How to Teach Your Puppy to Stay

A puppy's attention span is short, so you're going to need dedication and patience to teach your puppy to stay. There are two types of "Stays" you can teach your puppy--"Sit Stay" and "Down Stay." Read further to teach your puppy the "Sit Stay."

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Collar
• Leash
• Dog treats

1. Connect the leash to your puppy's collar, and position yourself next to her side.

2. Place your puppy into the "Sit" position. If your puppy is still learning how to sit, press firmly on his rear, near his tail, and tell him to "Sit."

3. Move in front of your puppy, raise an open hand and state "Stay." Be consistent with the open hand, so your puppy associates this movement with staying.

4. Begin to walk away from your puppy and continue to state "Stay." Introduce distractions to your puppy, such as having someone walk behind her, talk to someone near her or even call her name. Each time your puppy looks from your direction, state "Stay" to direct her attention back to you.

5. Return to your puppy and reward her with a treat for following your commands.

6. Repeat Steps 2 through 5 to perfect the "Sit Stay." Take frequent breaks, and stop for the day when your puppy becomes easily distracted or appears tired.

Tips & Warnings

• If your puppy moves or attempts to move during any part of the training, return to her and place her back into the "Sit" position and begin training again.
• Once you've mastered the "Sit Stay" with your puppy, move onto the "Down Stay" by following the above Steps, but substitute the "Sit" position with the "Down" position.
• Be patient with your puppy. Don't yell or hit her, because that can discourage future training.

Resources

• Puppy Pictures