How to Train Your Dog to Sit and Stay
Training your dog to sit and stay is a way of teaching him obedience. It can be a hard trick to master, especially if his temperament dictates plenty of mischief. Nevertheless, with lots of patience, words of affirmation, and doggy treats, he will be sitting and not bolt in no time.
For your dog to learn how to sit and stay, he has to be trained in the right environment. You also have to put his personality into account and let him learn at his own pace. Also, dogs learn faster when they are young, so don’t wait too long. Without further ado, here is how you train your dog to sit and stay.
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Reduce distractions
A place with fewer distractions is perfect for training a pup to sit and stay. Distractions could be anything from his favorite human to a favorite toy. For the training to go as planned, you need him to give you his full attention.
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Ensure he has not eaten
Always train him on a hungry stomach. Why? It is enough motivation to have him looking forward to the training treats. And treats are a great motivation to get him to do your bidding.
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Have treats ready
There are two types of treats you need to have in hand. One is a primary doggy treat he likes so much and will do anything for. The second treat, also the secondary doggy treat, could be a squeaky ball he likes to chew on. What you are teaching him here is that the best rewards come when he obeys.
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Teaching him to sit
How fast your pooch learns to sit and stay depends on his intelligence and temperament. Dogs with a mischievous or stubborn attitude may take longer to learn a new trick. Moreover, if your pooch has a fragile ego, you will have to train him at his own pace too.
So for day one, just teach him how to sit. When he does it right, reward him with a doggy treat. Repeat this process again after a few minutes or hours and reward him with a treat. Soon he will learn to consider sitting as an act of obedience towards his master. An action that earns him the prized reward every time.
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Teaching him to stay
Training your dog to stay involves letting him hold the sitting position longer. Immediately he sits down, hold out on the doggy treat while repeating the word ‘stay’. If he does not budge from his position, reward him the doggy treat.
Your next task is to make him ‘stay’ a while longer. If he does it for 5 seconds reward him with a doggy treat. If he does it for 10 seconds the next session, reward him with a treat. Continue doing this until he is able to ‘stay’ for as long as you wish.
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Add a distraction
Here you are trying to see if your pooch has truly learned to be obedient to your command. Make him sit and stay when his favorite toy is nearby or a favorite family member. Another great trick is to have him sit and stay while serving him his meal. Move away from the bowl while repeating the word ‘stay’ to him. If he does not give in to the temptation, the training was successful.
Conclusion
These six tips should help you train your dog to sit and stay. Remember, every dog is different so you may have to customize the training to suit his intelligence and temperament. Above all, be patient with your pooch and always reward him when he obeys.
