SIT! stay?

[Damon]

I'm wondering, if "stay" is the next command after "sit", what would be the purpose of just asking for a "sit?" Just to have the dog sit and then rise again? I have to admit, I don't see the purpose in this. Shouldn't the dog just be trained to sit, down, etc... until released? Is the "stay" command really necessary?

Thanks for your replies in advance.

Damon.

 

[lastkid]

I puzzled over this for a while, lol, because on one hand, you're right - sit seems like it should mean "do this until I say otherwise" But to me, sit is a precursor. It means "sit until you hear further instruction, but if you get up, it's not the end of the world". Further instruction could be anything, a release, a down, a stay... Adding a stay means "sit until I tell you to get up." If I'm in class, and I'm just hanging around talking with the trainer, and I tell Penny to "sit", I expect a sit. But if she lays down because I've spent half an hour talking to my trainer, no big deal. If I said, "Sit. Stay.", and she downed at any point before I released her, I'd put her right back into the sit.

I guess what I'm trying to say is is that "sit" is just a position. It doesn't imply anything about duration at all. Stay gives duration to the position.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

For my dogs, stay means they will not be released from their position until I return to do so.

I do not command stay when I am going to call the dog to me, or ask it to do something else. (leaving the dog on a sit for a recall, for example). I use the command WAIT instead.

I know that SchH trainers do not use the command stay.

In my opinion, it is one more way to help explain clearly and simply what I expect from the dog.

 

[Doberluv]

When I had Lyric in an obedience class, we all put our dogs in a down/stay while we were to walk about 20 ft away, no leash on. I just told Lyric, "down" and walked away and didn't tell him to stay. The trainer said to me, "Don't forget to tell him to stay." I chuckled and said, "It's understood....unless otherwise posted." LOL.

I use the sit when we're walking along a city street with blocks (when I'm visiting in Seattle) and at each intersection, Lyric is to sit automatically when we stop. (I tell him to look both ways) LOL. That is just good manners and a safety thing....to teach him not to ever forge out into the street. In situations like that, there's no stay involved. As soon as I step out with my left foot, that's the signal to walk again. Sit is a good thing to teach because it's good manners in certain situations. It puts the dog in a position of slight vulnerability and seems to assist in helping the dog wait for your next instruction. (?) Does that make any sense? Sit is good when greeting a stranger, allowing the person to give him a pat. I usually just tell him, "OK" after sitting for a moment, which means he can do what he wants...lie down, stand up...whatever.

 

[elegy]

personal preference, really. you can either teach sit means sit until otherwise released, but then you have to remember to release the dog every single time you have them sit.

or you can use the command stay or wait (i taught my dogs like redyre- stay means stay until i return to you and release you, wait means wait until i get the car door open and release you, wait until i walk across the field and call you, whatever) and not have to worry so much about remembering to release every single time you ask the dog to sit.