Dog Training – Train Your Dog To Stay

After you teach your dog to sit and lie down, you will want to teach him to stay in one place. Dog training can help him learn to follow your “Stay” command for extended periods of time. Teaching your dog to stay in one place will be harder than teaching him the other commands because your dog is used to following you around. Sitting in one place goes against his natural instincts, thus he will have to exert more effort to follow your “Stay” command.
The best time to train your dog to follow the “Stay” command is when he is calm and relaxed – usually after you’ve taken him for a walk. When starting your training session make sure your dog is in a familiar and quiet environment.
Begin by positioning your dog in the place where you want him to stay. You can give him a “Sit” or “Lie Down” command. After he obeys and holds the position for a couple of seconds tell him to “Stay” then if he does not move give him a treat and praise him. After your dog follows your command, allow him to move around. You can then start the process all over.
After a few repetitions you can begin increasing the time your dog will have to stay in the same place. After your dog masters the time aspect of this command you will need to work on increasing the distance as well. Start out by issuing the “Stay” command then take a step backwards, pause, then step back towards your dog. If your dog has remained in his sit-stay or down-stay, praise him and give him a tasty treat.

Continue to repeat this process, gradually increasing the amount of steps you take back but always remember to return back to your dog before you reward him. It is important to take things slowly and not to reward your dog unless he follows your commands correctly. By giving him treats only when he earns them you will ensure proper dog training and will successfully train your dog to stay whenever you command him to.