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)!