then reward straight away. If he keeps walking instead of settling, draw the treat over a shorter distance, a few centimetres is enough, and mark faster: he's learning to plant himself, not to follow you across the room.

Empty the hand

After 4 or 5 successes in a row, make exactly the same movement with an empty hand: your dog follows the movement even with no treat in it, and the reward comes from your pocket or your other hand, right after the "yes!".

Add the word "stand"

When he gets up 4 or 5 times in a row on the gesture alone, say "stand" once, just before you move your hand. Repeating it several times teaches him he can ignore it the first time.

Mixing the three positions

Take each change one at a time, then shuffle them.

Stand→sit: the hand rises above his head

From the stand, the treat starts at the tip of his nose and rises vertically, very gently, up above his head, towards his ears. His head follows the movement upwards, his back end settles onto the floor: mark with "yes!" the instant his bottom touches the ground, then reward.

Stand→down: the hand goes down between his front legs

From the stand, the hand goes straight down to the floor, between his front legs, without moving backwards. His head follows downwards, his elbows fold: mark as soon as his belly touches the floor. If he sits instead of lying down, your hand stopped too high: go all the way to the floor, not halfway.

Down→stand: the same movement as for teaching the stand

Use exactly the movement you learnt above: the treat drawn horizontally, straight out in front of his nose. He steps forward and comes up onto all four legs, mark as soon as he's steady.

Down→sit, without standing up on the way

This is the change that trips dogs up most often: many get right up before sitting back down. The treat starts at the tip of his nose and rises vertically, very close to his body, over about ten centimetres only, just enough for his head to lift, never travelling forward: only the front of the body comes up, the back end stays on the floor and then settles into a sit. Mark that direct change only. If he stands right up, the treat went too far forward: bring it closer and keep it more vertical. If he stays flat and doesn't move, your hand is too low or too far from him: put it right against his nose and lift a little more decisively, to make him want to follow it upwards.

Shuffle the order

Sit, down, stand, sit, stand: ask for the three positions in random order, never the same sequence two sessions running. That's when your dog finally answers the word rather than the habit.

If he anticipates, wait in silence

If he offers the next position before your word, it means he's memorised "his" sequence by heart, rather a good sign, he's got the game. Stay still and silent, let him get it wrong, and only reward the answer to the word you have actually just given.

Fade the treats

Once the changes flow, reward every other one, then one in three, sometimes after this one, sometimes after that one, so he can't count the turns.

Keep the sets short: count five to ten changes per session, no more. These sequences work his body as much as his head, and a few cheerful repetitions beat a long session that drags on.

What these position changes are good for

A full-body workout

Going from down to stand builds up his back end and his upper back, a bit like a press-up for him.
It takes two minutes, no kit, in the living room.

An easier check-up at the vet's

A dog who stands on request is far easier for the vet to examine, without you having to reposition him by hand.

A warm-up before play

Run a few slow position changes before a more physical play session: it's a good warm-up for his muscles, a bit like yours before a run.

To go further

guideTeaching your dog to sitThe basic position to consolidate before mixing in position changes with the stand.Read the guide guideTeaching "down"The other position to work on the word alone, for even smoother changes.Read the guide guideWorking at a distanceOnce the position changes are solid up close, ask for them from several metres away.Read the guide guideThe foundations: teaching a trick with rewardsThe basics of the positive method for teaching your dog any trick, including these position changes.Read the guide guideChaining tricks: teach the last step firstTo link sit, stand and down into one smooth sequence, starting from the last step.Read the guide guide“Touch”: teaching your dog to boop your handTeaching your dog to touch your hand with his nose helps you guide him into each position, with no lead pulling and no pushing.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do I teach my dog to "stand"?

From the sit or the down, draw a treat horizontally in front of his nose, at head height: he steps forward and comes up onto all four legs. Mark with a "yes!" as soon as he's steady, reward, then empty your hand and add the word "stand" once the movement becomes predictable. Never by lifting him or pushing on his back end.

What are "puppy push-ups"?

It's the nickname given to these repeated sit-down-stand sequences. Your dog has to recognise three different words in an unpredictable order: a great workout for his head and, like a press-up, for his back end and his back.

My dog anticipates the order of the positions, why?

It means he's memorised "his" sequence by heart rather than the words, which is rather a good sign: he's got the game. Shuffle the order, and if he offers a position before your word, stay silent and only reward the answer to the real cue.

Do I need a clicker to teach the positions?

No: a short marker word works perfectly well, a crisp "yes!" the instant he takes the position, followed by the treat. Your voice does exactly the same job.

What age can you teach the stand and the position changes?

As soon as sit and down hold on the word alone, even with a growing puppy, as long as you take it gently: short sets, no running or jumping, on a floor with good grip.

My dog refuses one of the position changes, is that serious?

If it's new and he used to do it well, think pain first rather than a tantrum, especially in an older dog. Ease off the down→stand changes, make the exercise simpler, and if it carries on, ask your vet for advice.

Updated on July 11, 2026

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