No More Runaways: How to Help Your Dog Stay Close
Do you want your dog to sit, lie down, or stand? Most people use the "Stay" command for this. For us humans, this is clear and seems to say exactly what we need: "Wait here until we can continue!"
Especially in everyday life, it helps if your dog can wait longer and does not run off at the first opportunity. For example, if you are in the car and he should not get out immediately, or if you want to pick up his mess on your walks without him suddenly pulling you along. The last situation is particularly good for practicing staying with your dog, because it teaches him: "I am supposed to wait here, even if my human is distracted." However, this only works if your furry friend does not decide to end the training session on his own.
In this post, I will show you how to avoid this and how staying – without the "Stay" signal – can be achieved.
The key to success: the "release signal."
Follow every command you give your dog with a release signal. Signals like "Free" or "Run" show your dog that an exercise is over and he is allowed to go. This eliminates the need for a separate "Stay" command, as the instruction is clear to your dog. No release signal means "I'll continue doing what I was told (stay) "—like "sit" or "stay." This makes it much clearer for your dog how long he is expected to follow a command.
The release signal makes it much easier for your dog to understand what you want. It always means: The exercise is over and I can go again!
Staying without shelter. The "stay" command, however, can mean very different things to your dog. Sometimes it means "stay seated," sometimes "stay standing or lying down," or sometimes simply "no matter what you do, just stay where you are." That would be the same as if someone shouted "Run!" at you. However, sometimes it means tiny steps, sometimes a sprint, or a three-hour run.
You have an idea of what it might be, but you do not know for sure, and that slows learning. Your dog feels the same way. He has to figure out which "stay" command you mean today, and if he guesses wrong, he gets scolded. This is not only unfair, but also detrimental to your bond and his willingness to learn.
However, be careful: As with all training exercises, consistency is key when it comes to staying and releasing commands, and consistency means giving your dog a framework that always applies and that he can rely on. This gives him security and helps him understand what you actually want from him. If the sequence of an exercise is clear to him, he can concentrate fully on it and does not have to figure out the rules first.
Conclusion: Stay in everyday life and training
This is especially important in everyday life: Imagine you have visitors at the door and do not want your dog to greet them too enthusiastically. Or perhaps you need to wait on walks until distractions subside, or put your dog down so you can quickly run some errands? You can handle all these situations stress-free with your dog if he follows your commands for as long as you want. To make this work, you should avoid using the "Stay" command and instead introduce a release signal. It is much easier for your dog to understand because he knows exactly what it means. He no longer has to guess when a training session is over and can rely on you to signal the end, especially if you use the release signal consistently. If staying works well in everyday life, you can easily integrate it into your (dummy) training later on. A release signal provides more security for both of you and makes everyday life easier, as well as your training sessions.