The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [52]
Hey, Hey, Why Don’t You Stay?
Q My neighbor Paul has a very obedient Rottweiler named Gus. If Paul tells him to stay, Gus will sit or lie down and not move until Paul tells him it’s okay. He waits quietly while Paul picks up milk at the corner store or has a cup of coffee in a café. My big friendly mutt Moose won’t stay put for a second. Maybe I have a little bit of canine envy. How can I get Moose to behave the way Gus does?
A Sometimes we need our dogs to remain in one place until we say they can move. Teaching your dog to stay is handy when you want him not to bolt out of your house or car when you open the door or give chase when the family cat enters the room. And, as with Gus, it’s nice to have a dog who will wait quietly while you do an errand. You want Moose to realize that if he stays in one spot until you say otherwise, he will be safe. He learns that even if you disappear from view into a store, you will always return (with praise for his good behavior, of course!) for him.
You can teach Moose to stay on cue, but don’t expect overnight success. First of all, he should know sit and down before beginning on this more complicated behavior. As you teach Moose to stay, keep the training sessions short and fun and always end on a good note. If Moose seems to struggle a bit, don’t move forward until he consistently succeeds in the earlier steps.
Mastering the stay command involves duration, distance, and distractions. At first, expect Moose to stay for just a moment while you stand next to him and there is nothing else going on around you. Put him on a long leash so you can control him if he tries to move. Your goal is to gradually expand the length of time Moose complies and the distance between the two of you. The final element involves Moose staying put despite distractions like other dogs or squirrels.
In training a dog, you need eye contact and undivided attention from him. First, teach Moose the watch me cue by saying his name and telling him watch me as you take a small food treat and move it toward the side of your eye. The goal is to get him to watch the treat move. When he does, hand over the treat. This teaches him to focus on you.
BREED BYTE
During the Middle Ages in Germany, butchers traveling to buy livestock would fasten their moneybags around the muscular necks of their Rottweilers to dissuade would-be thieves.
Next, put him in a down or sit position. Wait a second or two before you say stay! as you use your hand in a motion like a traffic cop halting oncoming cars and then reward with a treat. Gradually delay the reward to teach your dog that he is to stay put. With each successful stay, slowly extend the time before you reward from two to five to ten seconds and on up to a minute. If Moose should get up and move before the designated time, do not give a treat. Do not punish him, either — just return him to his original position and tell him to stay again.
When you are ready to have Moose move, give him a specific release word and hand signal. I use the word okay with a sweeping motion of my open-palmed hand. You could say we’re done or release — any term you will remember easily.
When Moose is consistantly solid for a minute, add the distance element by putting Moose in a stay and moving about five feet away while he is still on a leash. Reward him for staying until you return to him. Slowly build on his success by dropping the leash and expanding the distance between you. As he learns, add to the difficulty by walking behind him and moving around him. Again, if he breaks from his stay, just return him to position and start again.
The final step is to introduce distractions.