Stay

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#1
What is your favorite method for teaching 'stay'? Puppy class has us cue a 'sit' then give Tue cue for 'stay' and place three treats in a line on the ground. Then, holding the collar, deed the treats one at a time, slowly lengthening the time between treats. I'm sure it works, but Hudson does not understand and gets frustrated because he thinks I am asking for a 'down' when I am placing the treats on the ground.

So what methods do you like? Videos?
 

Fran101

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#2
I used the kikopup video on teaching stay.

It basically just teaches sit/down/stand and then teaches the dog the concept of a release cue.

Merlin doesn't really know "stay" but he knows not to move until he hears his release word.
I started working the release cue and then just proofed from that (jumping around, saying other words, food, etc...)
 

Saeleofu

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#3
I have the dog sit/down/stand/whatever, step to the front of the dog and back into heel, then sloooowwwwwlllyyyyyy work the time and distance up. So, one step back, two, three, take two steps back and wait 2 seconds, etc. I NEVER call a dog to come out of a stay while they're learning, and ALWAYS reward when I get back into heel position.
 

Sekah

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#4
I have the dog sit/down/stand/whatever, step to the front of the dog and back into heel, then sloooowwwwwlllyyyyyy work the time and distance up. So, one step back, two, three, take two steps back and wait 2 seconds, etc. I NEVER call a dog to come out of a stay while they're learning, and ALWAYS reward when I get back into heel position.
This is how I teach it too. As long as criteria isn't raised too quickly and you ensure your dog is still engaged and having fun it's a good method. I always advise to teach it in very small doses and play or do other fun tricks etc in between.
 

Julee

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#5
I have the dog sit/down/stand/whatever, step to the front of the dog and back into heel, then sloooowwwwwlllyyyyyy work the time and distance up. So, one step back, two, three, take two steps back and wait 2 seconds, etc. I NEVER call a dog to come out of a stay while they're learning, and ALWAYS reward when I get back into heel position.
This is how I teach it as well.
 

Dizzy

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#6
Honestly, we never taught stay as a command.

Basically, sit, lie down, etc should be until you release them, so there's no real need for a stay command.


That being said, once we got a long sit/lie down then I just added the cue stay. For ease. But totally unnecessary.


We also use a wait command, which sort of means, don't move.... But we use it differently to a "stay".
 

milos_mommy

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#7
What Sael said.

Although if I was starting with a young pup and wasn't worried about other stupid people messing it up for us, I might try Fran's Kikopup method.

ETA: and, like Dizzy said, we have "stay" and "wait". Wait basically means "Don't come through this doorway or down the stairs or into this area". I don't really use it any other time except for when I want the dog to remain in the same general area or out of my way.

Stay means "don't move". Since I never did any obedience or anything, I don't mind if the dog moves from sitting/standing/lying, as long as he's in one spot, but with future dogs I'd probably like it to mean "stay in that position".
 

Southpaw

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#8
Basically what Sael said.

I'm not good about using release cues so I don't think it'd ever work for me to just build the stay into their sit/down without a separate command.
 

SpringerLover

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#9
I taught Buzz a "stay" and a "wait there" cue. I used a tether to teach "wait there" as it was a general area I wanted him to remain in rather than a position.

I teach stay by feeding continuously while I move around the dog. (Easy cheese is really nice for this!) I start looking for the dog to hesitate before I feed and build up from there... This is totally something I could actually take a video of... I just might do that!
 

BostonBanker

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#10
I never taught Gusto a stay. I did crate games with him, and it transferred over almost instantly.

Meg's stays were taught with the 100 peck method.
 

adojrts

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#11
I teach the 'don't move until released' method as well by doing a combo of crate games and the bulls eye game, with no verbals of stay or wait along with recalls at the same time.
 

CaliTerp07

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#12
Lay down/Sit.
*treat*
One step back, one step forward.
*treat*
1.5 steps back, 1.5 steps forward.
*treat*
One step back, pause for a split second. One step forward.
*multiple treats*

It was also hugely helpful that Zach taught her a "go to your bed" command when she's fed. Kibble goes in the treat toy in the center of the room, and he'll make her stay on her bed for a LONG time before releasing her. If she budges early, he'll "eh eh eh!" her and take away the food. Send her back, try again!

Our stays are for agility start lines, and have held up fabulously for such a crazed little dog.
 

Beanie

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#13
I tell my students stay is made up of two criteria - the duration the dog stays and your distance from the dog. Whenever I increase one criteria I decrease the other. So we work our puppies from one step away building up duration, then take another step back (increase distance) and drop duration down to build it back up again.
We ping-pong difficulty - sometimes you ask for a long stay, sometimes for a short one, sometimes you are close, sometimes you are far away. So it's not a game of constantly making the dog sit longer and longer while you get further and further away (seriously boring game.)
We also ping-pong release to recall and release with the owner returning to the dog.
 
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#14
thanks guys. We have been doing the sit or down, or whatever and waiting for a release cue so I guess we'll just keep on, keeping on.

SpringerLover, if you make a video, please share
 

katedavis

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#15
After your dog understood the sit and down commands perfectly, the next extension is training your dog to stay. Teaching the stay command to your dog may seem challenging, but in my opinion it is well worth to teach. If your dog jumps right back before giving release command and continue the previous activity, the stay command is meant to keep your puppy in sit or down. In my opinion it is extremely important for your dog to learn the stay command because you will be able to have better control over his/her behavior.
 

yv0nne

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#16
I tell my students stay is made up of two criteria - the duration the dog stays and your distance from the dog. Whenever I increase one criteria I decrease the other. So we work our puppies from one step away building up duration, then take another step back (increase distance) and drop duration down to build it back up again.
We ping-pong difficulty - sometimes you ask for a long stay, sometimes for a short one, sometimes you are close, sometimes you are far away. So it's not a game of constantly making the dog sit longer and longer while you get further and further away (seriously boring game.)
We also ping-pong release to recall and release with the owner returning to the dog.
This was how I taught it ..I also taught stop which means I don't care if you're running full tilt in the opposite direction. Stop all movement. She learned both fairly quickly with hot dogs ;) The 3 treats in a line seems like an odd way to teach stay ..more like a way to proof it once you've got a solid stay?
 
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#17
Lay down/Sit.
*treat*
One step back, one step forward.
*treat*
1.5 steps back, 1.5 steps forward.
*treat*
One step back, pause for a split second. One step forward.
*multiple treats*
I teach like this.

I also have a separate Wait and Stay. Stay = "stay right there until I come back and release you" and Wait is more like... "hang out there until I tell you to do something else."
 

k9krazee

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#19
Crossbone has no stay. He LOVES the wait game though. I say "wait.....wait....wait (of a varying number)....OKAY!" and he goes crazy. So he kind of understands the concept and the release word but I haven't really put any effort into a real stay or wait yet lol But he knows weave poles and how to cross his legs. Priorities. :p

I don't really remember teaching my other dogs how to stay vs wait. Jack will stay in any position I put him in & I think I took it for granted. I like the mat idea of teaching stay. I taught Crossbone wait by doing crate games.
 

*blackrose

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#20
I taught stay from day one, with their food bowl. Every time they were fed, they had to sit/stay. Gradually build up time/how far away I am from the bowl before they received their release cue. Using that as a base, it really wasn't difficult to transfer over to a stay command without the food bowl as a cue.

Lay down/Sit.
*treat*
One step back, one step forward.
*treat*
1.5 steps back, 1.5 steps forward.
*treat*
One step back, pause for a split second. One step forward.
*multiple treats*
When teaching it without the food bowl, this is what I do. I like rewarding them without breaking the stay, which isn't done with the food bowl method.
 

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