The goal of the stay command is to have your dog remain in one position while you leave the dog, until returning to the heel position. The sit-stay and the down-stay are the fundamental and backbone commands for other exercises. These two exercises teach a dog self-control.
- Tell your dog to "sit" as you guide him into the sitting position beside your left leg.
- Place your hand, palm flat and facing the dog, in front of the dog's nose (without touching him) as you give the command "stay". No name is used since it is not a moving exercise.
- Holding the leash in your right hand, remove the left hand from in front of the dog's nose and step forward on your right foot (The left foot means "heel" or "let's go", while the right foot means "stay behind"). Turn and stand directly in front of your dog, no more than 6 inches from his nose.
IF YOUR DOG SHOULD START TO GET UP:
- Reposition the dog gently with an upward and backward motion on the leash. If this does not sit the dog, reach over his back (from the front) and gently push down on his rear. We are helping him learn and not correcting him for what we have not yet taught him.
- As soon as the dog has regained the sitting position, praise him verbally. Verbal praise is used so as not to encouraged him to get up again by you petting him.
- DO NOT REPEAT THE COMMAND "SIT." The last command the dog was given was "stay", which means no moving. If you keep reminding him, why should he bother to remember what he is doing?
- Keep your eyes on your own dog and correct as soon as he begins to move, but do not dive at him to quickly. Our objective is not to frighten or intimidate him, rather to teach him
Once your dog is in the stay position, leave the dog, making sure you give the command "stay" as you leave leading with your right foot. During the early training this will mean nothing more than pivoting back to the dog's right side. If the dog attempts to get up when you praise him, reposition him into the sit and say nothing. Eventually, you will return to the heel position by circling your dog. The first time you return by circling your dog, rest your hand gently on your dog's head as you walk behind him. This will help keep him in the sit position.
Teaching the stay with a lure:
- Get down beside your dog and tell him to sit. Put your left hand on his collar (this will be for control and to get him back if he tries to get up).
- Place several treats on the floor in front of him, about an arm's length away.
- Give him a firm stay command with your right hand, palm flat, in front of his nose.
- If he tries to move for the treat you have your hand in his collar to control him and say "ah".
- The success of this type of stay depends on timing. You have to give the command at the moment the dog is staying without you having to control him, you reach out with your right hand, say "good stay" and give him the treat.
- Repeat this several times, remembering not to wait too long to praise, and give the treat. You want your dog to be successful and to have a reliable stay, so you don't want to move to quickly with this exercise, as once the dog starts breaking the stay it becomes a habit and is very hard to get back. Later, once the dog has learned what the stay means, you can start increasing the time he stays, and then the distance that you are away from him, eventually leading to a reliable stay where you will be able to cross the room and the dog will stay where he was placed.