Advice On Training Your Dog To "Stay"

by advisor

posted on 09/30/2009

One of the best things you can do for your dog is to train it.

A trained dog will feel happier because it obeys on command and lives to please. The owner of a trained dog will enjoy his pet more because a well-mannered pet is much more pleasing company than an a willful, annoying dog.

Training a dog, however, can seem like a difficult task, but it isn't really. Follow the tasks below to train a dog to stay.

Command: STAY

Training Environment: Yard

1) Have a friend or someone the dog trusts hold onto the pet.
2) With one of your dog's favorite treats in hand, walk about ten or fifteen steps away.
3) As your friend holds the dog, and as you walk away, repeat loud enough so the dog can hear -- "stay." Keep repeating it as you walk away - "stay, stay, stay, stay, stay."
4) When you've walked far enough. Turn and face the dog.
5) Say "Stay."
6) Have your friend ready to nod to you at the very first point that the dog stops pushing its way to you.
7) As soon as your friend nods, stay "Good boy" (or Good Girl, whichever the case may be). "Come on!" and hold out the treat.
8) The dog will run to you.
9) Feed it the treat.

Although the dog is not yet trained, you have helped the dog pair "not pushing its way toward you" with a dog treat. The trick is now to lengthen the time it doesn't push and turn the dog's behavior into actual staying. So what you want to do next is.

Repeat steps 1 - 5.

6) Have your friend holding the dog, but this time, when the dog has sat still for an entire 2 seconds, have the friend nod.
7) Say "Come on, boy!"
8) Feed the dog the treat.

Now you have successfully trained the dog to stay for 2 whole seconds. This is great because the dog now knows it will receive a treat if it "stays." Next...

Repeat steps 1 - 5.

6) Have your friend release the dog as soon as you turn around. The dog might run to you, but now, you say "No" and return it to the friend.

With the friend holding the dog,

7) Say "stay."
8) Let the dog go.
9) Keep saying stay.
10) If the dog stays for even a second, say "Come on, boy!"
11) Give the treat.

Now you've taught the dog to stay without someone holding it. Now all, you have to do is continue to lengthen the time the dog should stay. Proceed in 5-second, 10-second, and twenty-second increments. Once you've reached twenty seconds, the dog really does know the word stay and will stay as long as you want wherever you want.

Please note: you will have to do follow up training until the dog is used to this particular command.

Congratulations. Your dog knows how to "stay."

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