Your Dog Doesn’t Stay? Here are 5 Reasons Why

5 Reasons Your Dog Doesn’t Stay

We all like to train our dogs to stay, however, what if they don’t? To get them to respond successfully to the “stay” command, it’s important to understand why they might not be staying in the first place. 

Let’s look at a few reasons. 

1. They Don’t Understand What You’re Asking

This is the most basic one. If they are not responding, they probably don’t understand what you want them to do. 

This could happen if you have fast-paced training sessions and your dog is having a difficult time keeping up with it. 

2. Their Impulses Reward Them with Something Better

Dogs have impulses, we all know that, right? Such impulses are specially more prominent when they are around other animals or people. 

If they get a better reward on following those impulses than the one they get when they act on the “stay” command, they will naturally pick the better reward. 

3. You’ve Never Trained with Distractions

Where do you have training sessions for your dog? In quiet environments? Then your dog probably doesn’t know how to focus on the same command when there are distractions around. 

Make sure you train your dog in a distractive environment as well so they learn to focus on your cues. This concept is also known at proofing, and it is key to a well-behaved furry friend. 

4. Your Reinforcements Aren’t Strong Enough

You should make sure that the reward you are giving to your dog on successful responses is worth the work. Use high-value training treats to encourage your dog to follow your cues. 

5. You’re Asking Them to Do Too Much

You might be using different variations of stay, or you might be moving to give a different cue if your dog doesn’t act on “stay”. This can overwhelm them as they might be unable to process a lot of cues at once. 

You might be asking them to stay for a minute when you should just ask for a 10-second stay, because they need to be able to do that first. 

Remember: Baby steps. 

What to Do When Your Dog Doesn’t Stay

If your dog isn’t staying, the most important thing to do is correct the behavior gently but as soon as possible. 

5 Ways to Get Your Dog to Stay

Let’s look at ways to get your dog to stay. 

1. Try Different Things in Your Training Session

The three major components that are related to “stay” are:

• Distance between you and your dog
• The environment your dog is in
• Duration that you are asking your dog to stay for

The key here is to work on these components separately. Once practiced enough, you can combine them. Breaking down the training in steps is easier for your dog to grasp. 

2. Give Rewards More Often

This is of even more importance when you are working on your dog’s duration of staying. You should reward them more frequently throughout the stay. If you want to bring more time in between the rewards, do it slowly over a few training sessions. 

Also, you can look into using low-calorie treats if you are worried about overfeeding your dog. 

3. Utilize a Long Lead

You can try a lead that is about 30 feet long. It will help you train for more difficult behaviors while you are in control. It also will keep your dog safe for any “stay” attempts that go south. 

Using a lead is recommended in all training sessions, but it’s vital for when you are working on the duration of the stays. 

4. Train with Distractions

Just like we discussed above, you should train your dog in different situations, e.g. calm or distractive.  

You should start with no distractions, and as your dog learns, you can introduce distractions. 

5. Improve Impulse Control

The tendency of a dog to be impulsive varies from breed to breed. To help them to stay while having distractions around, you have to work on their impulse control. 

So, if you are having a hard time training your dog to stay, you now know what to do to have more successful training sessions with your fur baby.