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Teaching A Dog To Stay Is Crucial For His Safety

submitted: Jul 30th 2008 | by: LeeDobbins. | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 731 | |

Dogs have a great knack for teaching their teachers. Aside from making us wave hands and shout strange words, we often fetch treats and go after tennis balls. While this might seem funny, it really is in our pets best interest that they learn some basic commands and teaching a dog to stay is vital for his safety.

If your dog is misbehaving, the best solution is to assert your alpha status. There are several methods to do this, but one of the most common is frequently telling your dog to "stay." When you give your dog the command to "stay," they should not move even when you do. Unfortunately, this is the opposite of what usually happens when this command is said.

First, teach the dog to 'sit' on command utilizing the word and hand signals. I snap my fingers while flipping my extended index finger at a downward angle toward the ground at the same time. This attracts the dog's attention without impeding my hands with a clicker. It also indicates the correct direction for the dog's rear. Astonishingly, it works quite well.

When the dog is in the "sit" position, hold your palm and fingers up and firmly say "Stay". Do not raise your voice any higher than needed to be heard by the dog. Make sure the "Stay" hand signal is not similar to any others you may use with the dog.

The dog tends to follow, so repeat the hand motions to sit and stay. If the dog does not comply, take a toy or treat and move it over the dog's head and slightly behind the eyes--still visible but in a way that forces the chin up. Some dogs will turn around. Repeat this until you obtain correct behavior, then praise. Now try it again.

Teaching a dog to stay is a progressive process for your dog. When your dog will "stay" while you take one step back, begin taking two steps back. Increase that to four steps, then eight steps. Be aware that the further you move from your dog, the less likely your dog is to remain in one place. Your dog will want to move closer to you as he sees you as the alpha of his pack, and dogs instinctively follow their leader.

One technique for getting past this is to strap the dog to a collar and long leash or rope. Wrap the leash around a tree or post several feet behind the dog and hold it as you face him or her. As the dog stands and steps forward, pull the rope and use the voice command and hand gesture. Don't tug so hard that you throw the dog out of balance. Your purpose is to restrain, not punish the dog. A partner can be used instead of a tree, but only as a secondary choice because dogs might get confused about which person to obey.

Many dogs will want to lie down during the procedure, even more so as you get farther away from them. It might be helpful to teach 'up' and 'sit' in tandem before moving onto teaching your dog to 'stay'. It varies by breed and individual personality how many times you will have to repeat the exercise over what time period, but don't worry. Every dog learns to stay in time.

Have your dog stay for several seconds. Once this has been completed, tell your dog to "come" using a different tone and a unique hand gesture. Make sure that the gesture for "come" is something that you will be able to do without difficulty but that you will never accidentally do during everyday activities. Any gestures that you use for commands should be unique for each type of behavior you are looking for and should just be used when seeking these behaviors from your dog.

Remember, teaching a dog to stay is a basic core component of his training so be sure to heap praise on your dog when he listens, and with every successive try let the 'stay' last a little longer than last time. You'll know when you've reached the end of your training when you can go inside and be completely out of sight and your dog will still 'stay'. After one minute, though, give your dog the OK to move freely.

Tags: teaching a dog to stay , pets , dogs , animals , home , pet , Pets

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