Dog Training Tips - How to Teach Your Dog the 'Stay' Command

Learning how to teach your dog the stay command can be tedious and frustrating. But keep at it and you'll see just how important it is - when in traffic, when there's a dog-phobic visitor at the door, when you're dressed for a party and he wants to pounce on you with his fresh-out-of-the-mud paws, the list just goes on. Next only to the come command in the order of importance, teaching your dog the stay command not only makes your pet manageable and more enjoyable, but can even save his life!

First, get your dog to sit down. Push down on the bum and up on the head.Once he's down, give him the stay command along with a hand gesture - opening your palm out before him, helps. You could probably say it together with his name, like 'Stay, Hotdog.' If he doesn't move, praise him, while moving back. Keep holding your hand out so he knows he isn't supposed to move. If he doesn't get it, start all over. But when he does obey, keep increasing the distance and the duration of the stay, gradually.

Once you teach your dog the stay command, introduce a distraction such as a favourite toy, treat or new person. Don't expect him to behave. This part will be hard as dogs are easily distracted and he's bound to go sniffing his new friend or chasing his new treat. But patiently reinforce the stay command, till he obeys. Don't forget the 'good job' and neck ruffle part when he does and practice all over again.

Each time, take him to a different setting - a park, the beach, your neighbourhood, anywhere and keep reinforcing the stay command till he's able to focus on what you're saying as opposed to the million things that distract him.

Teaching your dog the stay command can be difficult. If your dog is particularly playful, you're just going to have to wait it out and persist through it all. But don't ever give up. Once he begins responding even a little to the stay command, take it to his own turf - reinforce it at home. Tell him to stay when you give him his food, when there's a doorbell and when the family sits down for dinner. Get all the family members to help you with it and make sure he understands his boundaries.

It might seem like a pointless thing to do, especially if you have a particularly lovable dog that everyone seems to adore. But the day your dog obeys you when you ask him to stay in the midst of thick traffic, you'll be glad you persisted. After all, you wouldn't want your little fur ball growing up to be an undisciplined tantrum-tom. So take a breath and decide you'll be patient with your dog when you teach him the stay command and you'll have years of great companionship with your pet to show for it!