I'm going to go make myself a sandwich. You guys better still be on that stand when I get back.

I’ve recommended having your dog sit on a chair for some of the basic training drills, but here’s a piece of equipment well known to retriever trainers that’s even better. This one is the Avery Ruff Stand and runs $180. Dog stands are typically used to give your pup a lift out of the fridged waters of duck marshes, but they’re also a great way to get him up to eye level for hold conditioning, eye contact, place training, and anything else you’d normally have to crouch down to accomplish. For a young pup, the stand also builds confidence for higher places (make sure there’s no hard landing around the stand if you’ve got a very young dog) and provides a stable surface to teach loading (jump on or into something) and under, which is great if you’re in a public place and you want to keep your dog out of the way.