| Stay Goal: Once given the “Stay” cue, the dog will not move until further direction from the handler. Phase I *The following steps are the same for the sit/stay, down/stay, or stand/stay. 1) Give the dog the “Sit” cue. When the dog sits, give the “Stay” cue. Wait about 2 seconds and reward the dog with a treat as you say “Good”, then release dog with “Okay”. Repeat this step 8-10 times and then move on to step 2 2) Repeat step one except instead of waiting 2 seconds, hold the treat for about 8-10 seconds before rewarding and releasing the dog with “Okay”. If at any time the dog moves out of the sit position, you will need to mark it with “ah, ah” and then do not give the dog a reward, and start over with the “sit” cue(This is very important, because the dog learns that by breaking their stay they will not be rewarded). Move to step 3 when your dog is staying 8-10 seconds consistently. 3) Now you are going to start creating distance between yourself and the dog. Give the “Sit” cue followed by the “Stay” cue. When the dog sits, you take one step backwards and then quickly return to the original position in front of the dog. If the dog is still staying, reward them. If the dog breaks the stay, then mark it with “ah,ah” and repeat. Repeat this step about 5 times until you can take one step backwards and the dog stays consistently. 4) Repeat step 3, except instead of one step, practice taking 2 or 3 steps. If the dog breaks the stay and moves toward you, quickly say “ah, ah” while you step forward into the dog in order to show them that you do not want them to follow you. For now, you want to take a few steps back and them come back to the dog quickly and reward. Don’t forget to release with “Okay” 5) Now we are going to combine our strategies. Ask the dog to sit and stay. Now walk back a few steps and wait for about 3 seconds. If the dog stays, come back to the dog and reward and release. If the dog breaks the stay, mark it with “ah,ah” , do not reward, and then repeat until the dog is successful. 6) As your dog begins to improve, you will want to increase the amount of time and the distance between you and your dog. You will want to reward consistently for successful stays at this time. Helpful Hints: If the dog is breaking the stay consistently, you may be moving too fast for the dog. Go back a few steps and repeat to build the dog’s confidence. During phase I, you will want to practice with minimal distraction so the dog is focused on you and receiving the reward. Phase II Now that your dog is staying consistently, you are going to change things up a little. 1) Now if your dog breaks the stay, instead of marking the mistake with “ah,ah” and repeating the whole process, you are going to say “ah, ah” and physically place the dog into the sit position and then move away again. Example: You give the sit/stay cue. If the dog breaks the stay, you say “ah,ah” and place the dog into the sit position with the aid of the leash if necessary. This can be done by pulling up on the leash as your roll the dog’s hindquarters into the sit position. If the dog gets up, repeat by placing the dog back into the sit. When the dog is sitting move away and then return, reward, and release. (The same goes for the down/stay). This may prove difficult with some dogs depending on how excited the dog becomes when you touch them. Keep at it until you are getting successful stays. 2) You are also going to change from rewarding the dog on every successful stay to an intermittent reward schedule. Keep the dog guessing which stays will be rewarded. Phase III This phase consist of adding different types of distraction. Be creative with different situations and objects that you use. Examples may be staying for the following: • Putting the leash on • Meal time • Meeting a guest • Tossing a ball • Letting outside • Crossing the street • Meeting another dog • While you eat dinner |
How To Teach Your Dog To Stay
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