29/12/2025
On the fifth day of physiomas my physio gave to me… 5 sit lay stands!
Sit lay stands are not only a great exercise, but also a very useful assessment tool. During your first assessment with me, I’ll always ask your dog to sit and stand, and then sit, lay, stand. During this, I’ll look at how square your dog sits and lays, how easily they can transition between the three stages, how they get up from sit and lay, and if they can complete this exercises at all.
Sitting square is one of those things that physios notice very quickly when meeting a dog for the first time, and while some dogs simply don’t sit square, or sit at all (greyhounds and daxis I’m looking at you!), most of the time, a dog that can’t sit square is a bit of a red flag.
This exercise helps with hip, stifle and hock flexion, helps build hind end muscle mass and tone, and is a good starter exercise for a dog getting into physio.
So next time you ask your dog to sit or lay, have a look, are they square? And if not, can they sit square? Let me know in the comments!
