It’s not easy for a dog who loves being with you to stay where she is while you walk away. But teaching your dog to stay has many benefits. For example, a dog that stays on command can be kept out of harm’s way when you need to run across the street. The stay command will also help your dog to learn patience and impulse control.

A visual command to stay can help you keep your dog safe when you’re too far away for your voice to be heard, so we’ll incorporate a hand signal into this lesson.

You’ll use two verbal commands for this training: a word to tell your dog to stay, and a different word to let her know it’s OK now to move (release her from the stay).

As with all training, pick specific verbal commands and use them consistently. The obvious word for the stay command is “Stay.” (Don’t be tempted to lengthen that sometimes into “Stay there.”) The release command can be something like “Release” or “Free” or “Okay.” Make sure it’s not a word you might use for another meaning in other circumstances (such as “Release” when you want your dog to let go of a toy). It’s probably best to use “Free,” as you’re not likely to use that for anything else. That’s the word we’ll use for this lesson.

Teaching your dog to stay involves working with three elements:

1. Distance. Distance refers to how far you move away from your dog.

2. Time. Time refers to how long you want your dog to stay.

3. Distraction. Distraction refers to everything going on around your dog that is tempting her to get up.

It’s best to begin with easy challenges for your dog in all three elements: short distance, short time, fewest distractions. Eventually we’ll work on each element separately, gradually increasing the degree of difficulty.

Let’s get on with the Training -> Training Your Dog to Stay 2

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