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Stay

Brandon McMillan

Lesson time 16:25 min

Stay is a skill that saves lives and is worth every moment spent teaching it.

Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars

Topics include: Part 1: The Cornered Stay · Part 2: Flat Wall · Part 3: Orbiting · Part 4: Adding Distractions

Preview

[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING] [00:00:14.43] - The stay I teach right here-- I call it the cornered stay. And I call it the corner to stay because we start it in a corner. You can see I'm starting it in a yard. You can do it in the corner of a house. Anywhere where you find that 90-degree angle, that's where you want to start your stay. And as always, you want to train with a leash. [00:00:31.73] So the first step in the process is you put your dog's butt in the corner. Now, right here they should have a sit command that's going to make your stay much better. The sit is a good transition command to other things. [00:00:43.30] Now, the question becomes, why is the dog in the corner? If you try to teach a stay in an open field, there are eight possible directions that dog could run. You put the dog in a corner, there are only three directions to run, because the whole entire backside of the dog is being blocked off. Physically they cannot run that direction. [00:01:02.44] You stand right in front of the dog, now the dog only has two directions to run. If you use your hands as blocks, now the dog has no directions to run. All you're technically doing is teaching your dog the less they move, the quicker they get paid. [00:01:17.64] From here all you want to do is have them stay just for a couple seconds. They're not moving, quickly pay them. And then you want to back off another foot, say the word "stay." Once you get about 5 or 6 feet away, your hands can't block the dog. And this is why it's very important to make sure you don't move on until you know the dog is rock solid when you're just a few feet away. [00:01:37.83] Once you back up to the point where the dog knows they can dart on you, they will take the opportunity. Don't give up. It's going to happen. It happens to the best of us. It still happens to me every day. This is why we repeat the process over and over-- remember, technique and conditioning. [00:01:53.22] I want you to spend a good two to three days in that corner perfecting it. While you're still training the dog in the corner, you're not going to back up further than 6 feet, because this way you still have the leash in your hand, just in case the dog decides to run on you. You want to work very slow, and you also want to make sure that you tell your dog to stay. Don't ask them. [00:02:11.64] What I mean when I say this is you don't want to say, "stay?" That sounds like you're giving the dog an option, OK? If you're asking the dog to stay, if you're giving the dog the option, I promise you, they will take the option you do not want. [00:02:25.47] You want to make sure your stay is firm, and on a very flat note. So it's a "Stay." Now, again, don't move too fast here. So you're probably going to spend another two, three days on the flat wall. Once your dog has mastered the flat wall, that's when you can do the final piece of the puzzle and bring them out into the open. [00:02:43.27] [MUSIC PLAYING] [00:02:56.50] OK, come he...

About the Instructor

The Emmy-winning host of "Lucky Dog", Brandon McMillan is an expert trainer dedicated to building relationships between humans and animals. In his MasterClass, Brandon shares his simple, effective training system to help you develop trust and control with your dog. From using commands like sit, stay, and down to fixing barking and digging, you’ll learn how to improve your dog’s behavior—and create a lifelong bond.

Featured MasterClass Instructor

Brandon McMillan

Expert animal trainer Brandon McMillan teaches you his simple, effective training system to build trust and control with your dog.

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