How to Teach a Dog to Stay

Teaching a dog to stay can be lifesaving. For example, it can prevent your dog from dashing out the door, car, or yard gate and into a dangerous environment. But without practice, your dog might not have this skill when it truly matters. Follow these instructions to train your dog to stay. It’s helpful to start with teaching the dog to lie down if they don’t already know that cue because it will be more comfortable for them to practice stay from a down position.

How to train your dog to lie down

If your dog doesn’t know “down,” here’s how to teach this basic cue. Start with the dog sitting in front of you. Hold a treat near their face, and then move the treat down toward the floor. Wait a moment, holding the treat close to the dog’s body, and then move the treat slowly away from the dog.  

Be patient with this exercise; it might not work perfectly the first time. If the dog gets up instead of lying down, try again. Once the dog lies down, praise and treat them.

When the dog is consistently doing a “down,” add a verbal cue (e.g., “down”) when the dog is lying down. If you start giving the cue before the animal is doing the behavior, the dog won’t clearly associate the cue with the behavior. Instead, get the behavior first, and then start giving the cue while the dog performs the behavior.  

Gradually move the cue back in time until you are giving it before the behavior. If done correctly, this is an easy way for the animal to learn that a particular verbal cue is associated with a particular behavior.

Steps to teach your dog to stay

Prepare yourself for the lesson with pea-sized treats and/or a favorite dog toy tucked in your pocket. Select a place with few distractions. It can be ideal to provide a mat for your dog to lie on, which can help them understand that is their place on which they must stay.

Follow these general steps to train your dog to stay:

1. First, have your dog lie down (on the mat if you're using one).
2. Put one hand out toward the dog, and say “stay.” Give a treat quickly before the dog moves. If they then get excited and stand up, have them lie down again and repeat. Say “stay” and give a treat quickly, so your dog gets the idea that the treat is given only when they’re lying down.
3. Then, start lengthening the time before you treat your dog. You also can start using a release word (e.g., “release”) to indicate that the dog may move.  
4. Once your dog is waiting consistently in a “down,” move one step away before stepping back and giving them the treat. Use small steps for best results, and gradually increase the number of steps back until you have your dog waiting for a treat while you leave the room and return. 
   
   

If your dog is high energy or easily bored, you can start the lessons with a tether on them, so they can't move away. If you start with a tether, remove it once you have a brief “stay.” If your dog needs many lessons with the tether before they have the self-control necessary to do a “stay,” don’t worry. Some dogs need more time to get the idea.

Remember to keep all learning as fun as possible. Use a happy tone, be patient, and keep lessons short and frequent.