Tuesday Training Byte- How to overcome problems with "stay"

Teaching your dog to stay is an incremental process. I prefer to teach my dogs very specific commands to reduce confusion. For example, I use wait and stay for different things. I tell my dog to wait if I am going in and out carrying in the groceries, so that my dog doesn't go out the door. If I have been gone awhile, after I am finished carrying groceries, I then tell my dog, "Let's go out", or simply release her and say "Okay, good wait" and give her a nice pat or a small treat. I never tell my dog to stay as I am leaving the house and going to be gone awhile. Wait implies I will be right back, or that I will call my dog to me. Stay means hold that exact position for a period of time until I come back to the dog and then release him. Let's work on the stay. To set my dog up for success, the fewer the distractions, the better, and always on leash. I start with my dog sitting in front of me. I gather up most of the leash so my dog cannot bolt. I put my hand up in front of their face (no treat) like a "stop" gesture and say "Stay!" I take one step to the side and one step back to in front of my dog, Then I release my dog but careful not to be exuberant about it. Give the dog a small pet or treat. Repeat but stepping to opposite direction this time, and then stepping one step to the other side before I release my dog. If my dog has remained in place each time, now I will take one step back making sure I keep my hand up in front of their face. This should end the training session, and finish with some play of petting. Do not take too any steps or ask the dog to hold position but just a very short while- I am talking 10 seconds max. Should your dog get up at any point, calmly put him back in a sit at the original place before trying again. If he breaks a second time, do not step away and just say stay with your hand in place for five seconds and then release. Having your dog sit on a mat can be helpful in teaching this. Just tell the dog to "Stay" once time and avoid nagging. Another mistake to avoid is not paying attention to your dog while he is on the "stay". Try to release him from the stay BEFORE he breaks. Also, don't tell your dog to stay and then forget to release him with praise, because he will just learn he can get up whenever he wants when you are not looking. Keep training positive and short. Happy training!

Grissom patiently waits as his handler reads the next sign during a rally obedience competition.