Stay with distractions
Prerequisites: All Basic Obedience Skills, Stay
Initially, start small: A few steps here & there. Jumping up and down. Kneeling in
front of your dog. If the dog excels at this, I hereby give you permission to stop
just short of cruelty with the distractions you offer during the sit-stay exercises!
Throw balls, let other dogs run by, introduce cats, throw treats, run the vacuum cleaner,
open and close doors, flip some burgers on the grill…anything you can think of that does not actually 'call' the dog
away from the position.
Once you can circle your dog without it breaking the stay, begin a new pattern: Each time you return to the dog,
circle it closely in a counter clockwise direction (passing the dog's right, going behind it, and ending up in the heel
position).
Finally…remember to stay within 6 ft. of the dog and keep the leash on for quick corrections if the dog breaks.
Do NOT repeat the sit or stay commands!
Practice the above exercises each day until you have 10 refusals to break with each
distraction (10 uncorrected stays).
SNEAK PEEK:
Your next session will be your exam for Level I. No need for test anxiety! You can take the test as many times as
you need to pass. (The first 2 tests are free. Further tests are $45/test.)
If you pass your test and choose to move on to Level 2, the stay exercises will get more challenging for you and your
dog. You'll learn to teach the down-stay and stand-stay, plus you'll add distance and more distraction-proofing to all
of the stays.