Stay Proofing

Crawling, jumping and clapping are all likely to make your dog break a stay, so proof for them.  Occasionally give a new position command, to make sure they’re still listening to you.

Proofing your dog’s stay is a never ending process, but you want to start as simply as possible.

Walking around, skipping, getting down on the ground; all of these things will tempt a dog to break their stay.  Practice with your dog or they won’t stand a chance.

If you want your dog’s stays to be reliable, you need to practice them.  Slowly introduce distance and distractions to test your dog’s stays.  Pay constant attention and use lots of feedback to keep them in position.

A loose piece of food makes a powerful challenge to your dog’s stay, assuming they already know the “Off” command of course.

Sitting is a less stable position than lying down, so you’ll need to pay even more attention to your dog’s body cues when you’re proofing their stays.

Slowly build up more distractions, duration & distance.  Make sure they understand that their stay continues even if you’re moving around, or petting another dog.

As your dog gets the hand of staying, you can phase out the running commentary and introduce more silly behavior.  Go slowly and increase the challenge a little bit at a time to maintain the momentum of success.

Stand stay can be very challenging, but practicing it will do wonders for your dog’s overall obedience.

When it comes to a solid sit-stay, practice makes perfect, and the park is a great place to practice.