Perhaps one of the most liberating skills a dog can learn is to perform an extended stay. A dog that can calmly remain in a specific location for an extended period of time, and be OK with it, is a dog that will be accepted into environments and situations in which others dogs would not. Many dogs are confused unintentionally by their owners, about the difference between waiting and staying, which complicates the training process.

The best way for you to understand how your dog learns the concept of being purposefully immobile is to consider how it manifests in your own life.

First ingredient:

Say, for example, you are waiting to cross the street and watching traffic, or standing in line at Sweetwaters waiting for your cappuccino. Although you are not moving by choice, you are anticipative of the next action. By the same token, if you are lying in a MRI machine, getting a life portrait drawn or trapped in an airport terminal due to a blizzard, you know that you are staying put for a while and might as well get settled with it. In order to train a dog to an extended stay, you first need to address the distinction between “waiting with anticipation” and “staying for a while,” as each promote a different mindset.

Many people make the innocent mistake of using a certain cue/body language/hand signal to indicate stay with regard to a short pause before something else happens, like, “We'll go out after I put my boots on,” or “Your food is almost ready,” and in turn, use the same cue when they want the dog to remain in a specific location for an extended duration of time. This confuses the dog.

A logical solution is to have a cue that indicates the utility need for waiting — while I lock the door, tie my shoe or pick up your poop. Then, use a separate cue to indicate those situations when the dog will be staying for an extended period of time. This provides clarity, and is fair to the dog.

I use “wait” with an outward palm extended to the dog when I want her to pause momentarily before something else happens. I say “stay” with a horizontal hand sweep when I want her to remain on a specific location for an extended time frame. It doesn't really matter what cues you use, as long as you are consistent and make an understandable distinction.

Second ingredient:

When expecting a dog to perform an extended stay, it is a good idea to have her lying down first, as this is the least demanding position from an energy standpoint. You want her to settle into this arrangement. And, if during the formative training sessions you physically depart from your dog too soon, you may invite her to test the limits by getting up to see if it is possible. Of course it is!

Too many repetitions of your dog breaking the stay will result in a skewed interpretation of the command and very possibly get her thinking that stay is something you reiterate/reinforce over and over again.

To avoid sending your dog the message that stay is a short term and constantly reinforced directive, it is helpful to attend to her physically during the initial learning phase. I do this by practicing the down and extended stay while I am able to be stationary myself, at first. It works like this:

After my trainee has had ample exercise, water and opportunity to eliminate, I direct her to lay down in a comfortable place, followed with a verbal “stay” and a hand sweep over the head. I have a leash attached which I step on and bring the remaining length up to my knee. Then, leaving slack in the leash I sit down to read, watch a movie, or check e-mail. With this arrangement if the dog attempts to break the stay, I can calmly and gently re-direct her into position by pulling up on the leash and placing my hand between the shoulder blades, easing her back down before she has reached a full standing position. “Stay.”

Third ingredient:

Finally, I set a reasonable time limit based on the the dog's ability and increase the time incrementally with each session. I release the dog by saying her name followed with an exuberant “up,” not to be confused with anything else (“OK” is too frequently used in conversation and can inadvertently be mistaken for a release) and provide praise for a job well done.

I practice in this way multiple times to make sure that my student understands the basic principle of stay before progressing to performing the task unattended. I evolve the next phase in similar fashion by moving away for short spells at first and again increasing the duration incrementally.

Teaching the extended stay can be a great bonding experience for you and your dog! Staying is never a punishment. On the contrary, a dog can learn to love the command and proudly demonstrate her self-discipline.

Remember that it is unwise or even cruel at times, to impose a down and stay on a dog who is confused or whose basic needs have not been fulfilled. Teaching the routine will be much more rewarding if you and dog are in the proper frame of mind. I generally don't teach an extended stay until a pup is at least 10 months old

Take it slow and steady; then, when your dog has perfected the skill, reward him or her by showing off at the family reunion!

John Spieser is a professional dog trainer and owner of Dogheart. He can be reached at john@doghearta2.com.