down stay

Down stay...Becca doesn't see the point of it. She only lays down when she is sleeping or chewing, so why practice it?(her opinion) We practice 3 or 4 times a day, with maybe 4 or 5 reps each time. I can get 30 -45 seconds, up from maybe 3. If either of us gets frustrated I stop and practice something else. Any suggestions other than just keep practicing? We finish beginner class this week and there isn't an intermediate class available until the middle of July.

She catches onto tricks so fast, anything she thinks is fun goes so much easier. Same with kids I guess...

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on May 28, 2012 at 9:54am

She won't be able to stay longer until she is older....it took Seanna forever to be able to concentrate long enough to stay down as I wanted. Practice the "look at me"...hold a treat to your nose, tell her look at me, and when she stares, give her a treat. It will teach her to concentrate on you and what you are asking.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on May 28, 2012 at 10:59am

How old is she? Most dogs lack the discipline for long stays until they are at least a year old, often closer to 18 months or even 2.

Mix it up. Sometimes do a three-second stay and reward her for that. If you just practice longer and longer, they start to think that maybe eventually you will never let them leave, so why bother? lol Seriously, sometimes reward for a micro-stay, sometimes ask for 30 seconds, sometimes for 10, sometimes release instantly. Wait for some age before even trying stays that are very long.

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on May 28, 2012 at 6:19pm

Becca will be 11 months old this week. I'm keeping our practice sessions short and add her "fun" tricks in to keep it interesting for her. I think I'm more frustrated than she is. If she thinks it is fun like leave it, touch, over etc. it takes less than a day for her to get it. Down stay is taking much longer and is unreliable. Heel works much better after she has walked at least a half a mile lol. Her recall has suddenly become less reliable as well. She proved yesterday that she is faster than me even dragging a 20 foot lead behind her. One of her dog friends was walking by and she wanted to play. All ended well, but it put me back on notice.