How to train a dog Stay command?

Command Stay is very useful

The learning of new skills by your pet does not have to be difficult and exhausting. A skilful approach to training pooches together can help make exercises easy and enjoyable. What’s more, it’s a great way to spend your free time with your beloved pet.

The STAY command is very useful in everyday life with a pooch. Especially if your dog is extremely attached to you and when you are together he does not leave you by a step. There are situations when, for safety reasons, the pooch should stay in the place you show him.

Learn the Stay command: where to start?

If you want to teach your dog how to stay, it is worth first to teach him the sit-down command. The dog much easier will control his emotions and the desire to instinctively follow his guardian when he is in a sitting position. How to teach a dog to sit down? Here you will find some effective tips. Once your pooch has mastered the sit-down command, you can start learning the STAY command.

Do you need a lot of space to be able to practice training with the pooch Stay command? Absolutely not. You can train both during everyday walks and as a part of free time spent at home. Start learning from small steps. We cannot require that the pooch can stay in a given place longer than a few seconds from the very beginning.

First stage

Let’s start learning when the pooch is in a good mood he is rested. We don’t want learning a new skill to be unpleasant for him. Equip yourself with your favourite treats and get to work!

Stand in front of the dog and give him the sit-down command. When your pooch follows your instructions, praise him and give him a treat.

Then you can try the next point in your training. Still facing the dog, repeat the sit-down command again. Then, when the pet completes its task, say Stay command and take a step back. If the pooch stays seated for about 2-3 seconds, praise him and give him a treat. Repeat this exercise several times.

One training session of the dog STAY command should consist of 6-8 repetitions. Pay attention to the dog’s reactions and behaviour. Does he willingly and enthusiastically follow your instructions or does he seem bored and irritated? If you succeed, you can go to the next stage.

The next stage of the STAY command training

This part of the training aims to develop the pooches skills he learned in the first stage. We want our dog to be able to remain in a sitting position for more than 2-3 seconds.

Right now we gradually try to increase the time when your dog stays obtaining the command. Do not forget to praise and reward him after each correctly performed exercise.

Try to gradually extend the time during which the pooch is to remain in place. Don’t expect the quadruped to jump from 3 to 15 seconds in one workout. If the pooch will be able to remain sitting for 20-30 seconds without any problem, you can move on to the last stage of training.

The final stage – consolidation of the STAY command

When your dog can stay in place for about half a minute, you have nothing left but to go to the last, but probably the most difficult point of the dog STAY command training.

We want the pooch to remain seated when we gradually move away from him. Thus increasing the distance between us. How to do it? If you train at home, try to increase the distance between you and your dog so gradually.

We want you to finally leave the room where you are, leaving your pet alone.

Remember to praise and reward your pooch for the correct execution of the STAY command during all stages of training.

This is important! If you practise these exercises during walks in the park, the maximum distance between you should allow you to quickly find yourself back next to the pooch in an unexpected situation.

When exercising commands outdoors, remember that your pet should wear comfortable and well-fitted dog harnesses or dog collars. When uncontrolled situations occur, you must be able to secure your pet quickly.

Mission accomplished, i.e. the dog STAY command under full control!

The STAY dog command belongs to the group of commands that are understood by pooches without much difficulty. Training itself consists of several stages. However gradual, systematic learning gives you the best and most effective results.

Even if your pet masters the execution of the command STAY to perfection, it is worth refreshing his memory from time to time and praising him and rewarding for good command.

If you want to check if the pooch is heavily involved in the stay command, you can place your favorite toy in his field of view when practicing the command. If your dog still manages to control his emotions and stay in the place, remember to praise him and reward him for this very important success!

A dog who is not a stranger to the stay command and can respond correctly to this command learns one more, extremely important skill. It is worth remembering that at the same time the pooch learns to control his emotions. Staying still despite the stimuli reaching the pet from the environment requires a lot of discipline. It is very useful in crises when the pooch could panic.

Focusing on executing the guardian’s STAY command allows you to control his reaction from unforeseen behavior. It is a skill that can protect your pet from danger or potentially dangerous situations.

For your common good, decide to learning the STAY command some time. This will strengthen the bond between you and allow you to spend time together creatively. 

Let’s go to work!