German shepherds are an active and intelligent dog breed. They learn new tricks fast. Also, they are keen to learn new commands. Training your German shepherd to stay helps in different situations.
The 3 Ds of Training: Duration, Distance and Distraction
These are the 3 Ds of training your german shepherd to stay. First of all, work on duration. Start with a small fraction. Work for 5 seconds and then add more time.
After working on duration, work on distance. Once your GSD learns to stay for a longer time, increase the distance. And after that, start adding a distraction.
Steps To Train Your German Shepherd Dog To Stay
Use the following steps to train your german shepherd to stay:
Find The Right Space
Take your german shepherd to open space. Make sure that there are no distractions. There should not be anything that distracts your german shepherd from your commands. At this stage, they are not capable enough to face distractions. If they get distracted in an open space, find a place indoors.
Make your german shepherd sit
Make your dog sit. If you have not trained your german shepherd to sit, you need to do that before teaching them to stay. It is basic training that they will learn in a few weeks.
Reward Them For Staying
Once the dog sits, give them a verbal command to stay. Make them stay for a few seconds. Then reward your gsd for staying. Use the release cue to end the stay.
Reward them with their favorite treat. It will make your dog associate rewarding with staying. And will motivate them to keep repeating the behavior.
Start with giving them treats after every 5 seconds. Then increase the time. It will build up the duration of the stay. Go from 5 seconds to 10, then 30 seconds, and then a minute.
If your dog breaks the stay at any point, start all over again. Say a “No” or “Uh Uh” to point out mistakes.
Use a Release Cue
Use a release cue every time you end the stay. Decide a release cue for your dog. Some common release cues are “okay,” “free,” or “release.” It doesn’t matter which word you choose; dogs understand your intonation.
Increase The Distance
Once you reach up to 1 minute, start increasing the distance. To do this, ask your german shepherd to sit and stay. Take one step back. Then come back to the dog and reward them for not breaking the stay. After that, give them the release cue.
Then move two steps away from the GSD, return, and reward them if they don’t break their stay. And then again, give the release cue.
If, at any point, they break their stay, then repeat the whole process. Don’t move to 2 steps if your german shepherd breaks the stay when you take 1 step away. You can keep increasing the distance as the dog gets better.
Add Distractions
After adding time and increasing distance, add distractions. Choosing the right distraction for your german shepherd is important. Start with an easy distraction. Use something that will distract them a little bit. Wave the distraction in front of them. If they don’t break their stay, then reward them.
In case they break their stay, do the whole thing again. Keep practicing with an easy distraction if the dog keeps breaking the stay. Use a hard distraction once your gsd learns not to get distracted by an easy one.
Remember, something that can be a hard distraction for one dog might not be for another. Finding a hard distraction for your GSD means finding something that excites them.
Why should you train your german shepherd to stay?
It would not be wrong to say that training your german shepherd the “stay” command can save their life. Here I want you to imagine a scenario. Your german shepherd runs fast after something and comes across a wired fence. The only way you can prevent them from jumping on the fence is to command them to stop and stay.
Other than this, there are various uses of training your GSD to stay.
Easier to Stop Them From Misbehaving
Training your German shepherd to stay helps you keep their behavior in check. If your dog gets hyper for some reason and starts misbehaving, the stay command will help to stop them.
Creates a Good Impression
As a dog owner, you want everyone to love your dog. Nobody likes a dog that misbehaves, jumps on them, or bites them. So, a stay command will keep their behavior in check and create a good impression.
Makes Socializing Easier
Learning the stay command can make it easier for you and your GSD to socialize. You can take your dog to more places if they obey your commands. Also, it will be easier for you to handle your GSD at social gatherings.
Your GSD Learns Obedience.
You can practice staying commands every day. It is an easy one to teach. One way of training your dog this command is while giving them their meal. Ask them to stay at one place and reward them with the meal. It will make them responsive to your commands and help in further obedience training.
Makes Walking Easier
Walking is a mandatory part of a german shepherd’s everyday routine. If you train them to stay, it will make the walking experience easier. You will be able to take a break whenever you want.
As we know, german shepherds have high energy levels. They can walk for a long distance without getting tired, and it isn’t easy to keep up with them.
Imagine a scenario where you get tired of walking your german shepherd and want to take a break. But your gsd wishes to keep going. Even imagining such a situation scares me.
To avoid it, train your german shepherd to stay. You will be able to stop them whenever you want.
Stop Them From Attacking Other Dogs.
German shepherds are a dominant and aggressive dog breed. They also have a lot of strength. If you take them out to socialize with other dogs, there is a possibility that they will try to attack other dogs. You can avoid this embarrassing situation if you train them to stay.
It Makes Vet Time Easier.
If you train your german shepherd to listen to your stay command, they would be easier to handle at the vet. It will make your time at the vet less stressful.
Key Points For Training Stay To Your German Shepherd
Use a Normal Tone
Dogs understand tones. While training them, use your normal tone. If you use a too soft or a too-loud tone, your GSD will get used to it. Then if you use your normal tone in the future, they will not recognize it. So, make sure to use your consistent tone while you train them.
Be Patient
Do not expect your GSD to learn to stay after one training session. Teaching this command needs a lot of patience and practice.
Don’t rush Into Things.
If your dog breaks the stay too much, it indicates that you are going too fast with them. If your German shepherd cannot complete one task, do not rush to another. For example, if you want them to sit for 15 seconds, they break their stay earlier. Then repeat the whole thing all over again.
Exercise Is Tmportant
German shepherds have ample energy that they need to exert. Not releasing this energy makes them hyper. Giving them exercise makes them focused on the training. They learn quicker and better.
Be Regular
It would be best if you were regular with your training sessions. Teach your german shepherd the stay command every day to make it better. You can do it when serving them a meal or while you take them for a walk.
Start Early
Train your German shepherd to stay at an early age. It’s the time when their habits are still developing. It’s easier to train them in anything. But, you will have to work hard on keeping their focus on you.
EndNote
German shepherds are keen to learn new commands. Many gsd owners will find it easy to train this breed. Train your German shepherd to sit and stay by using cues and rewards. First, work on duration. Then increase the distance and then add distractions. It is important to be regular and have patience. Also, start training your dog when they are young. Training a German shepherd puppy is easier than training an older one.
FAQS
What are the basic commands to train a German Shepherd?
A few of the basic commands to train a german shepherd are sit, stay, no, down and come. Also, they should have learned these commands by the time they are around six months old.
How do you train a dog to stay in place?
Training your German shepherd to stay in place needs a lot of practice. Follow the below-mentioned ways to teach your german shepherd to stay in place.
- Make them sit and ask them to stay.
- Reward your gsd when they obey your command.
- Use release cue to end the stay.
- Then increase the duration of the stay.
- After that, increase distance and then add distractions.
Can German shepherds be trained easily?
German shepherds excel at learning new commands. If you start training your german shepherd at a young age, they will do better. It is because their habits are still developing. But it’s harder to hold a young puppy’s attention. So, you will need some hard work on that front. With older german shepherds, you will have to be more patient. They have already developed their habits, so it takes longer to change them.
