For an animal that always must be busy, "stay" is a very difficult command. It's like telling a child with
Attention Deficit Disorder to sit still for a while and do nothing. Keep that in mind if you feel yourself losing
your temper with a dog that has problems with "stay". I'm not saying that stay can't be taught. It most certainly
can, but just like the child I mentioned a moment ago, it will take hard work and LOTS of patience! Don't give up!
Okay, if I told YOU what "stay" meant and then told you to do it, you could do it right away, and for long periods
of time. But that is because you are a human... not a dog. With dogs, we must go much slower to ensure good and solid
success. A lot of people in my classes have a tendency to push their dogs along quicker than they are ready.
Please don't do that. It's not fair for you to reprimand a wrongful execution of a command when it's not built on
a solid foundation in the first place. In fact, that's abusive. Don't get impatient with your dog. He's doing the
best he can, and he deserves better.
Now that that's been addressed, let's carry on...
STEP 1. First, place your dog into a sit facing you, luring him with a treat in your RIGHT hand.
STEP 2. Next hold your LEFT palm out toward your dog as if you were a policeman trying to stop traffic. Command,
"Stay". (While you are doing this, be sneaky and tuck your treat away into your right fist to discourage your dog
from watching/following it.)
STEP 3. FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF STAY TRAINING ONLY... In the beginning, you need to make
like a statue and not move. Count to 2 in your head. "one thousand one, one thousand two" increasing the seconds
to 3 the next day, then 4 after that, but only if he is succeeding 100% with the lower amount of time. (This command isn't
finished until you release which can be found in STEP 4. But for progressive purposes I will next tell you how to
build up the stay within this same step.)
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS OF STAY TRAINING ONLY... After you dog learns to stay 100% without movement or
distractions, you will need to add movement. Your dog is not ready for you to step back suddenly, or take regular
sized steps. He will most certainly follow you. You must go slow and take baby steps. To start, take a baby step to
the right, then a baby step to the left and leave it at that!!!
AFTER THAT... Progress as slowly as mentioned above, increasing the number of steps day by day (NOT hour by
hour, mind you).
STEP 4. The Release... "Stay" means do not change position or location until I release you". So in
order to do the "stay" properly, you must have a release command. Now, your treat will come in handy. When you're
ready to release your dog from the "stay", reveal the treat and lure him toward you while commanding "come". You
should take a few steps back to ensure your dog comes out of the sit.
STEP 5. Time for praises and treats! That was difficult, so make sure you let Fido know how much
you appreciate his sacrifice!
*** Trouble Shooting ***
Here are some problems you might have and some answers that might help...
My dog sits, but after I say "stay" he gets up.
Yes, most dogs do. This means he doesn't get it quite yet. But that's no problem. You need to be
persistent. As soon as you
see that his rump is about to lift off the floor, immediately and firmly command, "Sit! Stay." Don't let him get up
and wander before you do anything about it. You have to be quick in order for your dog to make a connection between
your command and what he supposed to be doing.
My dog was doing it, but now he's not.
If your dog was catching on, but now he's not, you're either practicing too much or you've gone too quickly. If it's
the first one, try taking a break. If your dog has had enough, then proceeding will only result in frustration for
everyone. If that's not the case, then you may be progressing too quickly for your dog. Go back to the point where
he was successful every time. If you are counting to four, try going back to three. If you are taking 6 steps, try taking
4 instead. If necessary, you must be willing to go back to square one. You dog may require that to become 100%
efficient at stay. If you take shortcuts, I guarantee his stay won't be dependable.
After a short amount of time, my dog slides into the down position. Is this okay?
No. The "Sit-Stay" is not the "Down-Stay". Remember, "Stay" means "Don't change
position or location until released". If you dog slides into the down, immediately command "Sit!" and ensure
he returns to the position. You may need to shorten the amount of "stay" time in order to
guarantee success.
