# suggestions on teaching "stay"



## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

Just looking for a few suggestions for teaching the stay command. Carson "kinda" knows it. I can get him to stay when he's trying to get out the door and I want him to stay inside, but I'd like a more reliable stay in other situations, i.e. I throw a ball and he doesn't go get it until i tell him to, or when he see's something he wants to chase but I don't want him to. 

any help would be appreciated. thanks.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

I don't really remember how we taught Augie to stay. Does that help you any?


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

I had to......   and no it wasn't helpful.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

We did it in small increments. At first it was just a few inches from their faces, then when that was reliable a few more. I have a habit of putting my hand up in the "stop" signal right in front of the dog's face. Not sure if that's right or wrong, but it's developed into my "stay" hand signal.


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## Rocky (Dec 28, 2006)

It's just practice. Get them in a sit and tell him to stay. And before he tries to get up (you should have some clue, that he is about to get up), you tell him to come or whatever command you use. You don't even really need to go anywhere at first. Then once he gets that, you can start moving away from him little by little. 
I have taught Rocky to sit and stay in our hallway at night time when I do my rounds to check on all my kids. And he will just sit there and wait while I go into all three rooms. Of course, he is still young and will not stay for a very long time, but we are getting there. 
Practice, practice, practice.


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## PeggyK (Apr 16, 2005)

I my first obedience classes we put the dog in the sit position and stood right in front of him and gave the "stay" command. If they didn't move they got a verbal reward-then we would move back-just a step and continue untril they "got it". My Boomer was thick as **** and REFUSED to stay-he HAD to be by my feet. One night the instructor spent about 20 minutes working with us-he held the leash and each time Boomer moved the instructor gave him a swift correction. But, after that night, I could walk 30 feet away and he didn't budge until I called him!!!


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

thanks for the ideas.  

I've done the stand in front of him thing, but when I try to take a step back, he follows me. Maybe it's because he knows I have a treat(kibble) for him, but he just can't hold the stay. Maybe I'll work on it without taking a step back. Maybe if we can get there we can take baby steps up to where we'd like to be. thanks again.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

Carsonsdaddy said:


> thanks for the ideas.
> 
> I've done the stand in front of him thing, but when I try to take a step back, he follows me. Maybe it's because he knows I have a treat(kibble) for him, but he just can't hold the stay. Maybe I'll work on it without taking a step back. Maybe if we can get there we can take baby steps up to where we'd like to be. thanks again.


Do you use any hand signals? For stay, I put my hand up in a "stop" position, like Brandy's mom does. All of my commands have some sort of hand signal to go along with them--it seems like Augie responds to those better than just a verbal command when I teach him something new. And it's kind of cool to get your dog to do all sorts of things without uttering a single word. 

There! Wasn't that helpful? Yay me!


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## Carsonsdaddy (Nov 1, 2006)

ok, that was more helpful than your first one, LJ.  And we do the same hand signal for it. I think I just need to work on it with him. He does sit, shake, high 5, down, and come good, i just need to focus on stay now. Thanks.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

What worked for us is incorporating stay into daily activities--for instance, Augie has to sit and stay before being allowed to eat, stay before going in his crate (where he'll get a little treat), etc.


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## Rocky (Dec 28, 2006)

Carsonsdaddy said:


> thanks for the ideas.
> 
> I've done the stand in front of him thing, but when I try to take a step back, he follows me. Maybe it's because he knows I have a treat(kibble) for him, but he just can't hold the stay. Maybe I'll work on it without taking a step back. Maybe if we can get there we can take baby steps up to where we'd like to be. thanks again.


If Rocky knows I have a treat in my hand, he is way too excited to do anything for me. So, I usually do not even let him know I have one. Or wait until we are all done with the exercise and then give him one big treat, like a milk bone or something. Praise is usually enough during our 10-15 minute training sessions. Plus, this teaches them not to always expect a treat after every command. At our training classes, they have us do this exercise that includes a bunch of commands like: "sit, down, stand, sit, down, stand" then once he does all that, he gets a treat.


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## goldenhvn (Jan 2, 2007)

Believe it or not I got Josie to stay when the long lost cat comes around. Lots of repetition. Just like a toddler.


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

The only thing I can add is that at the river our cabin is across a creek that only has a footbridge to cross and then about 10 steps to walk up to get in (don't get me started on what a pain this is in the winter). No fence, just creek. So it was very important to ME that Abby understand she was not to go to the neibors or (heaven forbid) to the street. So one spring day I put her on the top step of the deck and taught her to stay there. It took about an hour, and it was a riot watching her try to inch down the steps, but she really gets it. I guess my point is, when I say Abby is slow to learn, maybe it is my motivation that is sometimes in question. Just another 2 cents.


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## jeffreyzone (Feb 8, 2006)

LaurJen said:


> All of my commands have some sort of hand signal to go along with them--it seems like Augie responds to those better than just a verbal command when I teach him something new. And it's kind of cool to get your dog to do all sorts of things without uttering a single word.


Hand signals are cool. And very useful!


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## GoldenGratitude (Jan 25, 2007)

We've taught Theo hand signals along with the verbal commands from the beginning. Now we don't even have to do verbal, we can just do hand signals if we want and he knows what they are. 

We use stay as a short time command - maybe 5 minutes at the most. The command that we were told to use for long term stay is "place". Theo doesn't do well with place but we are working on it still. His trainer said that he should be able to place (they can lay down and move around in the spot they're in) for at least a half hour. He's only a year old eventually he'll get it.


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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

GoldenGratitude said:


> The command that we were told to use for long term stay is "place". Theo doesn't do well with place but we are working on it still. His trainer said that he should be able to place (they can lay down and move around in the spot they're in) for at least a half hour. He's only a year old eventually he'll get it.



We are just learning that one too. Augie will go to his place and lay down, but we haven't really worked on him staying there yet. That's this week's lesson! LOL


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Stay is the only command I use negative methods for. I put a choker collar on the dog. I put the dog in a sit at my left side and click and treat. Then I put the collar right under the throat like a show dog... and then I say STAY firmly and hold my hand up like "stop" with my palm to the dog's nose and quickly step directly in front of the dog. If he tries to stand I say "No!" and pull up on the collar "sit!" then repeat. Usually within about five minutes I can go to the end of the six foot lead. This is also the only command I use a leash and collar to train.

My dogs do out of site stays in public with distractions.

They can also be posed in many different positions (IE sitting on a piano bench with their paws on the keys) and will stay. It makes for fantastic photos.

Here's my Whippet performing such a stay at seven months of age (he's 10 years old now). He's the first one, the piano dog.

Piano Playing Dog, Running Dogs, 6


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)




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## LaurJen (Aug 10, 2006)

AquaClaraCanines said:


> They can also be posed in many different positions (IE sitting on a piano bench with their paws on the keys) and will stay. It makes for fantastic photos.
> 
> ]


How cute is that??? I forgot that's another benefit to "stay"... you can pose them for pictures  And hey, we have a piano! Oh Augieeeeeeeeeeeeee..... (my dog is going to hate me)


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

As always Jenna is right on the money!
Set small incremental levels of difficulty...

I too start with a choke as it offers the best control...

With really clingy dogs or young 'silly-hyper' puppies I usually start with a pivot - choke right up behind the ears leash held vertically in my left hand - Verbal and hand signal - step forward with my right foot and bring my right foot back...repeat repeat repeat..

Then take an actual complete step, but leash and collar the same...
Then relax the leash and back to the pivot...
Then with leash relaxed take one step....

Work your way up to two then three steps and then 6'......

Leading to further distances...then backing up the distance and adding duration...then lowering both distance and duration and adding distractions....eventually juggling and working up all three to a 50' distance for 7 minutes and with lots of distractions ....

Patience and repetition are key....in dog training, many slower-baby-steps are actually faster then pushing the dog before he clearly understands what is being asked.... 

Jenna - I love the whippet pic! My MIL says her greyhound wont sit (hummm-funny, the princess knows how to sit on the sofa!) I am babysitting Seneca for a week in June....Gonna teach that hound how to sit!! <wicked grin>


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Carsonsdaddy said:


> I'd like a more reliable stay in other situations, i.e. I throw a ball and he doesn't go get it until i tell him to


Both my dogs have stays while I throw the ball (Dusty because he doesn't care enough about the ball and Boo because of training). I started with holding the ball in my hand while Boo was in a down-stay, then moving my hand slightly, then moving my hand more, then moving my hand more suddenly like I was throwing it, then tossing the ball a few inches up in the air and catching it, then tossing it more, then dropping it on the ground, then throwing it farther and farther. At first I had him hold the stay while I moved my hand five times or so and gave him a treat after each time, and then I would release him and throw the ball. Once I was actually throwing the ball I rewarded him with a treat and then released him to get the ball, and now I usually just release him and let him go get the ball. If he breaks the stay, Boo's recall is good enough that I can call him away from the ball and prevent him from rewarding himself, or you could have him on leash.


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