Your four-legged friend can learn a few tricks if you train him well. With the right training, you should be able to get your dog to listen to your command and execute it flawlessly. One of the essential training tasks for pet owners is one of how to teach a dog how to stay.
We all know that a dog can sit, stand, shake, bite, attack, or stay – all at the command of its master. However, dogs need to be correctly trained by either a professional dog trainer or a dedicated dog owner.
In this article, we’ll be discussing how to teach a dog how to stay.
The ‘stay’ command is one of the basics that your dog needs to learn, despite being one of the hardest to teach.
Sometimes, your visitors might not be comfortable with your dog jumping around. Or, for instance, you might need to see a friend off and don’t want your doggie tagging along.
At other times, you might be busy moving things and don’t want your doggie in the way.
The stay command is useful in all three situations, and with the right amount of consistency and patience, your dog can learn to understand it and act accordingly.
Note: The training program “How to teach a dog how to stay” can be divided into three parts.
The first part is about preparing yourself and your dog for the training. Namely, it is about choosing the treats and rewards your dog likes, as well as things your pooch needs to know before learning to stay.
The other part should be about the actual training while the last would involve upping the game.
Below are all the stages of the technique involved in teaching a dog how to stay.
How to teach a dog how to stay: Part One
Firstly, teaching a dog how to stay involves a lot of mental energy and rewards or treats for your dog.
If you’re too busy or not feeling well, it might hinder your concentration and dedication. Therefore, you must ensure that the time you set for your dog’s training is when you’re free and in the mood for it.
Also, your training sessions must be kept short. Dogs quickly get bored with any activity. Hence, you do not want to stretch your fur friend to frustration.
Secondly, the treats you give as rewards must be the ones your dog likes best. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be edibles. Your dog’s prize might be its favourite toy.
After getting all set, now it’s time to get started with training.
How To Teach A Dog How To Stay: Part Two
How To Teach A Dog To Stay: Step 1
Your dog should start the training from a sitting position.
Your dog cannot learn to stay if you don’t correctly train him in obeying the “sit” command. In other words, your dog should be able to sit properly before being taught to stay.
Plus, you need to understand that for all dogs, learning to stay takes time, so you need to be persistent and consistent with your training.
Some dogs will get the message faster than others, but in the end, your goal must be met.
By implication, you need to make this training a routine for your buddy.
How To Teach A Dog How To Stay: Step 2
Make sure the spot is comfortable.
Needless to say, you wouldn’t have your dog sitting in a marshy or wet, slippery ground. While these sorts of places can ruin your dog’s coat, causing it to need an unplanned bath, they can also make your dog uncomfortable and unwilling to continue with the exercise.
Therefore, ensure that the spot is dry and comfortable for your dog.
Step 3
Firstly, give the stay command while stretching your palm in front of your dog.
When you stretch a palm out in front of your dog’s face and say the stay command, ensure that he can combine these verbal and hand signals as a cue to remain where he is.
Also, make sure that you repeat the command ‘stay’ several times without moving so your dog can learn it. And do so with a cheerful tone. On the other hand, you should sound stern if your dog makes an error.
Then again, dogs get confused quite easily. That means you must select a command and stick with this word. Changing it can confuse your dog and elongate the learning process.
How To Teach A Dog How To Stay: Step 4
At this stage, take a few steps back.
After saying the command several times loudly so your dog can hear, you can then take a few steps back while still repeating the command, and your palm still outstretched.
In the first few attempts, your dog will most likely stand up and follow you. You can correct it by saying ‘stop!’ or ‘no!’ but in a much sterner tone.
When your dog returns to its sitting position, you can praise it but not before then.
Finally, you should repeat these steps as many times as possible so your dog can register it in its mind.
How To Teach A Dog How To Stay: Step 5
Don’t forget to use treats.
For dogs, life is all about earning treats by doing what their owners require of them.
That is to say, the only time your dog should receive a treat is when obeying the stay command.
When your dog doesn’t move and stays after your command, positive reinforcement is the best way to keep it sealed in its mind – treats!
However, you mustn’t have it walk up to you for the treat as it will only send a wrong message that to be rewarded, he needs to come to you.
Walk back to your dog and let him have his treat alongside a few light-toned words of praise and encouragement.
However, after you’re sure your dog perfectly understands and obeys the stay command, you can command it to come to you for its reward/treat.
Step 6
Come up with a command to release your dog from its staying position.
Dogs are very obedient, especially when well trained. If you do not release or command your dog to leave its stay position, it won’t work on its own.
You have to come up with a command to have your dog come to you after staying.
Most people drop their palms and say ‘okay.’ You might decide to use something else for the release command; however, the trick is making it short and sticking to one.
Additionally, your ‘release tone’ shouldn’t be the same as your normal speaking tone; otherwise, your dog would expect a reward whenever you say it.
For instance, if your release command is ‘okay,’ it must be said in a tone different from your normal voice.
If not, whenever you say ‘okay’ while speaking, your dog might rush to you, expecting a treat – even when it isn’t a training session.
How To Teach A Dog To Stay Step 7
Gradually increase the distance.
By this, we mean the number of steps you take back after saying the stay command. Initially, two or three steps backward are advised.
As the training progresses, you can make it 7-10 steps backward. Then go across the whole yard and see if it would stay for as long as you give the command.
If your dog performs excellently, don’t forget the tasty dog biscuits and praises. However, if it runs down when you haven’t commanded, do not let it have any treat.
Part 3 (Upping the Game)
How To Teach A Dog To Stay Step 8
Train your dog to stay in a lying position.
Some visitors are scared of dogs and might feel safer when your dog is lying down. That means you’d come across situations when you’d want your dog to lie down and stay.
To teach your dog this, you have to get your dog to lie down and begin the training from Part Two.
So instead of sitting, your dog begins its training from a lying position. The method afterward is exactly the same.
How To Teach A Dog To Stay Step 9
Try turning your back as you walk away from the dog.
In the initial stages of teaching your pooch the stay command, you should face your dog.
However, as his mastery increases, try turning away while leaving.
Your dog would consider it a new challenge altogether once it doesn’t see the standard facial and hand signals.
How To Teach A Dog To Stay Step 10
Increase your dog’s staying time.
During the initial stages, your dog might be comfortable staying for a few seconds.
Gradually increase that duration to minutes and praise it and give him treats when he stays for as long as required before being released.
How To Teach A Dog To Stay – Step 11
Create distractions.
Dogs become easily distracted. After your dog has mastered staying, you can offer your pooch a tougher challenge by creating distractions and see if your dog can remain focused on staying in those conditions.
Try swinging your hands or bounce tennis ball in front of him, and so on.
If your dog gets distracted and gets up, you need to begin the exercise again.
How To Teach A Dog To Stay Step 12
Go where the dog won’t see you.
You may be in places where your dog may not be allowed in. Hence you should train him to stay even while you’re away or momentarily out of sight.
When your pooch has learned to stay, you can up the game by stepping in the room for a few seconds, so your dog doesn’t see you. As the training progresses, increase the time you stay out of sight and see if your dog stays put.
Conclusion
All in all, if your dog can stay for long without seeing you and without being distracted, there is a lot you can gain from it.
You can make your pooch stay outside the grocery store while you go in to shop, for instance. You can also make him wait while you see someone outside the door.
The “stay’ command might also prevent your dog from plunging at your visitors.
“How to teach a dog how to stay” guide is a part of the essential dog training program, as it is a basic command that every dog has to learn.
If you are interested in teaching your pooch more commands, read our detailed training articles: