One of the first exercises we work on in my classes is holding a static position (stand, sit, down).

That seems too easy, right? Of course a dog could do that! Maybe they can and maybe they can't. If they can, it's not necessarily for any length of time or with proper form.

Holding a static position is indeed an exercise and works on the front, rear and core stabilizer muscles as well as balance. It's a great low impact exercise, is a-ok to start with puppies and yes, difficulty can be added multiple ways over time. 

But, it's not enough to just hold the position. Form in these positions absolutely matters. Think about human fitness - where we already know that form matters - sure you can do a squat with your knees out ahead of your toes, but at what cost over time? Asking your dog to do an exercise without being aware of proper form is rehearsing improper muscle activation and down the road will result in muscle imbalance, compensation elsewhere in the body and invite injury, especially if any of these static positions are a starting point for a more advanced exercise.

Doing it with proper form means legs tracking parallel to each other, overall balance through the entire body, square stance, neutral head and topline.

👉 So try it with your own dog! Ask them to hold a static position (don't place them in the position, let them do it themselves) of your choice for 10 seconds and really observe the dog and the position. What do you see? Is the dog shuffling around, are its legs spread out too wide or pulled in too narrow, are legs uneven with each other front to back, is one leg set farther under the body, is more weight shifted to the front, back or either side, is there a roach or dip in the dog's back? These are all telling signs that there could be a muscle imbalance, lack of strength or inflammation somewhere.