TRAINING DOGS: November 2013

One major reason to teach the stay exercises to your dog is that you will be more effective with grooming. Hence your dog will be healthier. The only way to clean your dogs teeth for example is if you can make him stay put for you. The other options for the dog are eventual gum and jaw disease or anesthetic dental work which does not always end well. Better to be a good owner and look after your dog's teeth and grooming yourself if possible. Once a dog knows the stay exercise firmly, you can save thousands of dollars in vet bills for dental work and when you do need to take the dog to the vet for yearly checkups the examination will go much smoother and the doctor will be able to be more thorough.

her healthy clean smile was worth taking time for a bit of training

well groomed, healthy and happy

neglected, before scaling

after scaling brush with water twice a day to maintain clean and healthy mouth

before picture shows gums inflamed and receding from build up

Note build upon tooth on left compared to cleaned canines and front ...without anesthetic ... dog knows the stay command

Grooming...knowing the stay... ears and eyes get regular attendance

Safety...knowing the stay firmly, she will not bolt through the open gate

STAY EXERCISES and why you and your dog must learn them

There are many, many reasons why we need to include these commands. Most of all, with them, your dog will have a more complete life.

The wait command and the stay command work together, and both should be taught. Wait is taught first at the very start of training and Stay comes at the end of novice. Both require the dog to know how to sit on command and to sit and accept praise and to sit and pay attention (watch me)

WAIT means just hang close around here

STAY means do not move anything not even your eyes or something intensely dreadful will happen. The stay command carries a sense of dire urgency and emphasis.So you can see that stay must be given only in very specific enforceable situations until it is firmly understood by the dog. Also if you were at the vet, let's say, you would tell the dog to stand and wait while he was examined not to stay, because you cannot enforce a stay command at that point. A firm request to wait can be repeated several times whereas a stay command occurs once and if broken it is immediately corrected. Same when you go into the service station to pay, you leave the dog in the car, do not say stay (you will not be there to enforce it) you say wait, I will be right back.

Two different things, WAIT or STAY

In the beginning, the wait command with our wizard fingers extended, helped the pup to stay in place while he waited for what happened next, for example, "go through the door now" or "head down the stairs now" or "come out of the crate now".

The stay command, whether sit, down or stand, requires the dog to remain unrestrained in the place and position where he is, while keeping attention on you (watch me), until the next command is given. The demand for eye contact is of import in utility and field competitions.

Leather Leash and chain slip collar on... check to see collar is on correctly i.e. when dog is on your left the chain goes across the back of the dogs neck to the leash clip, not across the throat to the leash clip

This is not a chain collar but it shows how the collar should come across the back of the neck to the leash

putting the collar on from your left side

the chain looks like this when the dog is in front of you

how to assemble the slip collar

WAIT REQUEST

If dog will sit, work from a sit position. If dog won’t sit, work from a down or stand position

Maneuver yourself in front of dog, back up arm’s length extended with fingers spread out and extended like a wizard. Say wait and swirl your hands to keep dogs attention. Keep eye contact and keep saying wait slowly. When and if he moves step in with sharp no follow with wait back up again and continue wizard hands. Do this for a brief moment, three times a day. In three days the dog should know what you want when you say wait and you can begin to diminish the gestures. Apply wait in the crate at the door before snacks before play practice before getting into car or anywhere at home.

wizard fingers

STAY COMMAND

Leather Leash and chain slip collar on... check to see collar is on correctly i.e. when dog is on your left the chain goes across the back of the dog’s neck to the leash clip, not across the throat to the leash clip

Dog on your left in sit position

Swing open right hand in front of dog s nose firmly and command stay

Pivot yourself in directly in front of the dog, both hands clasping leash at waist level in front of you, eye contact. Be quiet unless he moves, then say no, followed with slight sit correction to stay position. If the sitting dog at stay moves, he has broken a stay not a sit, so do not say sit again but say no, stay. If he keeps slouching into a down, he does not get the sit at all and you need to go back a bit and relearn the sit before going on with stay.

Once you get it going, gradually increase the distance you back up until you can leave your dog with the six foot leash extended on the floor and be backed up six feet beyond that, indoors if you have the room.
So command stay, pivot in front, back up and count measured paces one to twelve, set leash down on the way, then pause for six counts, then back twelve paces to in front picking leash up on the way, circle around the back of dog, do not step on tail, holding leash above dogs head and go back to heel position. Heel out and praise dog with discrete pat and WHAT A GOOD DOG!

Gradually extend the work territory outdoors and around distractions. The final idea is to RELIABLY work off leash, outdoors or in the obedience trial ring forty feet away from you to perform a recall command, “Fido Come!”

It is very easy to confuse dogs with cross over of commands. Be aware that a sit stay and a recall should not be taught at the same point in time because from the dogs position at a distance, it is impossible to tell if this will be a sit stay or a recall exercise until he really gets the human language. That is also why you must not work too long or on too many exercises at once. Keeping sessions under five minutes will stop you from adding too much material too fast for your dog, and will stop both of you from getting bored.

The sit stay is a formal obedience exercise and you can find a description of it on the AKC and CKC obedience sites (American and Canadian kennel clubs) http://www.akc.org/dog_shows_trials/

In the field practicing the stand stay

group down stay

Gradually add distractions into the training time. Once your dog is confident at home and in quiet surrounding, practice in busy locations and with other obedience students. Get a secure foundation first, before you go into groups.