Jacqueline Soccodato has had an amazing agility career with her rescued All American Dog, Buster, including earning three MACHs and two PACHS; making the finals of the Westminster Kennel Club Master Agility Championship; & being at the top of the rankings for All Americans. She competes with her new All American, Champ, on League teams at Port Chester Obedience Training Club in New York. She shares a great tip on teaching “Stay.”
Teaching the dog to “Stay” is probably the most useful ‘trick’ my dogs know. In agility, having a start-line stay is crucial in many courses. Confidently knowing that when you place your dog at the start-line in a ‘sit’ and that he won’t break is key, allowing the handler to position themself correctly on the course. This tip is also helpful outside of agility and can be used at feeding time, when teaching your dog to wait their turn, and it’s very helpful when taking cute photos of your pup!
Teaching the dog to “Stay”
- Put the dog in a down position (easier to teach when the dog is in a relaxed position)
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- Throw treat and click when the head/nose goes down
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- Add in verbal cue- “good stay”
- Start to step off when you reward, still using verbal cue, clicker and treat
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- The treat is given for the dog’s position to stay and not to come to you
- Next, change your position, moving around the dog still clicking, feeding and giving the verbal cue
- Once the dog is staying and won’t leave, then release them with a verbal cue –“Okay”
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- If the dog doesn’t move, then drop the food and click when they come to you
- Repeat multiple times
The post Training Tip: Get a Start Line Stay that Works appeared first on American Kennel Club.