Now that your dog has learned how to sit and lie down when asked, teaching your dog to stay in one place without moving can provide you a measure of security that he/she won’t run off out in your yard, and your dog won’t grab a food dish when it is feeding time.
Attach a long lead or leash, one that is approximately 15 to 20 feet in length, to your dog’s collar or halter.
Command her to “sit” in a firm tone. When your dog obey your command and sit down in front of you, make sure all of his/her attention is focused on you.
Once your dog is in a sitting position, put the palm of your hand in front of her face in a “stop” gesture, and say the word “Stay,” in a kind, yet firm tone.
Move back slowly away from your dog, keeping your hand in the “stop” gesture until you are standing approximately 2 to 3 feet away. If your dog stays without moving, go quickly back and give her a treat.
If your dog moves to come toward you, go back to your original position, ask her to “Sit” and go “Down,” and start over. Do not give a treat if your dog moves because this will serve as a blue print of what reaction she/he will do when you are giving a command.
Once your dog is in stay position, put your distance consistently; gradually move further away every time you command your dog to “Stay.” Remember to keep using the flat palm of your hand and the tone of your voice to ask his/her to pay attention to your command.
Train at different distances until your dog “stays” every time, then move away during the next training session. You may need to occasionally go back and repeat a training session at a previous distance as a refresher.
While you might think training a dog to come is the easiest part of teaching – all you have to do is call her name or wave a treat at her, right? – if your dog is distracted by other dogs or just wants to not listen to you, this command can be the most difficult one for your dog to learn. Remember, constant reinforcement is the key for this training and there is no exception.
