Monday's Trick Challenge: Stay

Monday's Trick Challenge: Stay

Normally, I don't classify "stay" as a trick, but today I'm going to, and here's why: Stay can be a fundamental building block of many tricks you wish your dog to learn, and can be a fun exercise all on it's own!

Why Should Your Dog Learn Stay?

Stay is considered one of the "Five Basic Commands" because it really is something every dog should know. It comes in handy when food is dropped on the floor, a tantalizing distraction (such as a cat, squirrel, etc.) which you don't want your dog to chase shows up, when you're leaving the house (and don't want your dog bolting out the door), or when you're relaxing and wish your dog to stay on his bed. All are every-day scenarios which can happen to anyone, and all great reasons to teach your dog to stay!

Deffinition:

"Stay": your dog is to stay where he/she is until you give further instructions. This means that your dog cannot move more than it's head when given the command "Stay". Your dog can turn his head to see you (see picture above), but cannot lay down, stand up, or turn it's body around in any direction.

How it's Taught:

Training Stay can be quite easy and quite fun!

Remember: Start off small and work your way up to longer time and longer distances.

Start off with Fido in a sit or down (depending on the dog, either one may be easier. Quite often a down/stay is easiest for beginners). Keep your dog on a 5-6 foot leash during the first little while of training. The leash will allow you to have quick control if your dog should move.

Give the command, verbal and visual, "Stay". The visual cue for Stay is your palm flat and hand up like a "stop" sign. You can start this exercise with your dog either on your left ("heel" position) or in front of you. Many people will use two different hand signals for the command stay depending on where the dog is. This is not necessary, I have found, and tends to make training more confusing for the trainer! Use whichever hand signal you feel most comfortable with.

Walk one step backwards from your dog. If he tries to follow you, give a firm "ah!" or "no!" and step into the dog (not on the dog, but in an attempt to use your body to accompany the space between you and "take it over", which is a cue for the dog to step back). Use your leash to guide your dog back into the same spot or further back.

Important: do not let the dog gain any distance! He must be placed back into the SAME spot (facing the same direction) or further back. If you let him creep forward or change direction you are essentially telling your dog "you only have to stay within this area, otherwise you can do whatever you want". The goal of stay is for your dog to STAY!

Repeat above steps until your dog can stay for a count of "one, two". Return to your dog and PRAISE! Use tasty treats, a toy, a game, or pets and attention to praise your dog. 

As your dog gets better, slowly increase your distance and time. If you find your dog gets up or moves again you have moved forward too quickly! Go back a step and one less count until you feel confident you can move forward again in the lesson.

Once your dog is staying for a count of 10 and at least 5 steps back try walking a circle around your dog. Hold the leash up above your dogs head so that it does not loop around, entangle or pull on the dog, as this will feel like a cue to move from him and will not making the lesson any easier for you to teach!

Walk in an either counter or clockwise pattern (it does not matter which). This is the part most dogs feel uncomfortable with (when you begin to walk around them). Most dogs will instinctively get up and move to follow you. Use a firm "Ah!" or "no!" and place him back in the same place (remember, he must be facing the same direction as he was originally sitting in when the command was given). Repeat from the beginning of your circle.

Continue the above step until you can walk a full circle around your dog. Praise, praise, PRAISE when you can walk a full circle with your dog moving no more than his head.

When you feel confident in doing a complete circle, try walking directly to your dogs left and standing there, followed by behind, and to your dogs right etc. Try varying where you stand, how far and for how long. If your dog moves, put him back in the same place or farther back!

Add Distractions:

Adding distractions is the funnest part of training stay! Have another person jog around your dog, walk another dog, throw a ball or favorite toy, place a tasty treat near your dog, sing a song, the ideas are endless and can be so fun to come up with!

When your dog masters a distraction remember to praise! Praise is the most important part of dog training and too many people tend to forget about it!

Remove the Leash:

With any command or trick, your end goal is to have the command completed successfully and off leash. When to remove the leash will be up to your dog.

When your dog can stay successfully for a long distance (end of your leash), while you walk around, while you stand any where and with numerous distractions, it's time to start trying to reach the goal of an off-leash stay.

Before you can remove the leash you will need to add a long line. Long lines can be bought in almost any pet store or made out of any long string or rope. You want your long line to be above 10 feet long. 

This will give you the ability to increase your distance and see how your dog listens when you are 10 or more feet away! Work with the long line in front of your dog, behind and around your dog.

When you feel comfortable and confident at this distance and with larger amounts of time, try dropping the line.  Dogs aren't stupid, they know when you're holding the end of a leash, no matter how long it is! When you feel confident working with your dog on stay without holding the line it's time to remove a leash completely or switch to a tab (a short strap with a clip on one end that attaches to the dog).

Work in a fenced or indoor area and gradually move to an outdoor or unfenced area.

With each transition in length, time and place you will need to start with small distractions and slowly work your way up to bigger distractions. This is called 'proofing' your dog.