Training Your Dog to Stay

One of the most important commands you can teach your dog is "Stay." "Stay" is an important command for your dog to master for a few reasons. First, it is the cornerstone to ensure his safety. Once mastered, he has the ability to keep himself out of mischief or danger on your command. Second, it reinforces your position as "Alpha dog", and gives you confidence to bring your dog with you, because you know he will listen to you. Third, it will help in the development of your dog's good manners, making him a pleasure to be around. We wrote this article on dog training to help you learn how to train your dog to stay.

Because your loyal friend wants to be with you always, you are working against his basic nature when teaching the "stay" command. This makes it one of the more difficult commands to teach. Plus it is a two part skill. Your dog needs to "sit" in order to "stay". Does your dog already know how to "sit"? If not, focus on teaching him that skill first, and then move on to "stay". Whatever you do, don't try to teach him both skills at the same time! That will only lead to confusion and frustration on both your parts. With a bit of patience and regular practice, you can teach your dog to master "stay".

Begin with your dog in a "sit". With your hand in a stop position, palm facing outwards towards your dog, firmly give the "stay" command.

Take one step away from your dog and repeat the command. Continue to move backwards, issuing the command. Gently praise his good behavior, but too much enthusiasm will call him to you. At some point, his instincts to be with you will kick in and he will get up and go to you. When this happens, return your dog to the "sit" position, and give the "stay" command again.

While some dogs easily understand this concept, others need a more concrete example on what it means to "stay." For this technique, you will need a long leash and his collar, and a stationary object, such as a tree or flagpole. Wrap the long leash around a tree or flagpole. Position your dog in front of the tree or pole and snap the leash onto his collar. Keeping a hold of the other end of the leash, pull the leash taut, and remove all the slack. Put your dog into the "sit" position. Stand in front of your dog and begin the "stay" process. If he tries to go to you, pull on the leash. This should keep him in firmly in place. Continue to issue the "stay" command, moving further away from him.

Remember, allowing you to move away from him is going against all his instincts, so you will need to master the "stay" command literally step by step. Continue to practice again and again, moving further away each time. Don't expect your dog to master the "stay" command in one session! Instead, dedicate some time and practice every day. Before long, you will notice that you will be able to get further and further away from your dog, while he maintains the "stay" position. Once mastered, you can be confident that your dog has the ability to stay safe have great doggy manners in most any situation!

Seed Newsvine

Bookmark this article in your preferred program

Comments

Add Comment

Popular Articles in this cathegory

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.