SITSTAY: Level Three

Dog Sits and stays while the trainer walks 20 feet out, stays away for 30 seconds, and comes back.  There will be one mild distraction.

Appropriate cues.

There are three Criteria  (to be worked separately)

         Distance

         Duration

         Distraction

Duration

1.     Build 60 seconds with dog beside you or a foot or two in front of  her by using chutes and ladders.

2.     Since you should have the 20 foot walk out, start at 10 seconds and   build at 5 second increments.

3.     Back up immediately if she hits a snag.

Distance

 4.     You already have 20 feet, now add time by telling dog to STAY

 5.     Give cue to STAY

 6.     Go out 5 feet, count to 5

 7.     Come back

 8.     Click/Treat

 9.     Give cue to STAY

10.    Go out 5 feet, count to 10

11.    Come back

12.    Click/Treat

13.    Cue to STAY

14.    Go out 5 feet

15.    Count to 15

16.    Come back

17.    Click/Treat

Continue until you get to 60 seconds; ( go back to the beginning if she breaks her SitStay

Distance continued

18.    Drop your time and increase Distance

19.    Cue dog to Stay

20.    Walk out 10 feet

21.    Count 5 seconds

22.    Come back

23.    Click/Treat

24.    Build your Duration in 5 second increments just as before

Remember to Click when you’re away from her; you click what you are rewarding, rather than waiting until you’re with her.  You are rewarding the Stay from a Distance.

Distraction

1.    Cut Duration and Distance as much as possible. You want your dog to handle Distractions and succeed, not to fail.

2.    Have someone walk past your dog from a distance

3.    Click/Treat your dog for noticing but not breaking the Stay

4.    Gradually have the person walk closer and closer, looking more attractive, showing food, staring, making sucky noises; NOT saying the dog’s name or giving the COME cue.

STANDSTAY: L3

Dog Sit-Stays for examination - a touch of the head and withers by the tester. 

There are three possibilities:
(and three different ways of teaching this behavior)
Determine WHICH of the following describes your dog, then follow appropriate directions.

1. your dog may be relatively disinterested in people  and not particularly care whether they touch her or not
2. your dog may be absolutely thrilled at the very thought of a human being even THINKING about approaching, let alone TOUCHING, and there's no way, ever, ever, EVER that your dog is going to sit still while someone approaches and touches her 
3. your dog may be unhappy about the whole stranger-fondling idea   

ADDING A CUE:

You added something (the person) to a behavior she already knows, so naturally you stop using the cue until you're sure she's going to give you the behavior, the whole behavior, and nothing but the behavior again.