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Training : Stay Command
To tell a dog to “stay” means that you want him to continue sitting. It is a key obedience command, which will help control your dog when needed. It is qualitatively different from other commands. While other words indicate that you expect your dog to take inaction, when you say “stay”, you actually want him to do nothing.
How to do it
There are two methods you can try to teach your dog to hold his position.
- One of the most common methods to teach a dog to sit is holding a treat just above his nose till he plants his posterior down in order to keep it in his sights. After you have managed this, and your dog is comfortable with it, tell him to stay as he keeps sitting. He will associate the word stay with act of keeping still.
If he seems confused by this new addition to his repertoire, try starting from the beginning. You may want to use a hand signal here as well.
Once he gets the hang of it, tell him stay and take a few steps back. If he continues to sit still, reward him with the treat and tell him what a good boy he is.
In this method, the “stay” command takes your dog’s training one step beyond “sit”, and should be taught just after he has got the hang of sitting on cue.
- The second method makes it difficult for your dog to fail. Sit in front of your dog when he is lying down. Keep your hand gently on his back or side to stop him from getting up. Put a treat about six inches away and your palm in front of his face. Say the word “stay”. After about three seconds, give him the release command and allow him to eat the treat, heaping him with praise. Continue this for two weeks, till he understands what you mean.
Then, continue the process by lightening your hold on him and keeping him in the stay position for around 30 seconds. When he seems comfortable with this, change track a little. Tell him to stay with your palm in front of his face and then move back three feet. Tell him to stay and then call him to you. Don’t forget to tell him what a good job he has done and to give him his treat.
When he is comfortable with this, stand three feet away from him, make eye contact and then tell him to stay. If you think he will get up, repeat your command. This is one command where repetition will help, as you asking him to continue what he is doing. Once this training seems successful, you can introduce the stay command when your dog is in a sitting position as well.