Teaching your dog to Stay in one place until he’s given a release command is one of the most important things you can do for Fido. It’s right up there with teaching the recall command – Come when called. Not only will you use the Stay cue to raise a well-mannered canine kid who develops patience and self-control, but it’s also a life-saver in dangerous situations.
Before Teaching Your Dog to Stay …
Before training the Stay command, make sure your dog knows how to Sit and/or lie Down. If your dog doesn’t know these basic commands yet, go back and nail those down first.
To help your dog master the Stay command, before a training session, go for a walk and let your furkid burn off all that pent up puppy energy. If your dog is overly energetic and fidgety, he’ll have a harder time staying put.
What You’ll Need to Train Your Dog to Stay
- A quiet, distraction-free room.
- High-value treats. During training sessions, you’ll want to pull out the big guns. Think: boiled chicken, sardine crisps, baked beef liver. To avoid over-feeding treats, make sure to break each one into super teeny tiny bites.
- Collar and long leash, optional. (A lot of trainers recommending keeping puppies on-leash when first starting to train the Stay command.)
Training Tips
Step 1
- Standing directly in front of your puppy, show him a treat, and direct him into the Sit position.
- Once sitting, tell him to Stay. Make sure your voice is firm and clear. Pair the verbal cue with a physical cue by holding up one hand with your palm out, as if you’re motioning to stop.
- Wait just a couple seconds and then say a release cue (like “Okay”) and offer the treat.
- Practice this several times, gradually increasing how much time you make your dog wait before offering the treat.
Step 2
- Once your dog is able to hold a Stay for about 30 seconds, it’s time to add distance. Once again, show your dog a treat and direct him into the Sit position.
- Still holding the treat in front of your dog, give your verbal cue (“Stay”) and physical cue (stop motion).
- Then, take one small step back. After just a few seconds, step back in, closer to your dog, give the release cue, and offer a treat and praise.
- Repeat this step, gradually increasing the number of steps you take each time.
Change up the Location
Once your dog is mastering the Stay command in a quiet room, change up the location. Practice in other rooms and eventually outdoors. This will naturally increase the number of distractions present, but that’s a good thing. Ultimately, you want your dog to listen to your Stay command despite his surroundings.
Go Slow
Most dogs pick up the Stay command pretty quickly. Still, keep training sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes max. Since pups have short attention spans, it’s better to keep sessions shorter and carve out pockets of time throughout the day to train.
