by Christine Cameron

Created on: January 23, 2008   Last Updated: April 25, 2010

Dog training basics - The "stay" command

This should be called the "look deeply into my eyes" command because that's really what it is all about. It is without a doubt the granddaddy of them all! It should be taught right along with house-training. This skill is all about teaching your dog to focus on you, and shut out all distractions.

Contrary to what you might think, when you command your dog to "stay" it should immediately look directly at you and be on full alert for your release command. In other words, you are asking your dog to do nothing until you say its okay, which takes a huge amount of concentration (especially for a young pup). For this reason you should start very slowly, and as always repetition is the key.

Whether you are starting out with a 10 week old pup or a 10 year old new adoption, the idea is the same. When you say the command, call it whatever you want, "stay", "stop", "down", "look", the dog must stop everything and look at YOU. Every dog is motivated differently, so you need to find what seems to hold your pup's attention the longest. Stay away from squeaky toys for this, they are a distraction. Obviously food is always a motivator, and this is an important command so go ahead and use treats for this. Use a soft treat when training (always) so you can crumble it into tiny pieces. The treat is just a motivator, the reward is your attention, which should be overflowing!

Now here is the entire secret to this command, and the process to repeat:
1.) Take your dog to a quiet place until they know what they are supposed to do.

2.) Get down on your knees and play and relax a little (absolutely no rough-housing).

3.) Get back in front of your dog, on your knees, and sit the dog in front of you facing you.

4.) Take a tiny piece of treat out of your pocket and put it directly to the dogs nose, so you get their attention. Do not give them the treat! In a firm voice, state your command. Say it only one time.

5.) Now slowly pull the treat away and toward your eye. The goal is to get the pup to look you directly in the eyes when you are giving a command. Do not give the treat until the dog looks and holds your gaze momentarily in a calm way. You will have to repeat this step several times.

6.) When you can hold your dog's attention on your knees, move to standing in front of them. Repeat the steps from the beginning for the best results.

7.) Now progressively move farther away from the dog while repeating all of the steps above. Also continue to practice holding your dog's gaze. This is not a stare down contest, and your dog will know the difference if you are doing it right. It is the most effective way to communicate with your dog. Remember to have release command. "Okay" works well.

If you get frustrated stop! Your dog will know something is wrong and get frustrated as well. This should be a bonding time! Baby steps are huge for some pups so celebrate and repeat. They all catch on if you are patient.

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