As a Dog Owner, there are few commands that will make your life easier than “stay”. Whether you need to keep them safe, maintain a distance while you’re folding washing, or create space while you’re preparing their healthy dog meals, the command “stay” can meet every need. Even so, there are many dogs who struggle to master the skill. Sure, they may perform it well enough at home, but once they’re outside they largely ignore it. And when traffic is hurtling past all around, you may need it more than ever. If this sounds like your pup, don’t be discouraged. In this piece, we’ll give you a simple, step-by-step guide on how to teach your dog to stay!
Things to remember when learning how to teach your dog to stay
Before you begin on your teaching journey, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Firstly, as with all doggy commands, you should keep your training sessions to no more than five minutes. Dogs have short attention spans, so their minds may wander if your lessons last much longer. Think of it like meal portion control: many smaller morsels throughout the day are healthier than one giant serving.
Speaking of servings, think of every meal time as a window in which to train your furbaby! Rather than simply leaving their food in bowl (or a Kong dog toy), consider hand feeding it to your dog. In this way, you can use each handful as a reward for a successful “sit”, “stay”, or any other command. And yes, we get that hand feeding raw mince might feel a bit icky. However, provided you thoroughly wash your hands afterwards, you’ll be no worse for wear. Beyond that, you’ll fast-track your dog’s training AND strengthen your bond with them.
1. When working on how to teach your dog to “stay”, begin with baby steps – or, rather, puppy steps
If you were learning to drive, you’d likely want to avoid highways and city streets during your first lesson. Likewise, if dogs hear the command “stay” from across the room for the first time, they won’t know what you’re talking about. In fact, they may think you’re calling to them, and come racing to investigate.
Instead, begin your doggo’s “stay” lessons by standing right in front of them. From here, hold your palm out, take a tiny step backwards, then reward them once they’ve stayed still for a split second. When you give them their treat, be sure to say “Good stay” in the warmest voice you can muster. Then, follow the treat with lots of ear and chin scratches. They way, your pup will learn that good things come from staying.
Don’t forget: this stage may take some trial and error. Not all dogs learn the meaning of a command in a week. However, you can take solace from the fact that your pup really wants to learn what you’re asking of them. Stick with it, and your patience will pay off.
2. Once they’ve grasped the close-quarters “stay”, slowly increase the distance
Sooner or later, your furry friend should start to ace the “stay” command at a short distance. Major congratulations to you both! Now, your dog will be ready for a bit of distance. The next time you practice, begin to alter the angle at which you move backwards, and don’t always move in the same direction. For instance, if you’re teaching in a hallway, don’t always move south; mix it up by moving north, or even turning into a doorway.
3. Slowly phase out treats and replace them with jackpots
A tactic of the late, great Dog Trainer Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, jackpots offer the next step in your dog’s training. The jackpot method looks like this: once your dog comes to reliably respond to “stay” (or any command), you stop giving them treats every time. Instead, you wait until they’ve successfully responded to the command three or four times in a row. Then, you give them a “jackpot” – a horde of four or five treats in one handful.
This will teach them two crucial things:
1) they won’t receive treats every time they respond to the command
2) if they continue to follow your instructions, they’ll receive a motherlode of treats.
4. After your dog has mastered “stay” at home, begin to train them in different scenarios
They successfully respond to “stay” every time? Check. They’ve transitioned onto the “jackpot” system? Check. Now, the time has come for them to follow “stay” commands in new and distracting spaces. For this, your daily Dog Walk will present an ideal forum. With a bag of treats on hand, you can practice “stay” in the park, on the street, or any other locale. As an added bonus, you should also ask a friend or family member to practice “stay” with your pooch. If you use a local Dog Walker to walk your furry friend, you can also ask them to do it.
Through this approach, your furry friend will learn to generalise the behaviour. Instead of thinking the rules of “stay” only apply in your home, or when you say it, they’ll accept that “stay” is a command for any situation.
Best of luck with working on how to teach your dog to “stay”, Pet Owner! We hope your dog wraps their head around it in no time.
