“Stay”

Teach “Impulse Control” with this super important command.

Introduction - Read This First!

“Stay” is a pretty simple command that has a lot of benefits to your relationship with your dog. While it teaches them to stay in one place while you do something else, it also teaches them to be calm, pay attention to you, as well as develop Impulse Control. Impulse Control means that they will learn to not do anything until you tell them to, usually with a release word like “OK”. So let’s get down to it! Teaching “Stay” starts with teaching the “3 D’s”  in this order:

Duration, Distance, Distraction

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Setting Up To Train "Stay"​

We will also start by using lots and LOTS of treats to show your dog what you want them to do. Make sure your dog is hungry, and that you’re using the appropriate treats. When you start working on “Stay” in your home, you can probably use their kibbles from meals instead of treats, since this is a low distraction environment. 

Choose The Right Treats For Each Location!

The 3 D's Of "Stay"

The “3 D’s” of “Stay” are the 3 different parts of “Stay” that you will teach separately in order. They are:

Duration
(time spent staying in place)
Distance
(how far you walk away)
Distractions
(things around your dog)

Each of the “D’s” needs to be taught separately, and when you work on making one of them more difficult, you need to make the others easier. This way it’s easier for your dog to understand what you’re trying to teach them. Once they know each part at a difficult level, then you can put them together. 

Pro Trainer Principles:
Only Teach ONE New Thing At A Time
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Teaching Multiple Things At The Same Time is Confusing!

Whenever a command has multiple parts (or “criteria“) you should make the other parts easier while you work on a new part. This is why when you’re teaching a new behavior or command, it’s a good idea to do it somewhere that is quiet and not very distracting. Because teaching distractions is a separate criteria from the main parts of the command.

So for example, if you’re teaching leash-walking, work on it in the house first, then add in distractions later by going outdoors or to a public place like a mall.

Also when you add in distractions, you should make the leash walking easier by taking an easier path. 

Part 1: Duration

Overview

“Duration” is another way of saying “how long your dog can hold the stay”. This is one of the easier parts of “Stay”, so it’s the one we start with. 

Stand In Front, Use "Stay" Hand Signal

This part is very simple. Stand in front of your dog when they are sitting, give them the “stop” hand signal, and say “stay”. Right now they won’t understand what the hand signal and “stay” command mean, but they will put it together as you do the command more.

Give A Treat Every Few Seconds and ENGAGE

While your dog is sitting, give them a treat every few seconds as often as you can. While you’re doing this, make sure to keep their attention by looking at them in the eyes, and talking lightly and very friendly to them.

Pro Trainer Principles:
Teaching a Continuous Behavior Requires Continuous Treats
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Match The Type Of Reward To The Type Of Command

If the behavior you’re teaching is a single action, like sit or down, it should only need a single treat when your dog does it right.

But if the behavior is continuous, like stay or leash walking focus, then the treating for it should also be continuous. 

Keep this rule in mind when you’re teaching a new command and your dog isn’t “getting it”. Maybe they need to be treated more often for a longer behavior!

 

End The "Stay" with Release "OK"

Once your dog has been staying in place for 20 seconds or so, finish the “Stay” with a release word like “OK”, “break”, or “free”. Whichever one you use, make sure to be consistent! Make sure your dog understands what the release word means by moving out of the stay position, so you should lure them out of the stay.

Pro Trainer Principles:
“OK” Is What your Dog Is Always Waiting For!
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Always Let Your Dog Know When Work Is Done

Most commands will have a beginning and an end – commands like stay, wait, or maybe even leave-it. Your dog needs to know when they are done with the command when you give them the “OK” release word. If they don’t know that you’ll release them eventually, they may decide on their own when to be done, and that’s not good! Make sure to “book-end” commands – so always have “stay” then “OK”. Always have “wait” then “OK”, and so on…

Exercise: Build Up The Duration Of "Stay"

Now that you know how to give the command for “stay”, reward it, and finally release your dog from “stay”, you need to work on making the duration longer before moving on to distance. Your goal should be to get your dog to hold the “stay” for 20-30 seconds with only 1 or 2 treats the whole time. Remember that you can get your dog to go longer in between treats if you ENGAGE with them and talk sill and happy to them!

Pro Trainer Principles:
If You Don’t Sound Like an Idiot, Then You’re Not Doing It Right!
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Silly Happy Voice Is And Rewarding For Dogs!

Dogs communicate much faster than humans are used to, and you’ll need to reward your dog for focusing on you a lot of the time. A happy, silly voice will help a lot with showing your dog that they are doing the right things and that there’s nothing to be stressed about. You may feel silly, but your dog’s happiness and good training is much more important than anything else!

Part 2: Distance

Overview

Now that your dog can hold “stay” for up to 30 seconds and understands the “OK” release, you can move to the next level. Distance means moving away from your dog without them moving from that spot. Remember that when you’re adding a new part to the command, you have to make the others easier. So when you’re working on distance, you should make duration easier. To start off, only do very short durations for now. 

Pro Trainer Principles:
Only Teach ONE New Thing At A Time
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Teaching Multiple Things At The Same Time is Confusing!

Whenever a command has multiple parts (or “criteria“) you should make the other parts easier while you work on a new part. This is why when you’re teaching a new behavior or command, it’s a good idea to do it somewhere that is quiet and not very distracting. Because teaching distractions is a separate criteria from the main parts of the command.

So for example, if you’re teaching leash-walking, work on it in the house first, then add in distractions later by going outdoors or to a public place like a mall.

Also when you add in distractions, you should make the leash walking easier by taking an easier path. 

Quick Half-Step Back Then Reward

Start like before by asking your dog to sit (or down) and giving them the “stop” hand sign with the verbal command “stay”. Give them a few treats first just to get them warmed up. To do your first try at distance, make a quick half-step back with only one foot. Most owners will only be able to do this much before their dogs move, since they don’t understand what to do. If you can get your dog to stay while you do this half-step, then give them a reward!

Add Distance One Step At A Time

Slowly add distance after every few repetitions. Make sure to walk normally, and not CREEP backwards slowly. You should move as normally as possible. Also make sure to not repeat “stay” over and over again (“stay stay stay stay…”) or else your dog will get used to hearing this. Only say stay once or twice if you need to repeat it, but not continually.

Pro Trainer Principles:
Don’t Repeat Commands Multiple Times In A Row
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Dogs Only Understand Sounds, Not Words - Don't Make "StayStayStay" Your Command

Since dogs don’t understand human languages, you should avoid repeating commands like “sit”, “leave it” or “stay” many times in a row. Your dog will just learn that this is the way the command is supposed to sound.

For example, they’ll think the command is “SitSitSit” instead of just “sit”. So when you’re training, just say the command one time and wait for them to do it. If they don’t get it after 5 or more seconds, then you can try again. 

Come Back To Your Dog Then Release

As you slowly add more distance after each few repetitions, make sure to come back before releasing your dog. Do not get them used to releasing out of the stay when you are a few feet away. Later they will learn to break their stay to run to you. Only give the “OK” when you come back to them.

Pro Trainer Principles:
“OK” Is What your Dog Is Always Waiting For!
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Always Let Your Dog Know When Work Is Done

Most commands will have a beginning and an end – commands like stay, wait, or maybe even leave-it. Your dog needs to know when they are done with the command when you give them the “OK” release word. If they don’t know that you’ll release them eventually, they may decide on their own when to be done, and that’s not good! Make sure to “book-end” commands – so always have “stay” then “OK”. Always have “wait” then “OK”, and so on…

Part 3: Distractions

Overview

Distractions are the last part of “stay” to teach your dog, but it should be easy at this point if they really understood the duration and distance. Distractions will be especially easy if your dog has already learned LEAVE-IT, which teaches them to dis-engage from something and focus on you instead. 

Start The Stay And Warm Up

Just like before, start with normal, easy stay with duration and some distance. Reward your dog like normal just so they get in the swing of things.

Start With Easy Distraction

Distractions can be easier or harder depending on a few factors: loudness, how close it is to your dog, number of distractions, if it’s moving, and more. For the first distraction, stand close to your dog (this will make it easier) and toss something on the floor quietly and calmly, and reward them immediately for not moving.

Get Crazy With It!

As you slowly build up the intensity of the distractions you’re using, your dog will get the hang of it and begin to understand that all they need to do for treats is sit and do nothing! Eventually you can add lots of distractions. You can also say “stay” sometimes to remind your dog, but just avoid repeating it over and over again.

Exercise: Put It All Together

Now you can have fun putting together the different components of Duration, Distance, and Distractions, always making sure to adjust them each so that it’s easy enough for your dog to succeed. Don’t be afraid to go slow, or take it back a few steps if your dog isn’t able to handle a new level of difficulty. 

Pro Trainer Principles:
2 Or 3 Fails In a Row Means It’s Too Tough!
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Aim For At Least 3/5 Success When Training

When practicing a new command, you want to aim for a success rate of 3/5 (60%) or 4/5 (80%). If your dog gets everything right all the time, or 5/5 (100%), then that level is too easy and you can move to the next step. 

BUT, only getting it right 1/5 (20%) or 2/5 (40%) means that it’s too tough, or you need to explain more clearly what you want.

If your dog fails something 2 times in a row, it means that this command is too tough right now. So 2 fails in a row means you have to make it a bit easier! 

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