Teaching Your Dog to Sit and Stay

When you take the time to teach your dog to ‘sit and stay’, you are laying the foundation for other important training exercises like ‘recall’ on the leash or the basic heel command. ‘Sit and stay’ should be taught shortly after you begin working on the heel command. When teaching heel, lessons should include what is referred to as ‘the forward’, ‘sit’, ‘three turns’ and correcting of any crooked sitting.

Begin the ‘sit and stay’ with basic heel work for a few minutes to try and settle down the dog. Choose a small landmark like a flower, weed, crack in the ground or other identifiable mark to work with and have your dog sit down at that particular spot. It is important to remember where your dog is sitting and the direction in which he is facing. When teaching your dog to stay, it is very important to be able to return him or her back to the exact spot and direction to begin all over again. If you give in a little bit on the location of where he or she sits back down, the dog is likely to push limits and locations over and over again. The original spot will already be marked with his or her scent, so they will know they are returning to the exact location.

When you have your dog sit, hold the leash about 1 ½ feet away from the clip and hold vertically above his or her head. Keep the leash tight, but allow just a little slack. Standing up straight, simply say “stay” (do not say the dog’s name or any other words). At the same instant, make a motion with your hand drawing attention to your face. Be sure to make eye contact with your dog. Step in front of him or her while maintaining eye contact. Continue holding the leash over his or her head. If he or she tries to move, say ‘No’ and give the leash a quick tug. After just a few seconds, you can slowly return to his or her side the same way you originally moved. Wait for another few seconds before gently praising him without too much speed.

In order to get the desired results, it is best to establish a firm and trusting relationship with your dog. Eye contact is a powerful tool and should be used whenever possible during training. Be sure to praise and discipline with words or other productive techniques.

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