For safety reasons, teaching your dog to Stay and Come are probably the two most important commands. There are many hazards to a loose dogs: cars, animals, bridges, horses, water.
Despite how meticulous you are or how many dog training classes your take your pup to, there is always a chance your dog can get loose from a leash or escape the backyard. A dog that knows how to ‘Stay’ and ‘Come’ on command reduces their risk from potential hazards tenfold.
I can attest the importance of these commands because of personal experience: a few months back, my girlfriend’s new dog escaped from the leash while I was walking him. I hadn’t taught him any commands yet, and he ran straight into a busy street. Cars swerved and screeched to avoid the dog, and me as I chased after him. Eventually I caught up with him, but not without a big scare. Needless to say, I trained this dog how to Stay and Come right away and it has not happened again.
You should start off with ‘Stay’. You can use other words like ‘Halt’ or ‘Stop’ if you prefer.
The first step is to put your dog on a leash and bring him to a quiet enclosed area like your backyard. It’s important not to have distractions here. They should already know how to sit. So, make them sit, and stand on one side of them.
Next, while holding the leash say ‘Stay’ loudly. You can hold your hand out to them if you want. Slowly walk to the other side of them. This usually works on the first try. If he gets up, tell him to sit again and repeat.
When you get to the other side of your dog, give him a treat. Do this a few times until he gets used to you moving around him without following you. At this point, I usually put the leash on the ground or take it off all together. Repeat the first step without the leash.
Next, try to walk all the way around your dog after commanding ‘Stay’. After that, you can take a step or two back, and then walk up to him and give him a treat. Eventually, you will be able to walk all around the yard without your dog moving. If he gets up or runs off, then try again until he obeys you every time.
In most real-life situations, there will be a lot of distractions, so it is good to also train your dog with distractions around. You can get a friend to stand on an opposite corner of your yard and play with a ball, or put out a bowl of food nearby. Repeat the steps until your dog stays despite the commotion around him.
After you dog has mastered ‘Stay’, you should teach him ‘Come’. Have your dog sit and stay, then walk a few steps backwards. Facing your dog, hold out a treat and say ‘Come’. Wait for him to come as he almost certainly will. Then give him the treat.
Do this at varying distances and with different time intervals in between. Try it from 2 feet, 5 feet, 20, feet away. Wait 5, 10, 15 seconds between attempts so that your dog has to wait for your command before he reacts. If he comes before you call, do not give him food, but return him to his starting place and try again. He will catch on quickly.
Try this with distractions in the same manner as before. With these tricks well established, you can rest more soundly knowing that even if your dog gets away from you, he will obey your commands to stay and come rather than running across the freeway if he gets loose. It’s always good to know that your dog will listen to you in an emergency!
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