Staying in place, on cue, is a core part of manners training for dogs. It’s the way that we can tell our dog to patiently wait while we tie our shoes during a walk, wait for a light to cross the street, stand aside for other people to walk by, look through products at the pet store, get stuff in and out of the car, hide treats or toys for the dog to find, and of course, to take posed photos!
Before starting stay training
You need to consider these things:
Do you care whether your dog holds a sit versus a down? In other words, if you start your dog in a sit, and partway through he lies down to be more comfortable, will that be okay?
If you are planning to do advanced training with your dog, like fancy tricks or sports, it will be important to teach your dog to literally stay still.
If you just want your dog to remain in one spot, you may not care whether he’s sitting or lying down, as long as he’s not wandering around.
Don’t confuse stay versus wait. Stay means “don’t move from that spot” or literally “don’t move at all.” Wait means “don’t go through this door” or “don’t rush ahead.” See example video below.
Step One: Can your dog hold still at all?
If you have a wiggly puppy, or a dog who is very excited about food, you may have to introduce the concept of “stillness” before you start real stay training!
Start with practicing the “Slow Treats” Game, for one treat at a time.
Then add staying still for longer:
Hold several small, non-crumbly treats in one hand.
Cue your dog to sit (or lie down).
Immediately feed him several treats rapid fire - so quickly that he doesn’t even have time to get up.
If he does get up before you finish the treats, simply start over from the top.
Repeat until he is not wiggling or jumping as you give him the rapid fire treats.
Video shows a dog who initially moves toward her owner's hands to reach for the treats. The owner then does "fast food" rapid fire treats, and the dog quickly realizes that she can just hold still and wait for the treats to come to her.
Step Two: Adding start and stop cues
Now that your dog is able to hold still for several seconds, we’ll name the behavior.
Hold several small, non-crumbly treats in one hand.
Cue your dog to sit (or lie down).
Say “stay” and then hold out a hand, palm out, in a “stop” signal.
Feed your dog several treats, one after the other, until you only have 1 treat left.
Say “free” and then wave your hand in a “come over here” gesture.
Give your dog the last treat in your hand.
If your dog doesn’t get up when you say “free” and then wave your hand, then give him more encouragement, like calling his name in a happy voice or making “kissy” noises.
Repeat the steps above until your dog is reliably holding still after you say “stay” AND getting up when you say “free.”
If your dog is having trouble holding still, spend more time giving treats as he’s not moving.
If your dog hesitates to get up, give fewer treats for holding still and emphasize “free.”
Adding "stay" and "free" cues, with several treats in between as the dog holds their position. From now on, your stay practice should always follow this format: cue the stay, several treats given while the dog stays, then clearly end with "free."
Step Three: Adding duration
Now you will teach your dog to wait longer in between treats. You will still be using the same overall format as above:
Hold several small, non-crumbly treats in one hand.
Cue your dog to sit (or lie down).
Say “stay” and then hold out a hand, palm out, in a “stop” signal.
Pause for 2 seconds, then reward if your dog stayed still.
Pause for 3 seconds, then reward if your dog stayed still.
Reward your dog for staying still for 1-5 seconds - switch it up so he doesn’t know what to expect. (For example, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 1 second, 4 seconds, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 2 seconds.)
If at any point your dog gets up, simply restart the exercise.
When you’re down to your last treat, say “free,” then wave your hand in a “come over here” gesture.
Give your dog the last treat in your hand.
During this training, you should be standing calmly next to your dog - don’t try to walk around until your dog can stay still for at least 5 seconds.