Stays - Sit, Down , Stand - Come and Get it.


Thanks to those who made this possible - Dale Gordan, Dawn Jecs, Patty Ruzzo.
The information on these web pages is meant to be used by my students in conjunction with my classes.

Stays
I use food to teach the dog to freeze. I start the dog in a sit.

Steps:
Place your hand on the dog's chest. Set a piece of food on the ground right in front of the dog. When the dog relaxes, say Good Stay, Get it!
You will know when the dog has begun to understand because he doesn't lean into the food any more. The food will be set down and you lightly release the pressure on the chest of the dog. Slowly you will release the hand on the dog till he is doing a Stay on his own.
Step by step you will begin to stand up next to the dog for the stay.
I build my distance from the dog with food on the ground in front of the dog.
I then begin to return to heel position around the dog with the dog focused on the food.
Once I am a few steps away from the dog I use the food as proofing or a distraction.
· I try to get the dog to move by having the food in front of the dog's nose turning right, left and forward. If the dog moves a foot or leans toward the food - I pull the food away and reset the foot that moved. Represent the food, and if the dog doesn't move I give him the food and say "Good Stay". If the dog doesn't move when you have the food in front of him use your event marker and treat.
· Building this is very important so the dog understands that Stay means not to move any of his feet.
· I build up to distractions of noise and toys and people.
Good stays take time! Stay to me means the dog does not move a muscle till I come get him. I also use a Wait that means the dog can relax but not move from the spot. Let's talk about the difference if you don't understand.

Sit
Steps:
Start with a lured sit. Hold food in front of the dog's nose and move it upward and a little forward. Do not move it back or you will get a rock-back sit. As soon as the dog's bottom touches the ground, "event marker" and treat.
Begin to use only your hand without a cookie in your hand. This is the beginning of your signal. Use the hand signal without visible food, and as soon as the dog's bottom touches the ground - "event marker" and treat.
Look for the behavior offered and reinforce - event marker (sound or word) and treat.
Now that you have the behavior you will to begin to add the Cue word (Sit) and signal. When the dog responds and bottom touches the ground, use your "event marker" and treat.
Gradually say Sit and wait for the behavior to happen. I don't repeat the command. If I have done my homework I have reinforced Sitting so it should be an offered behavior.
Do the sit with dog in heel position and then in front. Work both verbal and signal cues.

Down
Steps:
Most dogs will follow a cookie into a down. I usually start the dog sitting and raise the front end up with the cookie and then quickly down, for a fast down. When the dog's elbows are on the ground, use your "event marker" and treat.
Once I have this behavior, I turn my food hand so the food is invisible. The dog does the down, "event marker" and I turn my hand so they get the cookie.
I want a fast down - they fold back into themselves so concentrate on speed. To get speed, reinforce ("event marker" and treat) when the dog's elbows hit the ground.
I build like I did with the Sit.
I use a signal with my right hand going straight up and then I reward with food in my left.

Stand
Steps:
To lure the dog into a stand I use a food lure and lower their head and move back into their body. I want the rear feet to pop up into a stand. As soon as the rear comes up, "event marker" and treat.
The stand signal comes straight across your body with your hand flat like a stop sign.
Gradually I get the food away and get the Cue responses like above.

Come and Get it
Steps:
This is a two cookie or two toy game. I throw a cookie and say Get it then say Come (when their mouth is on the food), have another piece of food ready and throw it so the dog can see it and say Get it. Keep this going till you can throw the food about 20 feet or so. You can use a toy with this exercise also.
When the dog is running both directions easily and fast I will add front and under.
When the dog is very experienced at this exercise I will add the down and sit for Open and Utility.
To do the down have a cookie ready and say down right in front of you with your body turned sideways. The main part of this exercise is that the forward movement STOPS.
Turn and sit will happen - just as the dog eats the cookie run to the dog and say sit and give a cookie.