The Stay Command is one of the most important obedience commands your dog should know. Even older dogs can learn it, with lots of patience and plenty of treats! Here's everything you need to know about this command.
The Stay Command: Why Use It?
The Stay Command is invaluable for every dog owner. It is essentially a way to keep your dog under your control, and that means keeping him safe from traffic, other dogs, or even other people. The command is most often used in conjunction with other commands, such as the Down-Stay command or the Sit-Stay command. But even when used by itself, it has a lot of advantages.
Hand Signal or Voice Command?
The Stay Command is one command that is very simple to teach with a hand signal. Dogs respond equally well to voice commands and hand signals (such as holding out your hand as if to say "stop"), and even if you prefer one or the other, it's a good idea to teach them both. That way, you can still give the command from a long distance (by hand), or in circumstances where you dog can't immediately see you (by voice).
Teaching the Stay Command
It's easiest to teach this command when your pooch has already learned the basic commands of Sit and Down. The Stay Command is usually used as an extension of one of these first commands, so pick which one you would like to use and go with it. For purposes of this article, let's use the Sit-Stay.
Before beginning the training, you'll also need to figure out a "release word," such as "okay" or "done," which will eventually signal to your dog that the command is over.
Practice with your pooch for about 10 minutes every day. That schedule will be a lot more beneficial to your dog and help him remember the learning much better than an inconsistent schedule of every few weeks, or for an hour at a time. With just a little bit of effort, your dog will learn the stay command!
