Stay

“Stay” teaches your dog to hold a position until you release them. Build it slowly — duration first, then distance.

🐾🐾 · ~10 days · 5 min/session

Learn first: Sit

Step-by-step

1. Pick a release word

   First decide how you’ll tell your dog they’re free — for example “Free!” or “Okay!”. Without a clear ending, “Stay” makes no sense to the dog. Always use the same word.

2. Start with one second

   Ask your dog to sit, say “Stay” with your palm out, and wait just one second. Reward while they’re still sitting, then immediately give your release word. Success should be nearly guaranteed at the start.

   💡 Deliver the treat low, at your dog’s chest — it won’t tempt them to get up.

3. Build duration

   Increase the wait gradually: two seconds, five, ten, twenty. Mix easy and harder reps so it never becomes predictable. If your dog gets up, calmly reset them and cut the time in half.

4. Add distance

   Only once your dog can hold 20–30 seconds, take one step back and return. Then two steps, then three. Always come back to the dog to reward — don’t call them out of the stay early on.

   💡 When you add distance, reduce duration. Never raise two difficulties at once.

5. Add distractions

   Do a little hop, clap your hands, drop a toy, turn your back. Each new challenge starts small and is rewarded generously. Finally practise in new places — the yard, the front door, the park.

Common mistakes

• Raising difficulty too fast — the dog fails often and gets confused.
• Forgetting the release word — the dog decides when it ends and the cue falls apart.
• Calling the dog out of the stay to reward — they start anticipating movement instead of waiting.

Problems & solutions

My dog gets up the moment I step back.

Distance came too early. Go back to duration work without moving, then just shift your weight back, then half a step. This skill is built in millimetres.

They creep forward without actually getting up.

Reward more often and exactly where they sit. If creeping continues, train on a mat — the clear boundary helps the dog understand where “the spot” is.

Reward ideas

Calm, quiet rewards: soft treats delivered low, and a gentle voice. Avoid wild play right after a stay.