Stay is a super-important cue. If your dog is off leash and you need him to stay where he is instead of going after another dog or running across the street after a squirrel, a solid STAY might save his life. Stay is different from Wait. Stay means do not move until I come to you and release you. That’s why you should never use it if you want Fredo to wait for 10 seconds until he can go for the food bowl you put in front of him.
Think about it; if you ask him to stay for that and then release him to chow down, you’re technically rewarding him for breaking the Stay. In order to get a solid Stay, you must always come back to the dog and reward him in the Stay position and you must work your way up from just a few seconds to longer periods, then add distractions and, finally, distance so your pup will learn to stay put no matter what goes on around him. In order to get to that you have to make it worth his while. Staying put must be more rewarding than following you out of the room, jumping up on you when you flap your arms, or walking over to a toy when he gets bored of staying in one place.
Training Instructions:
Stand in front of your puppy and ask for a Sit or a Down. If your dog seems most comfortable sitting, start working on Sit/Stay, but if your pup is more comfortable lying down, work on Down/Stay first. When your dog sits (or lies down, your choice) extend your arm forward with a flat palm placed right in front of his face, as if to sign STOP. Say STAY in a friendly but clear tone, feed him a treat, then quickly retract your treat hand behind your back. After just a second or two, bring your treat hand right back to puppy’s nose and feed him a treat. Repeat the retraction and re-appearance of the treat, then release the puppy with a cheerful "OK."
You don’t want to ask him to stay longer than he can handle, or before he really understands what you’re asking of him. Be careful to keep your treat hand out of sight; if your pup can see it he may be tempted to leap forward to get the treat, and then he’ll be breaking the stay. If your puppy breaks the stay, simply lure him back into the position and repeat only the hand signal, not the verbal cue. You don’t want the cue to be Stay, Stay, Stay! Start by asking your dog to stay just a few seconds, and work your way up to longer stays when he realizes he’s being rewarded for staying in place. Remember to always release your pup when you’re ready to let him move around.
Once you have a solid stay, start adding small distractions by moving your feet or flapping your arms while your puppy is in the Stay position. Then, once your puppy stays put no matter what movement goes on around him, begin adding distance to the stay. After giving the cue Stay, try moving one step backwards, then right back to feed the puppy a treat. Increase the distance gradually, always coming back to reward the puppy in the Stay position. Never give a reward after you release the dog. He should learn that the reward is for staying in position, not for getting up.
