How to teach sit and stay?

To teach a dog to stay, ask your dog to lie down. Give your dog a hand signal - for example, a stop sign with the palm of your hand facing your dog. Say 'stay' and then give it to them. It's important to reward your dog while they're still lying down, and not if they've got back up. You can also teach your dog to stay in a 'sit' position. Follow the steps above, but start by asking your dog to sit. Practise this many times in short but regular sessions, gradually increasing the length of time your dog stays in the down position. Start by only taking one step back before giving them the reward, and then slowly and gradually increase the distance. Practise in lots of different places - around the house, in the garden, at a friend's house and in the local park.

With your dog in a standing position, hold a tasty treat near their nose. Keeping the treat near your dog's nose, move your hand in an arc over his head. As the dog raises his head to follow the treat, his bottom will go on the floor. The instant he sits, praise him and give him the treat. You can now add the cue word 'sit' as he goes to sit. Be careful not to say it before your dog moves into position or they may associate it with the wrong movement. Practice this a number of times in short but regular sessions.

To start teaching a dog to stay, choose a quiet location that is familiar to your dog. You also want to make sure that your dog is calm when you start this training. If your dog is naturally energetic, you may want to try after they’ve been for a walk. You can teach a dog to stay from any starting position, a sit, down, or stand but you do need to have taught them that first. Choose whichever position they find most comfortable. Ask your dog to get into your chosen starting position and praise them for it. Then, give your dog the verbal cue ‘Stay’, followed by a clear hand signal. Holding your hand up with a flat palm facing away from you works well. Take the hand signal away, and quickly reward your dog before they move. Now, you’re going to repeat the same steps, but this time, as you remove your hand signal, break eye contact by looking away from your dog. Then, reward them as before. Next, you want to start to build up the amount of time that your dog can stay before you reward them. As a general rule of thumb, you want your dog to stay successfully 5 times in a row before increasing the time. Next, you can start to put distance between you and your dog while they stay. You will want to make sure your dog can stay for a good minute or two before you progress to this. Each time you ask for a stay, take a step away from your dog, and then return to them to reward them. Once you can move around your dog freely while they remain in a stay, see if you can quickly pop out of sight and then come back to reward them.

Set your dog up for success by starting your training in a quiet, familiar place like your home or garden. The fewer distractions, the better. Ask your pup to sit, or lie down if they find this more comfortable. Reward them with a treat immediately. Wait for a second, ask your dog to sit again and wait one second before rewarding them with a treat. Then encourage them to move about and have a brief break, before repeating. Now you can add the word “stay”, ask your dog to sit, then say “stay” and wait five seconds before rewarding them with a treat. Always return to your dog before you reward them. Your dog should feel that the position they are staying in is really rewarding, as it always results in you returning and giving them a treat. Gradually continue to build up the time that your dog stays sitting still. Start to move away from your dog, ask your dog to sit and “stay”, just lean slightly to the side, away from them, to get them used to you moving your body away from them.