Expectations for 'Stay' with duration?

L

lawsjl

Forums Regular
Season's Greetings Everyone,

I am not sure if we have hit a road block or perhaps ADD (only kidding...I think :wink2:). My 10 month old can do about a 2 minute stay inside with goofy distractions and has been doing that duration for a while. Once we hit that point she is like a anxious little kid that is busting at the seams and breaks stay. Am I expecting to much or does it take that long to work on the duration end a stay? Maybe I should take out the distraction and just work on duration alone? I added the distraction after not getting past the 2 minute stay. I thought if I added the higher criteria that additional stay without distraction would be easier...yikes puppy psychology!

I am not sure if I have my expectations to high or we need of a light bulb moment?

Thanks for any suggestions,
Lisa & Phoebe (with ants in her pants!!)
 
How often do you go back and reward, and continue with the stay? The key is to keep Phoebe guessing. At first, feed her right away and release, then maybe next time she has to stay for a minute and then gets a treat, but has to keep staying. As you train, make it different every time.

If she looks like she is getting antsy (but hasn't broken yet), I would go up and reward her, and release her. The more often she is allowed to break the stay, the less likely she is to understand that isn't acceptable. You want her to be successful, so reward her for doing it right on an ever changing schedule.
 
You should only train to the point where she hasn't broken yet. The trick is to make sure she is successful. Keep it short, maybe even on leash for a while. Reward often with verbal praise and treats. Make sure you have definite release word, so she knows when she can break.

If she breaks before you release her, back up one step one your training, until she is successful again.
 
Ahh Reinforcement another question....

I haven't been treating much while in stay, but it sure makes sense to do that. Thanks I will definitely do that...treats on the way.

Is sit stay, down stay, and a heel stay (at my side) all the same or taught independently?

Thanks again I very much appreciated it.

Happy Holiday's
Lisa & Phoebe
 
Stay is one of the hardest commands to train! But you will know your patience has paid off when you put your dog in a down stay, forget & go take a shower, then come back to a completely weirded-out dog looking desperate, but still in the down stay. :eek2:

IMO, the down stay is the easiest to train, so work on that first. When they were fairly reliable for 1-2 minutes, I taught them to "tuck it up" (i.e. tuck one front foot under). This makes it a little harder to break the stay - it takes a little more thought on their part. I don't think I actually taught it per se, but would put them in a down stay, then tap one of the front paws with my shoe and say "tuck it". After a while, they do it automatically.

The sit stay is a little harder, but if you're going to be doing it in the obedience ring, take comfort in the fact that it's a shorter exercise in the ring than the down-stay. I usually had mine master the down-stay before the sit-stay. Eventually, it just seems to sink in by osmosis - stay means don't move, no matter what position you are in.

I found that a clear lucite stick was a wonderful tool for teaching the stay. They don't give much of a visual cue, but you can use it to tap the paw or touch whatever part of the dog moves more than you'd like. I think I got mine at Paul's Obedience Shop.
 
lawsjl said:
I haven't been treating much while in stay, but it sure makes sense to do that. Thanks I will definitely do that...treats on the way.

Is sit stay, down stay, and a heel stay (at my side) all the same or taught independently?

Thanks again I very much appreciated it.

Happy Holiday's
Lisa & Phoebe
Click to expand...

Everyone's advice is great. You should find that you have much more success by randomly going back and rewarding during the stay.

Until you're having success again, I'm make the duration of the stay shorter than two minutes, to rebuild her confidence.

I'm not sure if this is what you mean or not, but you can practice a sit stay, then a down stay, then a heal stay in the same training session. Just make sure the training sessions aren't too long.
 
if you get your hands on Crate games DVD that is all you need to have solid stay. Most dogs don't "get it" because criteria is not clear to them thus problems. With CG criteria very clear to the dog and presented in a way of game. I did not have to teach mine separately, we just played games.
I do not have Stay command per se. "Sit" means sit until released or new command given and so is "down". Those are stationary positions.
I teach heeling from Silvia Trkman DVD "Heeling is just another trick" by using perch work. Besides that is helps with rear awareness and teaches few great tricks it teaches dog that my "Hip is Magic":lol: so loose leash walk is guaranteed without trying as well- multiple benefits
 
I agree, reward is great when given WHILE she is doing the behaviour you want, it makes criteria clear. Totally agree with going back short sessions and wont get to practice breaking the stay. When releasing I don't reward with treat, because release IS the reward... Need to build more value in stay, therefore treats :)
 
Great replies...Thanks so much!!

I appreciate all of your information. I love this list :yes:

I am posting another thread in reference to puppy kindergarten. Trying to decide which one might be best. I will contrast and compare.

Happy Holiday's and thanks again,
Lisa
 
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