How to Teach an Agility Dog a Start Line Stay
In agility, the dog has to have a solid start line stay. This means the dog must wait at the start of the course until the handler is in position and the judge has given the go-ahead to run. Some dogs are so eager they have a hard time staying in place, but there are fun ways to teach them to stay. The trick is to make it a rewarding game.
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Instructions
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Teach an Agility Dog a Start Line Stay With a Toy
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Use a tug to reinforce start line stays and build drive for racing out from the start line. First, get your dog excited about playing tug of war with one of her favorite toys. Play with her a little bit to get her going.
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Sit your dog. Don't tell her to stay, just tell her to sit. To start out with a beginner dog, have her sit next to you for just a few seconds, then give your OK command and let her grab the toy. Play a brief, energetic game with her and repeat the exercise. At this point you are teaching her that if she can stay put for just a few seconds, her reward on your OK command is to jump forward and play. If she breaks the stay before you give the OK command, simply sit her again without any correction and repeat. She may only be able to stay for a second or 2 at first but that's OK, you will increase the duration as she gets more proficient.
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Gradually increase both time and distance. Once your dog is able to sit at your side until you give the OK command, start stepping away from her. Start out with a single step forward and if she breaks the stay, just reposition her and try again. Keep your interaction with her low key except when she gets the emphatic OK to run forward and play with you.
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Escalate the difficulty until she will stay as you move away for 20 or 30 feet. With short daily sessions, most dogs get this in a week or so and it's a fun game for them.
Teach an Agility Dog a Start Line Stay With Treats
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Train with treats as well as with the toy. You can alternate these exercises because most dogs will find them equally rewarding. Start a beginner dog sitting next to you while telling him to sit. Give plenty of very small treats as long as he is sitting in one spot.
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Take one step away from your dog. If he stays, step back and give a treat and praise. Take another step forward and give the OK command, while running forward. Give him another treat, more praise and repeat the exercise.
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Again, gradually increase both time and distance. As long as your dog is sitting in one place, practice walking forward then walking back and rewarding him for staying, and walking forward again before giving the OK. Make the release enthusiastic and rewarding.
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Tips & Warnings
Some dogs are more toy motivated, some more food motivated so use what your dog loves the most as reward for teaching a start line stay.
Keep training sessions short and high intensity. Between 5 and 10 minutes is a good goal to shoot for.
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