How To Train: Hand Stand (video)

We've gotten to the point where the books are higher than Valentine is tall, and if I put the thinnest book I can find on top of the pile, she can no longer lift her leg up high enough to step back onto it. As it was, I discovered, occasionally she was stepping onto the side of the pile a books and then setting her other foot onto the top. So kind of cheating by two or three inches. :sneaky:

So, anyway, if I set that slim book on the top, she cheats all the time or tries to give up. I just can't seem to get her to jump at all. I thought maybe the problem would sort itself out the more we practiced, but it hasn't. I tried using a 24-pack of sodas box with the sodas still inside and some books underneath to achieve the same height, (since the box has a more slick side--to prevent the cheating) and she tried (and failed) a couple of times and then wouldn't try anymore, even when I lowered the height again. She didn't like that I had taken her handicap away. :rolleyes:

I was wondering if anyone else had encountered this problem and if so, what you did to solve it. Or if you could think of something I can try to get her to want to jump up with her back legs. I can get her to jump forward onto things. But backward? I'm at a loss. :confused:
 
I also have a cheater. Royal will climb things with his back feet but I can't get him to jump either.

He reaches out with his left back foot and searches for what ever it is I want him to go up on. Once he makes contact with that foot he starts climbing. LOL!
 
Have you tried not clicking when she climbs the books and try again. Another thing you could try is putting your hand under her belly, ask for her to back up and you lift her up and click for that. After a few sessions of you lifting her she should start helping you out, once she is lifting her back end by herself fade your hand out from under her. If that doesn't' t make any sense I will make a video for you. I did this with Missy except I had to do it when trying to get her on the wall.
 
I started teaching this to Kodi back in November. :) I had him on a diet to lose a few pounds so we only practiced this once every couple of weeks. After he lost about five pounds in January we started working on this several times a week and he's doing amazing!! This is one of the most fulfilling, fun tricks I've ever had the joy of teaching Kodi. Here's a short video of our progress so far. The other day though I managed to get him to do a few against a wall, a tree and he did one outside completely on his own, without the help of anything! I'm so proud of him.:D
 
i went the other way: i taught dandy to go up the stairs backward. now that he does it no problem and without looking, i rush him a bit so every now and then, he hops both backs legs at once - click/treat - and sometimes he actually hovers in the air a moment - jackpot. he's a big dog, so it's a big difficult to find things that are high enough that he actually has to hop his butt end to get up on it but i think i'll use the couch ...

.... when my hubbie's not home.....

i've been taking this one really really slow because i've read a number of times that he needs time to develop the strength for it to prevent damage.

but... how do i know when he's ready?
 
I've been considering teaching this trick to Remi, but I'm kinda hesitate since there may be health risk, and he's still a puppy.

If I wait until he is fully grown would he be to big for this trick?
 
dogs can learn new tricks at any age, even in their senior and geriatric years. they do need the time and exercise to build up the strength in the proper muscles.

you don't need to teach him to do an actual handstand just yet but definitely you might want to get started on hind-end awareness skills (such as pivot or walking backward while keeping his eyes on you).
 
threenorns said:
dogs can learn new tricks at any age, even in their senior and geriatric years. they do need the time and exercise to build up the strength in the proper muscles.

you don't need to teach him to do an actual handstand just yet but definitely you might want to get started on hind-end awareness skills (such as pivot or walking backward while keeping his eyes on you).
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I know they can learn new tricks no matter the age, just wasn't sure about his weight affecting it once he is full grown. I know they said that it's easier for smaller dogs.

We need to work on hind-end awareness since we've only done one session with it.
 
Currently teaching this trick to Luna, we are only upto the storage box stage she can't seem to back up onto the box very straight as in I will tell her to back up with her head and body in the middle part of the box but when she lifts her back legs they will end up on a corner of the box sometimes. Anyone have any ideas to make her more 'aware' of the rear end? She has terrible rear end awareness even after practicing this trick for 2-3 weeks already nearly daily. Even her obedience dumbbell retrieve is messy because when she sits at the end she doesn't sit on her haunches an her butt is slightly too left off her body.
 
jorrytommy said:
After watching this video I think I could try this.
Thanks
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I probably wouldn't try to train a full hand stand with a GSD and certainly not until he is fully grown - I get the impression from your other posts that Tommy is a young dog and you are concerned about his health.

Even when Tommy is fully grown I would say GSD backs are a bit long for a comfortable handstand. Bear in mind that handstands have been banned from competitive K9 freestyle routines (eg Crufts) owing to the possibility of injury to the dog.
 
Here's Veronica's modified handstand for geriatric dogs. (And can someone explain to me how it is that she's going to be NINE June 8th????? That's as insane as me turning 50 in January -which won't be happening because I'm totally going to start counting backwards - for both of us!)

Much like chair aerobics at the senior center. :D

 
JazzyandVeronica said:
Here's Veronica's modified handstand for geriatric dogs. (And can someone explain to me how it is that she's going to be NINE June 8th????? That's as insane as me turning 50 in January -which won't be happening because I'm totally going to start counting backwards - for both of us!)
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Much more sensible than a full handstand... really don't think it is a good idea for most dogs (some take to that sort of thing naturally but for most I feel it is unhealthy - in fact I'm pretty sure hand stands are banned from UK canine freestyle competitions.

Well done Veronica (and you too of course)

Totally know what you mean about Veronica being nine, I count Zac's age very slowly but I have a friend who keeps pointing out that her dog is eight so Zac can no longer be seven as he was born the year before her dog :(, Zac'll be nine and a half in June, I don't know where the time has gone.
 
YAY for V. The alternative hand stand for her is great.
I started trying to teach Missy to do a hand stand without assistance of an object, but chose to stop. So her hand stand is using a door, dresser or whatever.

Totally know what you mean about Veronica being nine, I count Zac's age very slowly but I have a friend who keeps pointing out that her dog is eight so Zac can no longer be seven as he was born the year before her dog :(, Zac'll be nine and a half in June, I don't know where the time has gone.
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Missy is 9 and 3 months:(. Though I'm glad she's not showing that she is getting older besides the slight graying of her muzzle.
 
Love Ms. Veronica's alternative hand stand, much safer even for younger dogs and Veronica you don't look a day over 1 year old! What's your secret? :D

Neither of mine do a hand stand but little Blossom does a stand tall, quite voluntarily in place of sit pretty! Go figure. But as she's still just eight months old I don't encourage her to do it too often.
 
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