Kroki

Question · Dog

How do I teach my dog to stay?

The short answer

Ask for a sit or down, wait a few seconds, walk back if you stepped away, reward while your dog is still in position, then release with “Free!”. Make the stay harder in only one way at a time: longer, further away or with more going on around it. When you raise one, make the other two easy again. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs of all ages, teaches the first step: a short wait of about five seconds, released with “Free!”.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Pick the position and the release word

    Most adult dogs hold a down longer and more comfortably than a sit, especially older dogs. Put a mat down if the floor is hard or cold. Decide on one release word, such as “Free!”, and use it to end every stay.

  2. Build duration first

    Ask for the position, say “Stay” once, wait three seconds, then mark with “Top!”, reward in position and release. Add a few seconds each round, and mix in short, easy ones. Grown dogs often reach thirty seconds within a few sessions.

  3. Then build distance, with duration short again

    Go back to a few seconds. Take one step back, return, reward, release. Then two steps, then three. Always walk back to your dog to reward, so it learns that staying put brings the treat to it.

  4. Then add distractions, close and short

    Stand next to your dog with a short stay and add one distraction: a bounce on your toes, a dropped glove, a door opening. Start small and grow slowly. If your dog breaks the stay, make the next try easier rather than repeating the same one.

  5. Combine the three slowly

    Once each part is solid on its own, combine two at a modest level, for example ten seconds at three steps. Only later try longer stays with you further away and real life going on around your dog.

  6. Take the stay to new places

    Practise in the garden, on a quiet path, outside a shop. Each new place counts as a distraction, so go back to short, close stays for the first tries there. Bring the mat for downs on cold or wet ground.

Teaching a young puppy instead?

A puppy between eight weeks and six months starts with a wait of just one to five seconds, with you right in front of it, in sessions of a minute or two. Long stays and stays out of sight can wait until it is older. The puppy page shows how to teach the release word and the first seconds.

What research says about teaching adult dogs to stay

Stay asks a dog to stay calm while you move away, so how it feels during training matters. A study of companion dogs at training schools found that dogs trained with aversive methods showed more stress behaviours, larger rises in the stress hormone cortisol after class and more pessimistic responses in a later test than dogs trained with rewards (Vieira de Castro and colleagues 2020). Schools were compared rather than dogs assigned at random, so the study shows a link, not proof of cause.

Older dogs can still learn longer stays. In a study of 95 Border Collies, older dogs took longer to learn a new task, but age had no effect on how well they remembered it (Wallis and colleagues 2016). A senior dog may need more short sessions to build a stay, and it keeps what it learns.

Think about what you pay with, too. Dogs stayed close to a person for much longer when that person stroked them than when the person only praised them; praise alone drew them no closer than no attention (Feuerbacher and Wynne 2015). During a long down-stay, a treat placed between the paws or a calm stroke when you walk back tells your dog more than “good stay” from across the room.

When a grown dog keeps breaking the stay

  • It gets up when you turn your back: you raised distance and difficulty together. Face your dog again for a few rounds, then turn only half away.
  • It creeps forward: you are probably staying away too long. Shorten the time and walk back sooner, before it starts to move.
  • It breaks the stay to come to you: it may have been called out of stays before, so it expects a recall. Always walk back to release for a few weeks, and practise recall separately.
  • It is a rescue dog that follows you everywhere: it may feel uneasy when you step away. Keep stays very short and close, and seek help if it seems distressed.

Common mistakes

  • Raising time, distance and distractions all in one session. Change one thing, keep the others easy.
  • Rewarding after the release instead of during the stay. The treat then pays for getting up.
  • Saying “Stay” again and again while backing away. One cue is enough; your returning reward does the rest.
  • Asking for long sits on hard or cold ground. Many grown dogs fidget because they are uncomfortable, not because they don’t understand.

When to see a professional

Stay is a calm exercise. Talk to a professional if:

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a grown dog be able to stay?

There is no fixed number: build up slowly from a few seconds to what you need in daily life, often one to a few minutes. Increase the time only when your dog holds the current length easily.

Should I use a down or a sit for long stays?

A down is usually better for long stays because it is more comfortable, especially for older dogs. Use a mat on cold or hard floors.

Why does my dog break the stay when I walk away?

Moving away is a big jump in difficulty, and many dogs expect to be called. Shorten the time while you build distance, and walk back to reward instead of calling your dog to you.

Can I call my dog out of a stay?

Not while you are still teaching the stay, because your dog starts to break it in anticipation. Once the stay is solid, you can mix in occasional recalls, but most stays should still end with you walking back.

How do I teach an older dog to stay?

Teach an older dog to stay in a down on a soft mat, with short sessions and plenty of rest. Older dogs may learn more slowly, but they keep what they learn.

How do I teach my dog to stay when someone rings the doorbell?

Practise the stay at the door first without visitors, then with a pretend knock, and only later with real guests. Reward often in position and use a lead or a gate as back-up at first.

Is “stay” the same as “wait”?

Many owners use “wait” for a short pause, such as at a door, and “stay” for holding a position until released. Choose what suits you and use each word the same way every time.

Sources