Witnessing dogs perform flawless stays in competition events like AKC Rally or Obedience is impressive, but the “stay” command is far more than just a trick for dog sports. A solid “stay” is a foundational behavior for good manners and essential for household obedience, making daily life with your canine companion significantly smoother. If your dog can maintain a position, such as a sit or down, until you explicitly release them, routine tasks like grooming, answering the door, or carrying groceries become much easier. Many dog owners, however, find teaching this command challenging. By following a structured approach and taking your time, you can teach your puppy to stay reliably, just like a champion. Building this essential skill will also lay the groundwork for other important commands, helping you learn how to get my dog to listen to me.
Understanding the “Stay” Command and Release Cue
It’s important to differentiate “stay” from “wait.” While “wait” typically means holding a position for a brief moment, “stay” implies maintaining a specific posture until a release cue is given. Theoretically, if you instruct your dog to stay while you step out to collect the mail, they should remain in that exact spot, even if you are gone for an extended period. This distinction highlights the long-duration expectation of the stay command.
A release cue is a specific word or phrase you use to signal to your dog that they are free to break their position and move. It explicitly ends the behavior. You can integrate a release word with any behavior, effectively building an automatic “stay” into commands like sit or lie down. Consistency is key with your chosen release word; use it exclusively to indicate the end of a behavior. Common release words include “okay,” “free,” or “release.” Be mindful that “okay” is frequently used in everyday conversation, so choose a word that minimizes accidental releases.
Boerboel puppy sitting in profile in the backyard.
Teaching Your Puppy the Release Command
To successfully train the “stay” behavior, you must begin with small steps and gradually increase the complexity. Your initial focus should be on teaching your puppy the meaning of their release word. This foundational understanding ensures they know when the command is truly over.
Follow these steps to teach your puppy their release cue:
- Ask your puppy to sit or lie down. Ensure they are comfortable in this basic position.
- After one second, calmly offer your puppy a treat and immediately say your chosen release word. The timing is crucial here; the treat and release word should be nearly simultaneous.
- Encourage your puppy to get up and move after you’ve given the release. You can gently walk away, pat your legs, or clap your hands to prompt them to break the position.
- Praise your puppy enthusiastically when they move. This positive reinforcement helps them associate the release word with freedom of movement.
- Repeat these steps multiple times until your puppy consistently understands that they are allowed to move only after hearing the release word.
Building Duration into the “Stay”
Once your puppy understands the release command, you’re ready to introduce the “three Ds” of dog training: duration, distance, and distraction. Start by focusing solely on duration, leaving distance and distraction for later stages. It’s crucial to stay close to your puppy and minimize any environmental distractions during this phase. This is also the point where you will officially introduce the “stay” cue. Learning to extend the time your puppy stays in position is a vital step in their overall obedience training, much like learning how to teach your puppy to walk.
These steps will help you build duration:
- Ask your puppy to sit or lie down.
- As soon as they assume the position, extend your hand straight out in front of you, like a stop sign, and say the word “stay.”
- Wait just one or two seconds, then calmly give your puppy a treat.
- Release your puppy and offer praise when they move.
- Gradually increase the waiting time before treating and releasing your puppy. Add a few seconds at a time.
- Once your puppy can hold the stay for 10 seconds or more, you can begin to treat them multiple times during the stay. Calmly offer treats periodically, repeating your “stay” cue and hand signal as a gentle reminder that the command is still in effect.
It’s essential that your puppy never learns the reward of prematurely releasing themselves. Therefore, take small, incremental steps and avoid pushing their limits too quickly. Set your puppy up for success by not asking for too much too soon. Remember, “stay” can be a boring command for dogs, so it’s vital to reward the staying behavior, not the release itself. Rewarding the release makes breaking the stay more appealing than maintaining it. Similarly, if you use a clicker for training, click during the stay before offering a reward. Avoid clicking when your puppy moves on the release, as they might interpret the click as the end of the behavior. If you do click during the stay, follow it immediately with a treat and a repeat of your “stay” cue and hand signal.
Boxer puppy standing on top of a wood crate outdoors with flowers in the background.
Troubleshooting Common “Stay” Challenges
When you’re teaching your puppy to stay, paying close attention to your own body language is paramount. Unintentional movements can inadvertently lure your puppy towards you, causing them to break their position. Puppies are accustomed to being in front of you during training, so any backward movement on your part may trigger their instinct to follow.
What should you do if your puppy breaks their “stay” before you’ve given the release cue? First and foremost, resist the urge to punish your puppy. More often than not, a broken stay indicates that you either unknowingly lured them to move or asked for too much too soon. The best approach is simply to repeat your cues and start the exercise over. Take a step back in your training to a point where your puppy was consistently successful, and then slowly rebuild from there. This reinforces the correct behavior without creating negative associations with training.
Introducing Distractions and Distance to the “Stay”
Only introduce distractions and distance after your puppy has achieved reliable stays lasting at least 30 seconds. Since adding distance inherently includes some level of distraction, it’s generally best to tackle distance last. When you begin to incorporate a new “D” (distraction or distance), be sure to relax your expectations for the other elements. For example, if your puppy can hold a “stay” for two minutes without distractions, go back to asking for only a few seconds when a distraction is present. Start with minor distractions, such as a gentle hand clap, and gradually progress to more significant ones, like rolling a ball across the room. Once your puppy can maintain their stay through various distractions, you can then begin to build duration again in the presence of those distractions. This progressive approach ensures your puppy learns to generalize the “stay” command in increasingly complex environments, much like learning how to teach your puppy to stop jumping.
When your puppy can perform 30-second stays with distractions, you’re ready to add distance. Again, reduce your duration expectations and minimize distractions for this part of the process. This conservative approach helps your puppy focus on the new challenge without being overwhelmed. As your puppy masters staying at a distance, you’ll be well on your way to a dog who can reliably stay put in various situations, whether you’re teaching them how to get your puppy to go for a walk or just having them wait patiently at home.
The following steps will help you build distance:
- Ask your puppy to stay, then take a single step backward.
- Immediately return to your puppy and give them a treat.
- Release your puppy.
- Repeat the above steps, but this time take two steps away before returning to your puppy to treat and then release them.
- Slowly and incrementally increase the distance until you can walk to the opposite edge of the room.
Always return to your puppy before giving the release command. If you release them from a distance, you lose the opportunity to reward them while they are still in the desired position. Furthermore, releasing from afar can inadvertently teach them that a certain distance is a cue to break the stay and approach you. Once your puppy can successfully manage all three Ds—duration, distance, and distraction—independently, you can begin to combine them and escalate the challenge by leaving the room entirely or practicing in an outdoor environment. Take your time, build slowly, and your puppy will develop a rock-solid “stay” command, regardless of the surrounding circumstances.
