Stay is one of those tricky behaviors that alludes many dog owners. After all, most dogs do not find anything particularly rewarding about having to stay in one position while other family members or people outside get to move around. We have to show our dog that stay can be rewarding in order to get a rock solid one.
Stay is hard for dogs, especially young or high-drive ones, because its takes self-control. They have to physically make themselves stay put and that can be extremely difficult. Think about it this way—when was the last time you sat almost perfectly still of any length of time? Probably not too recently. Keep in mind you are asking a lot of your dog and help him be successful by making stay fun and rewarding.
Start Out Easy
Do not expect your puppy to sit for a full hour in a stay while you eat dinner, chase a ball, or give another dog attention as soon as they learn the cue. Start them out with short stays (a few seconds) in places with no distractions. Then build up the duration of the stay and the distractions as your dog is successful. If they break their stay more than three times, then you are asking them for too much and they are not ready for it yet.
It can help to break stay down and work on first duration (how long your dog can hold a sit while you stand next to them) and then distance (how far away you can walk from your dog). Breaking it down makes it easier for your dog, which means they will be more successful. Once they can do both well, put them together to make the stay harder.
If You Want it – Stay!
One of the best ways to teach your dog that stay is the coolest thing ever, is to ask them for one before they get anything—everything—they want. For example, ask for a sit and stay before you set the food dish down. If they get up, you pick the bowl back up and wait for them to sit and stay again. This may take some time at first, but eventually your dog will get that they are not going to get their dinner unless they stay patiently.
