Ready to take your dog's stay command to the next level? Learn how to integrate distance, duration, and distraction gradually for a reliable stay in any situation.
Putting the 3 D's together:
Integrate distance, distraction, and duration gradually. For instance:
Begin with duration stays in a quiet area.
On another day, focus on distance stays in the same calm setting.
Mix duration and distance in subsequent sessions to reinforce both skills.
Transition to practicing in slightly busier locations while maintaining duration exercises.
Adjust the distance or duration in new environments to ensure your dog's success amid distractions.
How to practice:
Stand in front of your dog. Tell your dog, "Stay" in a cheerful tone of voice, pause for a second, then give the stay hand signal: Hand out in front of you, palm facing dog. Step back with both feet. Immediately return to your original position. Praise and treat. Repeat several times.
First, add a bit of duration. Tell your dog to stay, pause for a second, give the stay hand signal, and take a small step back with both feet. Pause here for one second (one-one-thousand) before you return to your original position. Praise and treat. Repeat several times.
Slowly increase the number of seconds you wait before you return to your original position. Remember to praise and treat each successful try.
When you can stand 2 feet away for 5 seconds without your dog getting up, switch to working on distance (if you are in a place where it is safe to let go of the leash-or work with your dog on 10m leash.) Tell your dog to stay, pause for a second, give the stay hand signal, and take a couple of steps back, i mmediately returning to your original position. Praise and treat. Repeat several times.
Slowly increase the number of steps you take back, each time stepping right back in front of the dog. Remember to praise and treat every time. Work up to a distance of 1.5m.
Now move your practice sessions to a new area with a bit more activity. Each time you change location, go back to the basics, asking only for one-second stays or one foot of distance. Slowly build up.
If at any point during the above exercises you encounter a distraction, such as a dog or person walking by, a loud noise, or scurrying critters, praise and treat immediately before your dog breaks her stay. The idea is to reward her before she has a chance to make a mistake.
If your dog starts to gets up, tell her, "Ah-ah." If that makes her hold her stay, praise her. Wait a couple of seconds, then reward. If she gets up, tell her, "Too bad," ask for an easier stay and reward her for that. Then work your way back up.
Training Tip:
Don't be tempted to add both distance and duration at the same time, even if things are going well. Stick with a few seconds and a distance of a few feet until you have practiced in many different locations.
When you make one thing harder, always make something else easier. For example, if you add duration to your distance stays, make the distance shorter than before you added the duration.
Troubleshooting:
If your dog is making more than the occasional mistake, you are going too fast. Go back to something easier and work your way up from there. Remember, the secret to teaching stay is to start easy and go slowly.
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