Here I'll Stand and Here I'll Stay (How To: Stay)

Stay is a basic in a dog's education.  It is a safety mechanism for me as a dog and a control mechanism for Mom as my handler--it makes sure that I am staying safe and in the right place at the right time.  It is also very useful in that it can be paired with other commands, including Sit, Down, and Stand.  In fact, Down-Stay is a huge benefit to a Service Dog, who needs to be able to be down and in one place whenever his or her handler is working, waiting in line, shopping, etc.

However, Stay can be hard for a pup to learn, especially an energetic girl like me!  I really want to be at Mom's side all the time, so it was hard at first for me to learn that sometimes I have to be separated from her.  Mom persevered, though, and here's how she taught me to Stay:

• Mom had me Down (I could have also done a Sit).  She then put up her hand as her hand signal and took a step backward and waited half a moment.
• When I stayed as she did that, she returned to me and gave me a treat.  She repeated this a few time before she started pairing it with the word "Stay," her verbal cue.
• Slowly, she increased the number of steps and the time she waited before returning to me.  She told me that it's important to return to me because otherwise I might have learned that I could move after a Stay, and she wanted to make sure I knew I had to Stay until I was released.
• Once I mastered that, she started moving out of sight--it was so hard for me not to follow!
• Switch Stay positions between Sit, Down, Stand, and any other position you can think of to increase exposure, willingness, understanding, and mental flexibility!  Mom tends to like Down-Stays, but really, Stay should be able to be done in any position at any time and for any length of time.

Try this: play Red Light-Green Light!  Have your four-legged friend Stay and Here repeatedly to get him or her listening to you.  See if he or she can even do it without vocal cues and with just hand signals!  This will also prepare you for the Drop on Recall if you plan on doing advanced obedience trials.

Stay can be useful for photoshoots!

Mom loves to use Stay to pose me when she takes photos of me!  I now know that when she whips out her phone or camera, I should Sit-Stay or Down-Stay and look pretty!  I also now know that when I wear my vest, I should Down-Stay whenever Mom stops for more than a few seconds, like when she's in line at Starbucks.  Stay is so useful!

Tail wags and puppy kisses,
Kelsie Iris

Check out these posts of mine:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html