Dog Training: Stay
You've had a couple of weeks to work on teaching the
Sit command to your dog, so hopefully by now it is becoming second nature. It will be a useful command for many of the future commands that you teach your dog. This week, we'll discuss the
Stay command.
The Stay command
is used when you need your dog to stay put. This can be confusing to a dog that
is used to following you around and always being at your side, but it’s useful
in many situations. For example, when you are eating dinner, or when someone
comes to the door, it’s good to be able to tell your dog to Stay so that she isn’t begging for food,
or interfering with your guest’s arrival.
Stay can be taught
in any position. You can ask your dog to Sit
and Stay, Stand and Stay, Lay Down
and Stay, etc. To be successful at Stay, your dog must not move when the
command is given.
The easiest way to introduce this command is by teaching it
in the Sit position. Once this step
is mastered, follow the same steps to teach the command with other positions.
Begin by asking your dog to sit. Then, stand in front of her
and place your palm in front of her face. Step away from her, starting with
your right leg. It is important to consistently use your right leg. Starting on
the left leg can later be used to train her to walk with you. Take a couple
steps away, then turn and stand right in front of your dog. You may repeat the
word “stay” a couple of times, but be careful of using it too much. You want to
teach your dog to respond to “stay,” not “stay stay stay stay stay.” Wait a few
seconds then return to your dog’s side. As she begins to understand the point
of what you are doing, you can increase the time you stand away from her and
the distance you walk away from her. When you return to her side, if she has
done what you ask, give her lots of praise. If she messes up, simply start
over. Dogs respond much better to praise than to criticism. If you choose, you
may use small treats as a reward for training, but make sure they are very
small and do not interfere with her normal diet. You will use a lot of treats
during training, so a dog can easily overeat, if the treats are too large. Many
dogs respond well to a treat of lots of praise from their owners, and don’t
even care for the food treats. You’ll just have to try it out and see what your
dog likes.
Remember, the most important part of this training exercise,
and any other, is consistency and patience. And shower your dog with praise!
If you have any other questions about this or any other training technique, give us a call (208-552-9825)!