by L Hurley

Created on: February 13, 2009   Last Updated: February 03, 2010

The stay command is one of the most difficult exercises to train. It is hard for your dog to understand that you want him to stay while you walk away. He wants to be with you and when you move he will naturally follow.

Perhaps more than any other training the stay command requires your patience. Almost every dog will move during the intial training stages. You will need to show him what is required and for this reason you should start the training on a leash.

Pick a weed in your lawn or place a small flat marker on the ground and get your dog to sit on it. The object of the exercise is to have your dog stay in the exact position you leave him. If your dog moves during the exercise you need to be able to take him back to that exact point or he will not understand what is required.

Dogs have an excellent sense of smell and will know the exact spot because their scent will be on it. If you re-sit him on a different spot, even as little as one foot in front of the original he will begin to learn that "Stay" means he can creep forward.

When he is sitting beside you hold the leash in your left hand about eighteen inches from the clip and vertically above his head. The leash should be just slack.

Say, "Stay" once and swing your right hand slightly in front of him and up to your face. His eyes will follow your hand and you should capture his attention with your eyes. Keep your eyes locked on his and step around in front of him.

Your left hand must maintain its position directly over his head so stay close. If he attempts to move say, "No" and give a quick upward jerk on the leash to correct him. After a few seconds slowly return to his side by stepping back the way you came. Wait for a few seconds then praise him.

Only use the stay command once. There will come a time when you want to leave your dog in the stay position while you go out of sight. You won't be able to say, "Stay, Stay, Stay" so your dog may as well get used to having only one command from the beginning.

Instead of repeating the command when you see him about to move say, "No" in a slow warning tone and be ready to correct him if he does.

Don't leave your dog in the stay position for more than ten seconds and when you return to his side stand still for a few seconds before you praise him. If you praise him immediately he may begin to anticipate the praise and move early.

As soon as you have done this stay successfully do another one. This time step all the way around to his left side and back to the

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