For me, stay is just an extension of the
sit
and
down
commands. I personally do not use this command although you may wish to. The technique is the same, only the word has changed. I find that doing it this way is a lot easier than making it a new command word.
Once you have got to the point where your dog will stay in one place, you have pretty much mastered the basics. One thing I should point out, when you are training your dog, he needs to be calm and able to give you his attention.
If he is hyped up, play with him for a while or take him for a walk. He needs to have his attention fully on you particularly when you are giving duration commands.
Okay, let’s go through the process one step at a time, taking your time and staying relaxed with no distractions.
Train your dog to stay in 5 easy steps
We’ll start with one of the commands that he has already learned, sit, down or stand. We use these simply because this is the position you want him to stay in. This is why I prefer to use it as an extension to an existing command and not introduce it as a new word.
For the purpose of this exercise I am going to use sit. If you want him to sit more than 2 or 3 minutes, you should use the down command.
Give the command to sit. Don’t forget the praise. Stand in front of him and with your hand held out in the traffic stop position, repeat the command and take one step back.
He is going to be fascinated by your hand and will keep his attention on it and you. Watch for body movement and if you think he is going to move, repeat the command. Count to 10 and take one step towards him and give him praise for sitting.
Let him relax and move out of the position if you wish. Repeat step one but this time take two steps back and so on until you are 10 steps away.
When you have completed step 2, he is already sitting for the length of time that it takes to go 10 steps back, count to 10 and make 10 steps forward.
Now you are going to increase the length of time by increasing the count. I usually watch for any movement while I am counting and when you think he is getting restless take the 10 steps towards him.
The number you counted to before you moved back is going to be your benchmark. You don’t want the sit command to last more than 2 or 3 minutes as he will get restless. If you want to extend the time, use the down command.
Ok, so we’re getting this down pretty good. Now is the time to start throwing in a few distractions, but only one at a time. Try the park or somewhere where there are other people or dogs.
All this time, he has been able to see you, now its time to get him to stay in position when he can’t see you. Continue doing the same exercise, but this time, you will be walking past a tree.
When you get past the tree, step behind it, count 1, 2, and then step back out on the side you stepped in. Do this exercise, close to the tree so that he is still within his attention span.
When you’ve mastered this one, try stepping out on the other side of the tree where he isn’t expecting you. And start increasing the time.
Now that he has mastered staying in one place without seeing you, you now need to get him to sit using the hand signal then turn and walk away from him, not backing away as you have been doing. Take the same number of steps then turn and come back to him. Continue this exercise increasing the distance and time.
When he has mastered the art of staying, you will be able to go on and get him to do commands at a distance.
Tip: If you want him to sit more than 2 or 3 minutes, you should use the down command.
Tip: always watch body movement and preempt him by reissuing the command.
Tip: Its okay to reissue the command at a distance as this is a precursor to issuing new commands at a distance.
