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Dogs have a great knack for teaching their teachers. Aside from making us wave hands and shout strange words, we often fetch treats and go after tennis balls. While this might seem funny, it really is in our pets best interest that they learn some basic commands and teaching a dog to stay is vital for his safety.

If your dog is misbehaving, the best solution is to assert your alpha status. There are several methods to do this, but one of the most common is frequently telling your dog to “stay.” When you give your dog the command to “stay,” they should not move even when you do. Unfortunately, this is the opposite of what usually happens when this command is said.

First, teach the dog to ’sit’ on command utilizing the word and hand signals. I snap my fingers while flipping my extended index finger at a downward angle toward the ground at the same time. This attracts the dog’s attention without impeding my hands with a clicker. It also indicates the correct direction for the dog’s rear. Astonishingly, it works quite well.

Then with the pup, teen, or adult dog in the sit, I thrust a hand in the dog’s direction, palm first, fingers raised, giving the voice command to ’stay!’ Not shouting, just distinct and audible over other noises. Hand motions should be exact and unique to a certain command/behavior. Take a step back.

Your dog will most likely try to follow you. When this happens, repeat your unique hand gestures for the “sit” and “stay” commands. If your dog continues to follow you, there is a trick to get them to comply with the “sit” command. Hold a treat or one of your dog’s favorite toys in your hand. Slowly move this over your dog’s head until it is a little behind his eyes. Make sure that it is still in your dog’s line of vision. This movement will force your dog’s chin to move up. If your dog chooses to rotate around rather than just moving his chin, move the toy or treat over their head again until he does move his chin up and sits down. Praise your dog and try the “stay” command again.

Teaching a dog to stay is a progressive process for your dog. When your dog will “stay” while you take one step back, begin taking two steps back. Increase that to four steps, then eight steps. Be aware that the further you move from your dog, the less likely your dog is to remain in one place. Your dog will want to move closer to you as he sees you as the alpha of his pack, and dogs instinctively follow their leader.

One thing you can do to get around this is to put a collar and lengthy leash on your dog. Use a tree to secure the leash behind the dog and hold it in front of the dog. Allow your dog to stand up and step forward, gently pulling on the rope and using the standard voice command and gesture. Be careful not to jerk your dog too hard and upset his concentration. Your goal should be to contain his behavior, not punish him. If you prefer to use another person rather than a tree you can, but it may confuse the dog and he won’t know who is giving the commands.

Many dogs will want to lie down during the procedure, even more so as you get farther away from them. It might be helpful to teach ‘up’ and ’sit’ in tandem before moving onto teaching your dog to ’stay’. It varies by breed and individual personality how many times you will have to repeat the exercise over what time period, but don’t worry. Every dog learns to stay in time.

Have your dog stay for several seconds. Once this has been completed, tell your dog to “come” using a different tone and a unique hand gesture. Make sure that the gesture for “come” is something that you will be able to do without difficulty but that you will never accidentally do during everyday activities. Any gestures that you use for commands should be unique for each type of behavior you are looking for and should just be used when seeking these behaviors from your dog.

One thing you need to do when teaching a dog to stay his to remember to praise him generously when he exhibit’s the desired behavior. Repeat the exercise making the dog stay longer as he learns. If the dog stays when you go back into the house, that means you have succeeded completely. Remember to release him after a minute.

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