How to Teach Dog Stay

Here are 5 easy steps to teach dog stay...

1. When your dog is in either a sit, down, or stand position, stand in front of him.
2. Keep treats in your left hand.
3. Put your right hand in front of his face while saying, "Stay" in a firm voice. Wait a few seconds.
4. When your dog stays, calmly praise him and reward him with a treat from your left hand.
5. Give him the release command "okay," "release," or "all done." Encourage him to move around. Do not reward your dog after the release command. You want to reward the stay, not the release.

Problem Solving

• Dog keeps moving. Go back to shorter stays. You may be progressing too quickly. Start with 5 seconds and gradually increase the time until he can hold for one minute.

Reinforcing Stay Command

• Initially give food rewards and praise, but gradually reduce the treats. Eventually, your words of praise will be sufficient reward for your dog.
• Gradually increase the duration of "Stay."
• Increase the distractions gradually. If you started off in a small room in your house, move to the yard, then a park.
• Practice the stay command frequently throughout the day. You can easily incorporate the command into your daily routine by having your dog sit/stay before each meal and before going out for walks.

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