Puppy Kindergarten for Show Pup?

Years and years of experience. Dogs aren't really that stupid! My latest puppy, just turned 5 months old, is going to handling class every week and plays show puppy really well. When he's not wearing his show collar and lead, he does obedience. At this age, he knows front, finish, heel, down, drop on recall, touch, spin, and is learning go backs and signals.

There's NO problem teaching a puppy the sit command unless you're incapable of telling the dog "stand". They can learn a lot more than one word!

Teach the pup to sit and build on it.... Sit is not a bad thing at all.

I trained my mom's dog for show years ago and she knew when she had the show lead on she was to stand when stopped, takes work just like with teaching to sit. You can even teach your pup a different command that means to stop/stand instead of sit. The more you teach your pup the better.

I don't know why people think that dogs are so stupid, they can only learn one thing.

I'm on my 3rd "show dog". 1st was a Champion, that I handled myself to CH and competed in obedience & agility. 2nd, is a Grand Champion Dual Champion, again, owner handled, that's currently competing in Utility level and Master agility. 3rd dog, is not yet finished, is 18 months and has 2 majors and need 3 points and is in an agility class AND an obedience class.

Dogs can distinguish between the different things their doing. I've taken the 2 previous dogs from the agility ring, to the obedience ring, to the rally obedience ring to the breed ring, all in the same day and they never got confused or didn't know what they were doing.

You can teach your dog to sit, down and stand, it will not hurt you int he show ring. Why does there have to be a default behavior. Why can't you just teach the dog to stand or sit (or down), when you give that command. When I say Stand Stay, she stands in a stack and stays in that position, until I release her with my "free" command.

Teaching sit is actually the first step to teaching a stand command. Your first commands should be sit, stay, down, come and heel. when you have a sit command, you teach a stand comand, so that in the future if your dog sits without your request, you can give him the stand. this is helpful too in grooming if your dogs obedient durring.

The instructor should be delighted to see you, and happy for you to work on 'stand' when everyone else is teaching the 'sit'; and make any other accommodations you need.
If not, they are not actually a dog trainer...

Have fun with your pup :)

I have the same issue. I told the instructor that we are really here more for socialization and not so much to learn basic obedience. Yes I don't teach my show puppies anything except how to gait and stack. This little guy was 5 months in this picture. he did not go to puppy classes. And Belgian Nut, I just don't teach much obedience they tend to pick it up from the adults. Or when they finish then I work on it. But they are unusually well behaved puppies.

A show puppy had to have cost you a fortune, $2,000 to $3,000.

If you got a show puppy there are all kinds of people associated with that breeder & all you have to do is ask. The breeder would know everything that you would want to know.

Did you loose breeding rights? Contracts usually hold on to breeding rights for future breeding. They won't allow you to choose the stud.

If the dog is so stupid it doesn't know the difference between sitting and standing it will have NO chance as a show dog.

Many show dogs have passed the Canine Good Citizen test and the TDI Therapy Dog test. In both cases sitting and staying HAVE to be something a dog does IMMEDIATELY so there is no way in hell ANY dog training program would be stupid enough to allow an owner NOT to teach their dog to sit.

Is this even an AKC registered, show quality dog from Champion, Grand Champion bloodlines? And do you not have a spay/neuter contract for it before they'll give you the pedigree? Only intact, show quality dogs can be shown.