STAY

keep saying... stay...stay...stay...stay...stay....stay

:)

Use your hand also. =; =; =; =;

"kadejones2" wrote:how do you teach a dog to stay she has the sit part down but not the stay

That's probably one of the most difficult commands to teach. I use the command "sit" and that's about it. Why? Because sit means sit until I tell you to do something else! Both of my dogs know what stay means, but I have obedience so drilled into their heads that stay doesn't always need to be used.

Start off slow. With your dog on a 6' lead have him sit at heel (on your left hand side). Tell your dog to sit (or sit/stay) and then walk 2 steps out from your dog and turn and face him with the lead still in your hand. If he follows you, return him to the EXACT same spot and give the command again. Keep doing this until he understands what you're trying to teach him. Baby steps!

Once your pup understands the concept, stretch it out to 4 feet dropping the lead as you walk away. Then 6 feet, then 10 feet. Just be patient and if he moves it is imperative that you put him right back in the exact same spot where you told him to sit/stay. Be nice about it. You want to build trust and while you're teaching a new concept punishment only works against you.

Eventually you'll be able to leave the room and come back to your dog sitting right where you left him. It takes time and trust. Once your pup figures out that you will always come back, he'll trust you and do what you taught him to do. Patience is the key.

Here's another fun one. If you've taught your pup to heel, sit him down at heel and tell him to sit/stay. With the lead in your left hand step out in front of him and turn and face him. Give a slight tug on the lead and use the command "heel". As your pup steps towards you, take a step towards him and say "heel" again as you pull him towards your left leg with the lead as he passes you. He will turn and as soon as he is in the heel position you stop and command "sit" and your dog will now be sitting with his left shoulder next to your left leg. Make sense? Keep doing that until you can stand in front of your dog and say heel and he spins and sits next to your left leg.

If that sounds confusing but it's something you would like to teach your pup, let me know. I'll take some video of it and post it for you to watch. It's actually pretty cool to see and easier to teach if you've seen it done. I taught my dogs in one day.

What that leads up to is being able to send your dog on a retrieve and have him come running up to you, spin and sit next to you with a bird in his mouth without having to say anything. Then you simply reach down, put your hand under the bird and command, "Drop."

I gotta tell you, I love dog training almost as much as I love hunting! It's amazing what these animals are capable of. Duck hunting and upland hunting is best shared with a dog. And having a well trained dog is a lot more fun than having to listen to someone screaming at a dog that really has no idea what you want from it.

umm yea... listen to mark jones post not mine.

Great post Mark! :thumb I don't teach stay either. Sit means sit until it's given another command. Whoa means Wgoa until it's given another command. Ect, ect, ect.

Kadejones what kind of dog are you training to do what?

"MuleyMadness" wrote:umm yea... listen to mark jones post not mine.

I hate to sound like a know-it-all, but when I see something that I have an interest in, I get a little wordy! I'm the president of the local retriever club and I train with a pro as well as a great group of dog handlers. It's what keeps me sane in the off season! Plus it keeps my dogs sharp and in shape.


Like everything else I do, I'm totally immersed in it. I'm more than just a little obsessive/compulsive with my hobbies!

Again, sorry if I come across as a know-it-all. That's not my intent.

And Brett, I know that's not what you were saying. It's just a personal observation of myself.

Mark thanks for the info. I am trying to get as much info about training right now, so that when I get my new lab in about a year I can train him.

I would love to see the spin heel video if you could post it. Again thanks for the information.

"DeadI" wrote:Mark thanks for the info. I am trying to get as much info about training right now, so that when I get my new lab in about a year I can train him.

I would love to see the spin heel video if you could post it. Again thanks for the information.

I'll put something together next week. I'll also set up a simple marking and handling scenario and tape that too. It will give you an idea of where you're heading with your pup.

You should pick up some books now and do your homework long before you get your dog. Look outside of your area if you can't find the dog you want locally. All reputable breeders will ship a pup to you and they will provide you with a WRITTEN health clearance.

Find a training group or a retriever club in your area. That was a huge help for me. There are a lot more dog groups than you could imagine. You just have to look for them.

Great information Mark. Thats what the forum is for the more you tell the more we learn. THANKS

i will try that mark thanks for the info

One suggestion on the stay command...step off with your RIGHT foot (assuming dog is on you left) as you give the stay command. When you want him to come with you (no stay command) step off with your LEFT foot. Dogs pick up on body language cues very quickly. Always keep the commands short, simple and consistent...

all right

I haven't forgotten about the video. I'll try to get home and get set up tomorrow with the camera and a dog.

I tried it and it sort of worked he figured out what sit was, becasue when I sit he sits but when I walk away he sort of scoots along the ground and when I walk back towards him to put him in the same spot he sits.

I hesitate to put anything in this post. Mark is doing a great job. But there's a simple remedy for what your dog is doing. I use it the teach whoa. Get rid of the leash and use a fairly stiff 3/8th braded rope for a leash. Tie a snap on one end with a loose bowline knot keeping the tag end inside the loop. I use one leash 6' long and one 20' long, check cord.

Use two collars to start and hook the check cord to the back collar. Use a D ring collar in front and a center ring will work on the back. (With pointing dogs I use either a choke or pinch collar on the back, a regular collar should work fine.) Tie off the other end of the check cord to something the dog can't pull. Use the 6' leash on the front collar hooked to the D ring so it's free to move. Walk your dog to the end of the check cord and have it sit. Keep it there a few moment's and walk in another direction and to the end of the check cord and sit the dog. Wait a few moment's and do it again but this time get the dog stopped and sitting at the end of the check cord and step out in front a couple steps. Here's where whoa and sit will differ. At this point I let the dog struggle just until it stands still then return and move it on again. With the sit command I believe I would give a very short count and return and move on to another spot.

What you will find is that as you start approaching the end of the check cord the dog will already be starting to sit, don't let it unless you give the command, just turn and go another direction. After a short bit, a few days, when you step in front of the dog, wait for it to just start to move and filp the short leash gently so a small wave developes in the leash. Just as that wave reaches the dog, tighten the leash and the bowline holding on the snap will bump the dog under the chin. Just as that happens, give the sit command again, softly! Within a week, you should have the dog off the leash and on the check cord and be able to stop the dog anywhere in the yard and keep it there until YOU release it. Sit means sit until it's told to do something else.

A few things to do to get yourself ready. Learn to work the check cord back and forth thru your hands smoothly and learn to time the command with the bump of the knot. Never give the command when you can't enforce it with the check cord; like when the dog is moving sideways. You don't want to start slapping the dog in the side of the face, only under the chin. Graduate to the point where your moving around the yard and switch the leash and collar position.

When you start moving around the yard, have a few stakes drove into the ground you can hook the check cord on while your moving. When you catch a stake, the dog will feel that earlier pressure from behind and sit on command. Immediately flip the cord off the stake and take up the slack so that if it moves, you can bump it with the check cord and put it back down.

About hooking the stakes. Get the dog off to one side of you when you do it, check cord the dog around to set that up, and have some slack so both you and the dog can pass the stake. Pay attention to the check cord and just befor it comes tight give your command to sit. Flip off the stake, take up the slack, make your dog sit a moment the give it a release command.

I suspect this sounds a bit complicated but it's not. Just learn to use the check cord like and extension of your arm. Then never give a command unless you are in position to enforce it.

I forgot to mention, in the end of the leash and the check cord tie a simple overhand knot to keep them from sliding thru your hands when at the end of them.