Happy Legs? Stacking Blocks? Help!!!

[KrystalBallard]

I am having some problems getting Gretta to stack properly. She makes it difficult. Since she is my first SHOW pup im trying to get her ready for her handler and she is givin me a run!

So i hear happy legs helps and I went to buy some and they are $200 OMG. Any other suggestions? Anyone have a method to this madness?

Best ways to stack without spending HUNDREDS of dollars? Aren't bricks too short? How tall should the stilts be? Once you have stilts and the dogs gets bigger, how do you get them on it?

My husband is trying to come up with an easy solution but so far everything tips when the pup gets on them.

Ugh....
Help anyone?

[Karla]

Krystal,

Anything that is slightly bigger than your dog's foot and won't tip over will work. Canned goods work well. It seems canned peaches are about the right size for some dogs. They are heavy enough that they don't tip over. Stacking blocks can be made fairly easily using large dowel rods and any flat piece of wood for the ends. Even with a big dog, you should be able to lift each foot and place it on the blocks. The blocks should be high enough that is uncomfortable for the dog to step off of them. Typically, bricks are too big to give the foot a definitive place. Use a mirror to see if your dog is stacked properly. I like the book "Raising a Champion: A Beginner's Guide to Showing Dogs" by A. Meredith John and Carole L. Richards.Another book you may find useful is "The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Showing Your Dog" by Cheryl S. Smith. I hope this helps you some.

Also, is there a kennel club that offers handling classes in your area?

[Sharon Marples]

You can use bricks or blocks, they are good in the fact that they will not tip over. You only have to have the dog raise up about 4-5 inches for them to work well. Bricks are not quite that high but I have had friends use them with great success.

Canned goods work ok, but be sure that the dog cannot tip the cans over when they are up on them. Yu could have your husband buy magnets, glue or attach them to the bottoms of the cans in some way and them place them on a metal sheet so that they will not turn over. Or, look at the picture I have posted below. Your husband could make the same type of "stilts", put magnets on the bottom and rubber (or a piece of sandpaper, that's kind of what the actual happy legs have on them) on the top and get a piece of sheet metal to stand them on and you would have your own happy legs.

We have two sizes, one that is smaller in diameter for the puppies and one size that is larger to accommodate the older dog's foot size.

The main thing is that you get the dog elevated and that you teach them to stand and stay in that position. That is the whole theory on the happy legs. I happen to like them because since we normally have a litter at least once a year, we use them all of the time. I start our puppies on them at 4 weeks of age and normally work them on the happy legs up until they are 4-6 months of age. By that time they are accustomed to having me play with their legs, move the legs where I want them and to having to stand still.

Once the dogs are bigger, you just do the same thing, walk the dog so that he is standing over them and put one leg up on a stilt at a time.

Good luck!

[JemarsSerena]

I used 4x4 blocks about 5 inches high. Worked real good for us. Congrats on your first show dog and have lots of fun. We got our first last year and love it!