Teaching your dog to stay is one of the most important responsibilities you have as a pet parent, because it can literally be a lifesaver. Whether it’s patiently waiting inside while you open your front door to get a package, or holding position when you accidentally drop the leash during a walk, a strong “stay” will ensure your dog stays safe.
So, how do you teach a dog to stay?
The steps to teach your dog to stay are straightforward and simple. The challenge lies in strengthening the skill so your dog can hold a stay no matter the environment or distractions.
Key Takeaways
- Teaching your dog to stay is essential for their safety.
- Break training into manageable steps focusing on distance, duration, and distraction.
- Reward successful stays with high-value treats and praise.
- Mastering the stay command requires practice in a variety of situations.
How To Train a Dog To Stay
Like all dog training exercises, teaching your dog to stay requires small, savory dog treats; a quiet, familiar space; and a positive attitude.
Set your dog up for success by splitting the behavior into three parts, addressing the three “Ds” of stay separately:
Working on Distance
Distance is the most obvious aspect of holding a stay, since we typically move away from our dogs during the behavior. Follow these steps:
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Ask your dog to assume a comfortable position, like sit or down. Keep in mind that it’s easy for dogs to spring out of a sit, so down might be a more anchored position.
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Once your dog is in position, say “stay” and take one small step to the left or right, then return to your dog and immediately give them a treat and lots of praise. Stepping backward might encourage your dog to follow you during this early stage of training, so opt to sidestep instead.
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Repeat this process several times, always returning to your dog quickly and rewarding with a treat.
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If your dog is comfortable with the single baby steps away, try adding one or two additional steps away, then return and reward. Work up to moving five to 10 sidesteps away from your dog, and as always, return to give your dog a treat.
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Once you’re confident that your dog is anchored in place, try backing up from your dog, at first only for a step or two, then eventually working up to five or more. At this point you can also try turning your back and walking away.
Working on Duration
In this part of the training process, your dog will learn to practice patience while they hold their stay.
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Ask your dog to stay, then move away just a few steps—not the full distance you’ve successfully covered in prior lessons. Pause for a few seconds before returning and rewarding.
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Continue moving away and pausing before walking back to your dog, but vary the number of seconds you wait. For some repetitions, try coming back after a second or two; for others, pause for up to 10 seconds.
Working on Distractions
This final piece of the training process is where the “proofing” begins, meaning where your dog learns to hold position no matter what’s happening around them.
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Ask your dog to stay, then move away and mimic a real-life behavior, like briefly looking at a stack of mail on your counter or putting a dish in the sink. Return to your dog to give a treat and tons of praise, because this part can be tough!
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As your dog gets better at holding position with basic distractions, try adding more challenging ones, like opening the front door, or jogging away from them instead of walking.
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Finally, work on disappearing from view. Set your dog up near a doorway, ask for the stay, then slip out for a few seconds. During the early stages, it helps to leave part of your body visible to your dog. Then as they get more confident with the process, try leaving the room completely.
Putting It All Together
Once your dog is a pro at holding the stay in and around your home, try it out in new locations.
Start small the first time you try it in an unfamiliar space. Instead of asking your dog to stay and walking up to the counter at doggy daycare (a grad school-level behavior!), try asking for a brief sit-stay before you open the front door of the facility.
Tips for Teaching a Dog To Stay
The following tips will help both you and your pup polish up a perfect stay:
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Watch your dog’s body language as you practice stay. Most dogs will communicate that they’re about to get up, usually in their back legs. If you sense your dog is restless, try a few easy repetitions, and then call it a day.
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Try not to stare at your dog during practice exercises. A big part of this behavior involves your attention being directed somewhere other than your dog (like at the delivery person), so help your pup get comfortable with not being the center of attention.
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During the early stages when you make one aspect more challenging—like adding a longer duration to the stay—make sure to relax the other aspects of it. For example, if you want to increase the amount of time your dog holds the stay to 30 seconds, stay closer to them, even if they’re great when you’re walking across the room.
How Long Does It Take To Teach Stay?
Most dogs can master the initial steps quickly, so within a session or two you should be able to put some distance between the two of you.
The challenge comes from making sure that your dog understands all elements that go into holding a stay:
That part of the process takes time and dedication. Practice often and in unexpected ways, and always reward your dog with treats and lots of praise when they give you a rock-solid stay.
