How to Stack a Dog in the Show Ring
Showing your dog in competition allows him to demonstrate his behavior and response to commands. When it's time to judge his physical conformation, you will need to pose him to show off his bodylines. Stacking your dog presents his best physical attributes to the judge.
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Instructions
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Practice at home or at your local kennel club to be able to stack your dog quickly in the show ring. You will begin by hand stacking. Different breeds stack differently, so read the conformation rules for your specific breed (see Resources).
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Familiarize your dog with standing in the stack position by rewarding him with a treat every time he is able to hold the stance successfully. Later, he will need to self-stack, showing the judges he can assume the stance without you manipulating his legs, head and tail.
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Time yourself. You will have less than 10 seconds to stack your dog in the show ring when asked. As you take your dog through his triangle paces, stop frequently to hand-stack. Each time your dog successfully stacks, reward him with a treat.
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Click to train your dog to pose. Clickers are sold in pet stores and are recommended by dog trainers to teach your dog new behavior by the using the clicking sound as a reward. When accompanied by treats your dog will soon understand the noise as a happy sound and he will adjust his actions.
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Hold a treat slightly in front of your dog's nose to get him to lean forward into a show ring stance. Click when he assumes the correct position. Click every couple of seconds to reinforce his stance. If he breaks the stack, don't click.
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Attend regular conformation classes at an AKC kennel club to allow your dog to go through his triangle routine with other dogs present. You can train him to stack at home but if he is not comfortable around other dogs, he may react negatively in the show ring. Dogs must be very used to other dogs to be successful in competition.
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