Games Good Dogs Play: Three Ways to Stay!

http://www.thegooddogjournal.com/2011/01/treat-abcs.htmlChances are you've attended an obedience course or two and you and your dog have practiced the "stay" command in sit and down, and possibly even in the stand position. Your dog probably stays quite well in a controlled practice situation without alot of distractions. But what happens if you walk away, or someone else leaves the room or you pet's favorite toy suddenly rolls off the table onto the floor? Every time your dog breaks a stay he learns that it's okay and even fun. Stay is boring, greeting newcomers, following you to see what you're up to or pouncing on a toy is probably alot more rewarding to him. But you can make "stay" more interesting by making it a game.

Game 1 I'll be Right Back

This game assumes that your dog already knows the "stay" command and can stay reasonably well if you are standing right in front of him or walk a few feet away. This game works best with dogs who are food motivated.

The set up:  Let your dog follow you around as you place several small containers or piles of tasty treats out of his reach around the room. Three or four spots will do. For example if you're in the living room put a small pile of treats on a window, one on the mantle, one on the book shelf and one on the top of the TV stand. Each pile should contain a 3-5 treats. (If your dog is very food motivated you may need to start with less interesting treats in the beginning or he may find it too hard to focus on his stay. You can add more interesting treats later (See Treat ABCs) once he gets the hang of it.)

The Rules: Your dog must sit (or down or stand) and stay while you retrieve treats from around the room to bring to him one at a time. If he gets up, he forfeits his treat and you start over from the beginning. If he stays in position, he gets a treat.

Game Play: Call your dog over to you and have him sit, stand or lay down and tell him to stay. Once he is in position and the command has been given move to the nearest treat stash, pick up a treat, return to him and give him your reward marker and his treat. Remind him to stay and then move to the next treat stash and repeat. Once you've gone through all the treat stashes, give him the release command while you are right in front of him and tell him what an awesome dog he is.

If your dog breaks his stay during his this game, give him the no reward marker and return to him quickly. If you already have a treat in your hand, slip it into your pocket. He does not get this treat. You may return it to the pile on your next trip. Return him to his original position, repeat the stay command and proceed with the game.

For beginners: The first few times you play this game, place all the treat piles on one side of the room and have your dog stay facing that side of the room so you don't have to go around behind him. Back away from your dog toward the treat stash maintaining eye contact at all times. Once he gets the hang of it, you can start turning your back on him, glancing over your shoulder frequently to let him know you're still watching.

Intermediate Level: Place treats all around the room so the you have to walk around behind him and off to the side to retrieve them. Turn your back as you walk away but keep your ears open for the sound of him breaking his stay! Move around the room at a steady, confident pace. You do not have to take a direct route to the treats.

Advanced Level: Place treats in other rooms as well so that you have to leave the room to retrieve some of them. Keep your ears open for the sound of him breaking his stay and get back to him quickly. Increase your pace around the room. Get the kids involved and have them run to grab the treats and back to deliver them.

Trouble Shooting: If at any level you find your dog is breaking his stay more than three times in a row, go back to the previous level, even if he has performed successfully at this level before. If he still has trouble, make him perform a very basic stay for about 10 to 20 seconds and reward that so you can end on a positive note. Move on to something else or relax for awhile and try again.

If your dog just doesn't get the whole "stay while I fetch the treat" thing, call in a second person to help. The second person should stand next to your dog and have a hold of his leash while you go off slowly to fetch the treats. If your dog breaks his stay, you freeze while the second person gives the no reward marker and re-establishes the stay. Once your dog is back in position, unfreeze and continue. Repeat. He'll get it.

Game 2: Don't Fetch Just Yet

This game works best for dogs who love balls and assumes that your dog already has the basic idea of "fetch" and enjoys it. It is a valuable game to play with ball obsessed dogs to help them learn to help them contain the mania a bit. If your dog prefers to fetch another toy, such as a Frisbee or a dumbbell, feel free to use that instead of a ball.

The Setup: All you need is your dog, a leash and a ball. If your dog isn't good at retrieving or releasing the ball, you may need a second ball or a pocket full of treats to help him along. This an all off leash games should only be played in a secure fenced area or indoors.

The Rules: Your dog must sit and stay before you throw the ball. Then he must continue to sit and stay until you release him to chase the ball.

Game Play: Call your dog over and have him sit and stay. Hold the leash firmly and make sure you have a wide, firm stance, especially if your dog is large and you are small. Now toss the ball gently, underhand, in the direction your dog is facing. If he dashes after the ball, use the leash to restrain him and put him back into his sit/stay position. Keep him there for about five seconds, then release him and say "Go get it!" (or "fetch" or whatever) in an excited voice. Once he gets the ball, call him to return to you. Then give him the drop command or trade the ball for a treat. Repeat until you're beat. It usually only takes 3 or 4 repetitions before the dog gets the "you can't get the ball till I release you" thing.

Beginner: Always throw the ball in the direction your dog is facing, never off to the side or over his head. Begin with a gentle roll and advance to farther and higher throws.

Intermediate: Throw the ball off to the side.

Advanced: Throw the ball over your dog's head and behind him.

Trouble Shooting: If at any time your dog seems to have forgotten the rules, go back a step and work your way up again, even if your dog has performed well at this level before.

Some dogs will forget they ever wanted to fetch the ball in the first place if you make them stay too long. Keep the stays short at first and gradually increase them. Once your dog is staying long enough to forget all about the ball, it's not a game anymore so why do it?

For very large and powerful dogs, you may want to have one person control the dog while the other throws the ball the first few times to avoid dislocated shoulders.

Game 3: Stay While I Take This
This dog works best for toy motivated dogs. In addition to strengthening stay, this game also strengthens retrieval skills, builds impulse control and provides a great deal of mental stimulation.

The Setup: You  will need a toy your dog likes quite well. His favorite toy might be too much of a distraction at first, depending on how focused he is on it. The first few times you play this game you may want to have a second person holding your dog on a leash until he learns the rules. A pocketful of treats is always helpful.


The Rules: Your dog must stay while you hide his toy.Once the toy is hidden, you will return to your dog's side and release him to go find it.

Game Play: Have your dog sit, stand or down and stay. Show him the toy. Walk  away and hide it. Return to your dog's side. Release him and tell him to go get it in an excited voice. If he has trouble, go along with him cheering him on the whole time. Once he has the toy, ask him to drop it, trading it for a treat every 3rd or 4th time.

Beginner: Move only a few feet away and "hide" the toy in plain sight. Slide it halfway under the couch, put it on the floor and place a towel over it, etc. Then return to his side and release him. Do not wave the toy around, shake it or squeak it at this level.

Intermediate: Walk into an a-joining room and squeak the toy or drop it heavily on the floor as you place it in plain sight, then return to your dog's side, release him and go along with him to find the toy.

Advanced: Actually hide the toy. You may need to go along with your dog to find it the first few times. Remember to let him now how great he is when he finds it. And be fair- no closed doors, no high shelves or furniture he's not allowed on!

Troubleshooting: At each level you may need to have a second person restrain your dog as you walk off with his favorite toy at first. Once your helper has given the signal that your dog is in position and calm, you can return and release him to go find the toy. He will eventually learn that this is fun game and it all goes better if he follows the rules and you'll be able to send your helper packing, especially if he is rewarded with a treat or, better yet, a quick game of tug or fetch when he returns the toy.

As with all exercises, if find your dog is having trouble at a certain level, back up to a lower level for the day.

If your dog is having trouble finding the toy, go along with him on the search and don't be afraid to give lots of hints (point! Dogs and humans uniquely understand pointing.) Some dogs simply aren't cut out for search and will have more fun digging up what you point at than figuring it out for themselves.

Treat ABCs

If your dog is food motivated, using treats as rewards can help you reach your training goals quickly and painlessly. But not all treats are created equal. Sometimes treats are a hindrance, their very presence so distracting that your dog is too concerned with figuring out what's in your pocket to pay attention to the fact that you're talking to him. Some treats are worth sitting for, but maybe not worth doing anything more complicated than that and the treat that was good enough last week might be the same old same old today. Treats must be used wisely and one way to do this is to grade them as many trainers do.

I personally was taught to grade treats as A, B and C with A being the highest value treat and C being the lowest value treat. Here's how it works.

C Treats
C treats are kibble, milk bones and other dry, non-fragrant treats. They are nothing special but, if your dog is hungry, already in the mood to work, or just enjoys working he might work for them. Very food motivated dogs will usually be happy with a C treat in situations where there aren't a lot of distractions.
In short, C treats are for everyday training in a controlled situation with a food motivated dog.

B Treats
B Treats tend to be moister and have more fragrance to them. These are every day treats for dogs who aren't as food motivated and special treats for highly food motivated dogs. Assuming your dog will work for C treats, you can move to B treats when you make things harder or add distractions. If your dog will not work for an C treat, you'll use B treats when teaching something new.

A Treats
A treats are liver, cheese, amazing things. Highly food motivated dogs are likely to lose all self control when these treats are around and should only be given them for things like "come" and "emergency come", otherwise you may have a hard time getting him to focus. For dogs who aren't as food motivated, these treats should be used in high distraction situations. (Though you should always take care when using high value treats in the presence of other animals to avoid food aggression incidents.)

Basic Rules for ALL Treats

Treats used for training should always be very small. Your dog should not be spending time chewing. He only needs a small taste to feel rewarded. As an example, if you use Zuke's Chicken-Flavored Mini Naturals Dog Treats you can cut them into quarters before using them as training treats Milk-Bone Dog Biscuits can be smashed with a hammer.

You must be careful to count your dog's training treats into his daily calories and adjust his daily food rations accordingly. Obesity is a common and dangerous health problem for dogs.