Before you begin the process of teaching your dog how to stay, understand that this is one of the most challenging tracks in basic canine obedience. This command requires patience and the understanding that it may take some time to master, so try not to be discouraged if it’s more challenging than you anticipated.
This command requires well-defined boundaries, so you will need to stand firm on the rules you apply and the commands you choose from the start. Any leeway can make this trick confusing for your pup, so it’s important to make sure you are ready to stand firm on what you expect of them each step of the way.
Since this trick will take a bit more time, be ready to offer your pup plenty of treats to keep them encouraged along the way. A long process can become frustrating for your pup if they don’t have even motivation to keep trying, and treats are the perfect way to keep their attention on you.
The last way to prepare for the trick ahead is to establish keywords that you’ll use to implement their stay action. Stay will, of course, tell them to remain in place, but you must then come up with a word that you will always use to release them from the stay position. For example, you can use okay, free, release, all done, etc. As long as you always use the same word, you can choose any word that fits.