[Connie Sutherland]

Would anyone like to start with their \"stay\" training method?

 

[Selena van Leeuwen]

do a down excercise on the long leash, my foot on the leash and repeating the commands \"af\" (down/platz) and \"blijf/blijven\" (bleib(en)/stay). The leash prevents getting up or walking away, the time they have to stay down gets longer. If this oke, i will stand further away etc.

 

[Connie Sutherland]

do a down excercise on the long leash, my foot on the leash and repeating the commands \"af\" (down/platz) and \"blijf/blijven\" (bleib(en)/stay). The leash prevents getting up or walking away, the time they have to stay down gets longer. If this oke, i will stand further away etc.

So at first you are very close, then, right?

 

[Selena van Leeuwen]

yes, right beside the dog.

 

[Mike Schoonbrood]

I use a long line wrapped around a tree, if the dog gets up then they can't walk toward me because the line holds them back, then I can walk back to them and put them back into a down or a sit or whatever else I had them in.

 

[Bob Scott]

I put the dog on the down or sit, stand right in front and treat. Sloooooowly, I add distance and time. The biggest mistake most people make is to try and add time and/or distance to quickly. With a puppy, it's a matter of feet and seconds. Also with a puppy, I'm not concerned with distance. Whe you add time, shorten back on the distance. When you add distance, shorten back on the time. don't try both at the same training session. Don't wait till the point of failure in order to correct the dog. That just teaches the dog he CAN break the stay command. Don't release the dog every time you return. That pattern trains the dog and he WILL start wanting to meet you halfway. ALWAYS vary your return time. Humans are creatures of habit. If you don't think about it, you WILL fall into a pattern, and the dog can pick up on that.

 

[Michael Coletta]

I was told by someone not to teach stay. I was told the/ dog should sit or platz until you release the dog. What are your thoughts

 

[Bob Scott]

Michael, the AKC requires a stay command/signal in their competitions. In Schutzhund, you will loose points for giving a double command. I still think it's a heplful, everyday obedience command, although not necessary for formal use.

 

[Jeff Oehlsen]

The mistakes that I see all the time start with the command. The dog starts to understand the situation and the pattern, and then skippy the owner wants to walk 40 feet away and then get pissy when the dog keeps blowing the down.

Start with the command. Tell the dog to down, when the dog does it mark it and release. When the dog can do this at any angle, beside you, and from a distance, then you are ready to start the stay. When I begin this way, I rarely get a dog that ever breaks a down, can do some pretty strong distractions right away. I get a great foundation, and I am not killing myself to get back to the dog like a lot of other people, and when I walk back to my dog I don't get the ears back \"OH CRAP!\" look I see other people have on their dogs.