by Lyn Richards
Stand facing your dog, or place him in position so that he is squarely facing you. Clip a leash on your dog and hold it loosely (no tension on the lead). The leash will only be a method of keeping him from sauntering off while you are working, not for controlling or holding him in position.Use your normal cues (Lure and Reward) to place your dog in either a down, sit or stand. Once the dog is in position, give both the hand signal (palm open facing dog in front of the nose) and the verbal cue “stay” simultaneously.
Back away from your dog no more than one foot, and wait. For an antsy dog, you may hold a treat in front of his nose if needed to keep him in position, but I’d prefer to see the dog hold position on his own. You may use treats to keep the dog in a stay but do it gently and cease the treating if the dog gets too excited and breaks the stay.
It is important that you pay heed to your dogs attention span. If the dog is young and energetic, asking for more than a second or two of “stay” is unlikely to produce much more than frustration on your part and his. Instead, use your brain...if the dog shows you that it can concentrate, go for a 10-15 second stay. A young pup needs to be started with a 1-2 second stay, right up close...no distance between you at all. Gradually increase the time and distance until the dog is easily holding a stay for 30-60 seconds at a distance of up to 6 feet (leash length).
The distinction that you must keep clear in your mind is between the TIME that the dog "stays", and the DISTANCE at which the dog "stays". Always go for length of time BEFORE attempting to leave your dog at a stay. Proof the dog at alternating lengths of time, 3 seconds, 30 seconds, 12 seconds 1 minute, etc,. until all are reliable. Then you can begin moving back in small increments at short time spans, increasing the time until at the specific distance you are using the dog stays reliably. THEN you may step the distance up a notch.
You are your dogs security blanket, so it follows that the trust that develops between you over time eventually allows you to widen the gap between you and your dog at the stay. In the meantime, watch your dog and he will signal when the distance between you makes him uncomfortable, shorten the distance by a step or two BACK toward the dog when you see these signals. Once he has achieved comfort at that level/distance, ask for a bit more. Time taken at this exercise pays off in spades later on in advanced training.
The next step in this process involves the off leash stay. As the leash is a dependence / insurance policy for your dog and for you, you will both experience a bit of difficulty when it is first removed. Try to ignore this ‘feeling’ and do the exercise as you always have, and the dog will take his cue from you. You can stay working with whatever time you have had success at, but you must decrease the distance between you back to standing directly in front of the dog. Slowly increase the distance at which your dog holds the stay, until he is comfortable back at the 6 foot distance. It is at this point that you can begin to increase the time at a stay off lead beyond your original 30 -60 seconds. Good luck!
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