Implied Stay
When you tell a dog to sit, the stay is implied, meaning they are to remain in the sit until released or given another command.
Overview
Having your dog understand that they are to remain doing the command helps them become less impulsive and more observant instead of reactive to their environment. It also helps them stay focused and motivated.
In this lesson, we will focus on teaching this with the “Place” command. However, you can apply this with any other command where a stay is implied.
If you want to use the word “Stay” you can add it into the training, though it is not necessary. It also won’t affect the training.
Unless you are planning to compete in dog sports like agility or obedience, your stay does not have to mean, “don’t move a muscle.” Instead, it might just mean, “don’t leave this spot,” or “you can only get closer to the ground until you hear the release cue,” so that lying down during a Sit-Stay or Stand-Stay is just fine. It’s up to you what you want.
Videos
Teach Your Dog to Stay
Learn the steps in teaching the implied stay.
How to Teach the Implied Stay
Steps
By now you should be between phases 2 and 3 of your basic sit, down and place commands. We want to make sure the dog understands the verbal command clearly before proceeding. The steps below will be using “Place” as the command for the implied stay.
Start by giving your dog the “Place” command.
Mark with your continuation marker “Yes” as soon as 4 paws are on the place.
Continue to mark and reward for them staying on the place.
If they start to move off, wait until that first paw hits the ground and say your Non-Reinforcement marker “Nope” and then grab the leash and guide them back to place with leash pressure (or body pressure or your hand signal). Stay calm.
Once they are back on place, release the leash pressure, you can give them a verbal “Good” but do not mark right away. You don’t want to create a feedback loop of hopping off to hop back on to get a reward. Wait a couple seconds and then mark and reward as long as they are still on place.
Once the dog starts staying on the place happily taking your periodic rewards, take a step back. Stop. Mark and THEN move to give the dog the reward. If at any point the dog breaks the Place command say “Nope” and follow with leash pressure.
At one step back start to increase the amount of time between your continuation “Yes” marker. Vary it as well if you’ve been waiting 5 seconds, then 7, then 8, then the next one can come after 2 seconds.
Depending on the progress your dog is making you can start to walk further away and in different directions. Varying the length you wait between markers. Start by walking backwards away so you can always keep an eye on them.
Keep practicing and setting your dog up for success. If they keep breaking the stay while you walk away you need to stop walking away so far or completely. Go back in the steps and reward them for staying while you are near. You want multiple successes in a row and only a mistake every now and again, more than two mistakes and they could get frustrated or confused, show them the right way by making it easier and helping them.
Teaching the Verbal “Stay” Command
Teaching them to “Stay” on a verbal command (instead of implied) is the same steps. It’s easiest to start by luring them onto a place.
Say “Stay” then raise your hand in a ‘stop’ motion. Mark and reward them and then release with “OK”.
Do this repeatedly while slowing increasing the duration and then the distance of the stay.
Alternatively, you can also command them to “Place” or “Sit” then say “Stay” followed by your hand signal.
When a dog is in a verbal stay command (not implied) then they can choose to stand, sit, lie down, just not move out of the spot. This is why a place works well as it’s obvious when they move off of it (out of their spot) that they are wrong.
You need to always come all the way back to them to release them.
*If after you marked “Yes” and while you were on your way to deliver the treat they broke their Place then you say “Nope” again. A “Nope” can always override a positive marker. You don’t need to give them the treat that you were going to, you just need to give the Non-Reinforcement marker “Nope” and follow with guiding the dog back with the leash.
*Make sure that you fully stop moving before you mark and you don’t start moving until after you mark. Sometimes a dog will become conditioned to you walking towards them (remember physical always overshadows the verbal) as a physical marker meaning a treat is coming, which means you could be inadvertently marking wrong behaviors in your daily activities.
Non-Reinforcement Marker “Nope”
Overview
If they haven’t become conditioned to the “Nope” marker yet, this exercise will help.
You’ll know they start to understand “Nope” when after you say it they either stop or go back to their previous position. This is exactly what it means. Stop and go back to your previous position. The leash pressure (gentle pressure, this isn’t a correction) needs to follow after every “Nope” so that “Nope” predicts the pressure bringing them back to where they were and when they get there the pressure is turned off.
It should always be more rewarding to stay on the place than to try to leave. Trying to leave never works. This is where your timing and consistency really come into play. You need to time the “Nope” marker within a second of them breaking the stay, in this case it’s the paw touching the ground. Followed by leash pressure back to position (or hand signal). Then you need to be consistent and do it every time.
If you put your dog in a place-stay and then take a phone call and get distracted and your dog steps off without you noticing then you’ve just missed your chance and the dog learns that they can decide when they are done. You’ve missed your chance to correct also, if you noticed 2, 3, 10 seconds later it’s too late to correct, they’ll think you’re correcting something they were doing at that moment.
Week 1 Homework
Practice this 1-3x a day on commands your dog knows and where a stay is implied.
Ask your dog to sit or place. Here’s where you can say “Stay” and give a ‘stop’ hand signal if you want.
Reward short durations and work up to a few steps away.
Keep the 3 D’s (Duration, Distance, Distraction) as low as possible this week.
Week 2 Homework
Begin to gradually lengthen the amount of time you ask for a stay. Every dog is different so you may be at 4 second stays or 2 minute stays.
Remember if they break position simply mark “Nope” and use your body pressure moving in while giving them the hand signal to help them back into position. You can also use leash pressure.
Give them verbal praise for being back in the right spot and then continue to mark and reward for easier duration and distance so they don’t fail but instead succeed!
Week 3 Homework
Continue as before but increase the difficulty of one of the 3 D’s (Duration, Distance, Distraction) at a time.
Add in a down-stay if your dog knows the verbal “Down” at this point.
Week 4 Homework
Start to ask for stays that last longer. It depends how your dog is doing but you may be at 10-20 seconds or 5 minutes.
Continue to treat them for staying in their place, but if they are doing well, increase the time between treats.
Always be ready to mark “nope” and intervene if they break position.
It can be helpful to have them place or down next to you while you watch TV so you can reward them easily, intervene easily and work on duration while keep distance and distractions at a low level.
In separate sessions, increase the distance you and your dog, but keep the duration very short.
Be aware of the level of distraction and only ask for short easy stays if they surrounded by lots of interesting things.
Week 5 Homework…and Beyond
You will continue to help them generalize the stay and to work in more and more distracting environments.