Stay

[theshrew]

Can anyone give me tips about the stay command im confused.

Trying to get Missy to stay is a mere she just wont do it so how can i get her to do so ?

[cazza]

Put her in a sit - and tell her to stay (some people use sit to mean stay, until i release you, so they don't use the stay command)

Take one step away from her and then return to her and treat and praise her

Then take two steps away and go back to her treat & praise.

Work on this slowly and increase your steps away and slowly increase the time till you return (as in first step return straight away, then do 1 step again and count to 3 before you go back etc) - if she breaks the stay then go back put her back in it and go only one step away and return to her to finish on a good note - then stop and do it again later

always finish on a positive and take it slowly (baby steps and just 5 min on practice 2 - 3 times a day and she will get there)

Hope that makes sense and helps 

[Karma]

We have been learning our stays in an almost identical fashion in obedience... however they only get one shot... if they break the stay, that's it, over, it's rubbish, no more treats... 

It works really well and the trainer says it's the one time when they actually learn from getting it wrong too....

I guess it just goes to show that there are many different ways to acheive the same end!! 

(Honey managed a stay last night with me dancing, jumping and rolling around on the floor in between treats, so we're doing pretty well with it!!  )

Another hint was (if you were ever looking to do competitive obedience) to use "Time" as the command... as in a competition if a dog breaks a stay the steward will call out "Time" to get the time the dog moved... and this will reinforce your dog's stay in the process!!! 

[Mittens]

We've been learning 'stay' in puppy class - identical method except that from a sit, we then did 'down' to get the dogs into a laying position, and then a stay from there (it this because it's easier than a stay in sit position?)... took a lot of practise and building up from just a couple of seconds to 15 - and going back to basics on quite a few times - but we can walk around him in a circle without him moving now - good luck 

[Nicola]

I started teaching Caoimhe this using the method Cazza has described when I got her a couple of weeks ago and she had picked it up really well within a couple of days. I'm now practising turning my back on her as I walk away and only giving the 'sit' (I don't use 'stay') command once. If she breaks the stay I say 'ah ah' and put her back where she started. I find that reinforcing it with a hand signal (for me arm straight out hand up with palm facing out like a Policeman's stop signal) is useful as it's a very clear sign to them.

[theshrew]

Thanks for the good tips. This is what ive been trying to do but she cant seem to grasp it. I can move a couple of steps then she just comes towards me.

Take it just making her sit back down again and starting again is the only way to crack it.

Thanks for the help.

[Nicola]

If she is finding it difficult make it as easy as possible for her - a couple of steps is too much for her at this stage so start by asking her to sit or stay or whatever word you use and don't move. Just stand there with her in front of you for a few seconds and then praise her for not moving. Then start putting one foot back while reinforcing the command (the hand signal is useful here) and then come back and praise her and then take one full step back, still reinforcing the command and then come back and praise her etc. etc. and gradually build it up from there. With Caoimhe I could tell if she was about to move and would pre-empt it by taking a half step back towards her while reinforcing the 'sit' command and hand signal.

[Gordo]

It was suggested to us at puppy training that we used a hand signal to make our pup stay - palm of hand facing the dog and say 'stay'.  We also had a treat in the other hand so she knows she's going to get it if she stays.

[sharonmansfield]

If she is finding it difficult make it as easy as possible for her - a couple of steps is too much for her at this stage so start by asking her to sit or stay or whatever word you use and don't move. Just stand there with her in front of you for a few seconds and then praise her for not moving. Then start putting one foot back while reinforcing the command (the hand signal is useful here) and then come back and praise her and then take one full step back, still reinforcing the command and then come back and praise her etc. etc. and gradually build it up from there. With Caoimhe I could tell if she was about to move and would pre-empt it by taking a half step back towards her while reinforcing the 'sit' command and hand signal.

I trained mine doing everything that Nicola has already said above and it worked fine and quickly. For my dogs sit is a verbal command and stay is verbal plus hand signal so its clear what i want. Good luck hope it goes well.