Natural Dog Training Blog

A year or so ago, I was walking my dog through our in-town neighborhood, when out of nowhere a LARGE shepherd mix came bounding towards us (without a leash) with trouble on her mind.  Having worked so frequently with aggressive dogs I could see that for whatever reason, this dog had seen us coming and decided that Nola might be good for lunch - and there was no owner in sight.  Since it takes two to tango, my first step was to keep Nola from engaging in the aggression.  I gave her a “Down!”, and she hit the bricks (on the sidewalk), and she stayed there although her teeth were bared and she was beginning to growl.  I kept myself between the two dogs, as I could tell that the dog didn’t want any piece of me - just my dog, and I effectively herded the dog away from Nola, who stayed there on the ground despite all of the commtion.  Eventually my firm shouts of “No!” and “Go on!” at the other dog must have aroused the owner’s attention, as they came running out of the house to grab their dog.  While I did return later (without Nola) to tell the owner that an offleash uncontrolled attack dog was kinda “bad form”, the point of my telling you this story is to show you how useful a resolute down/stay in an energized situation can be.  In part one of this series, we taught our dog how to sit using our body language and our dog’s natural response to waiting while in hunting mode.  We used a small platform (”on the box”) as a way to delimit space for our dog, an aid in Sparky’s figuring out what to do.  In part two of this series, we went from “Sit” to “Down” - also using the box - in order to teach our dog the feeling of lying down in an energized state.  Obedience matters most when your dog is “distracted” (absorbed in the energy of their environment) - and the only way for you to be able to reach your dog during these moments is for your dog to be familiar with the feeling of engaging in obedience behaviors WHEN energized.  In this lesson, we’re going to work on “Stay”, and the Down/Stay will become an essential part of your training regimen. 

What does it mean to “Stay”?

The concept is simple enough:  you tell your dog to “stay” and your dog remains in that one place.  However, the “stay” is only effective as long as the energy of your dog’s environment keeps your dog rooted in place.  Otherwise, something “out there” could become more attractive to your dog than the staying, and your dog’s prey drive will kick into action to chase that bicycle, grab that treat, etc. 

I’m telling you this because I want you to see the stay not as an exercise of your dog’s willpower.  Since dog’s are more feeling-oriented than thought-oriented, their willpower won’t hold up under duress.  You are going to be teaching your dog how to be more and more rooted in their spot as more energy is added to the system.  It will feel good to your dog to remain where they are.  Picture your dog lying in an attentive down (the “down” you elicited in part two), and now imagine a current of energy flowing through your dog, down into the ground, back up into your dog - in a circuit.  If you can keep your dog relaxed, you will be able to add more energy to the system, and that circuit will spin faster and faster.  The intensity of the circuit will work like a magnet, holding your dog rooted to that spot.  In a sense, you are teaching your dog to “feel the flow” - the same flow that they feel when they’re playing tug-of-war with you - while lying there in one spot.  Just like electrical magnetism builds as you increase the current in a coil of wire, the emotional magnetism will increase the faster the emotional circuit spins.  The important factors for YOU to control are keeping your dog relaxed and gradually adding more and more energy to the system.

Making the “stay” happen

OK, so you’ve gotten your dog onto the box and into the down position.  You can still be totally in the realm of body language and hand signals, but if you’ve introduced your voice that’s fine too.  At the initial stages of this training, I’ll often progress from “on the box” to “sit” to “down” - but frequently a dog will just go into the “down” at the first whiskaway - it’s the internal efficiency mechanism at work.  That’s good, because down is ultimately what you’re after (and a much more useful command, IMHO).

The hand signal that I use for “Stay” is my left hand extended in front of me, palm out, fingers pointed to the sky - as if you were signalling someone to “Stop right there!”.  Your hand should be extended with the “stop right there” attitude as well - because your intent (which matters) is for your dog to remain in place, completely rooted to their spot.  I’m going to explain the progression as I go through it with a very energized (and prone-to-popping-up-from-the-down) dog - if your dog stays rooted easily, then you can move through the series rather easily.

1. Get your dog into the down position - you may need to be crouched in order for this to happen.
2. Feed the position with your right hand.
3. Hold out your left hand in the “Stay right there” position.
4. Keep feeding the position, while you SLOWLY raise your body.
5. Once you’re standing, feed the position some more.

Good - you got to a standing position, and your dog is still energized.  You’re standing more or less next to your dog - maybe slightly in front, but not directly in front. Now for the next step.

1. Take a few steps in place.  As if you were marching in place.  Just start by shuffling your feet a little - slowly and gradually.  Your left hand is still extended in the “stay right there” position.
2. Feed the position.
3. Start taking stronger steps.  By “stronger” I mean to gradually increase the force with which you’re feet are hitting the ground.  You could also start increasing the pace of your steps.
4. Feed the position.

This would probably be a good time to take a break.  Give your dog a “Ready…Sparky!” - and then run away from the box.  Your dog will spring off the box after you, and you should do some pushing together (or some tug-of-war), before you get back on the box.  Lots of praise at this point!  OK, back to the box.

1. Work your way up to where you were before.
2. Add more energy to the system.  Run in place.
3. Feed the position.
4. Jump in the air.  Just a small jump, but both feet leave the ground.
5. Feed the position.
6. Jump higher.  Feed the position.  Go crazy.  Feed the position.
7. Give a slow, gradual tug on the leash.  Feed the position.
8. Give a couple quick jerks on the leash.  Feed the position.

Maybe you’re getting the spirit at this point?  You’re near your dog and gradually upping the ante with energy that you add to the moment, each time keeping your dog in place with your “stay in position” hand and by feeding the position as soon as your dog has succeeded.

Make sure that you take breaks after your dog reaches each milestone to push and play.  Then get your dog back on the box and take it to the next level.

What to do if your dog pops back up from the down position

You have a couple choices at this point.  If you catch your dog as they’re about to get up, you can actually preemptively call your dog off the box.  Or you can use your food hand (with a whiskaway) to get your dog back into the “down” position.  Your dog’s popping up is a sign that you added too much energy to the system - so take it more slowly.  Allow your dog to educate you in terms of the correct pace of training, which will ensure that you’re building upon multiple successes with your dog - if you’re too focused on your agenda then you might set your dog up to fail too often.  A “failure” here and there (which is really a sign that you failed to work at a slow enough pace) is ok, but too many will undermine your dog’s confidence.  Slower and more gradual is ALWAYS better.

Some variations to get you to the next level

1. Back away from the box with your “stay” hand outstretched.  Back away slowly a few feet.  Then go back and feed the position.  Back away a few feet more this time.  Give your dog a “Ready…” - but instead of calling them off the box (make sure your hand is still in the “stay right there” position as you say “ready”) move back in and feed the position.  Back away a third time, and this time say “Ready…” - then drop your “stay hand”, call your dog off the box with their name, and do some pushing and tug.  Gradually increase your distance from the box.  If your dog has the tendency to pop up when you move away, you can keep a slight amount of tension on the leash, and your dog should counteract that tension by becoming more rooted in their place on the box.
2. Circle your dog.  Start circling (counterclockwise) in close proximity to your dog.  Sometimes at the beginning of circling I’ll actually drop a handfull of food on the box right under a dog’s mouth, so that they’re distracted with eating the food while I circle around them.  You might also need to maintain contact with a hand (keep your left fingertip on their head while giving the “stay” gesture with your right hand) as you circle around.  When you come back around to your dog’s right side, feed the position, and take a break to give your dog a little relaxing massage.  Try to circle around at greater and greater distances.

Important note on circling:

As you circle around, there are two things for you to do that will help your dog stay in position.  First thing is - instead of keeping your left hand out in a “stay” position as you circle around, allow your arms to swing freely (as they normally do when you walk) - you might even exaggerate the movement.  Every couple of swings of your left arm, extend your hand out in the “stay” position towards your dog (at this point I’m also saying “Stay!” as I present my left hand).  Your movement helps keep your dog focused on you, and helps establish a rhythm for what you’re doing - which will make the exercise more predictable for your dog.  So that’s tip #1.

Tip #2:  The place where your dog is most likely to pop up as you make your circle is when you’re directly behind your dog, out of sight.  So, take note of where that is (you’ll notice that your dog will probably move their head from one side to the other as they try to pick you up in their field of vision), and give your dog a “Stay” right before you leave their sight.  Then walk faster until you’re back in your dog’s field of vision.  Try to time another “Stay” so that your dog sees the “stay” gesture (and hears “Stay”) at the instant that they regain sight of you.

Especially as you move out to greater and greater distances, when you come back around to your dog’s side feed the position, take a moment to help your dog relax now that you’re back, and then call your dog off the box for some play.  The play (and/or pushing) is a way to help your dog relieve any residual tension that they have from each phase of the exercise.

Conclusion

Over time your dog will develop a steadfast “stay”, and you’ll be able to move away further - to the point where you’re even completely out of sight.  You can hide for a few moments behind a tree, or leave your dog in the backyard as you circle around your house - the options for working with the stay are endless.  The trick is to always remember to take play time between “stays” to help release any excess stress, to keep your dog energized throughout the down/stay, and to be VERY GRADUAL in the amount of energy (and or distance) that you add to your down/stay repertoire.  Ultimately the down/stay will be an important tool for you in your relationship with your dog - you’ll be able to use it to instantly defuse any highly energized or tense situation, or to just keep your dog out of the way while the family eats dinner.  Take it slow, practice consistently, keep it fun, and, as always, let me know if you have any questions.

In the first part of this natural dog training lesson, we learned how to get your dog into a high state of drive and then, using a small platform to define their space, elicit a “sit” using your dog’s natural response to your body language.  You are teaching your dog the feeling of “sit” when energized for a purpose: when you’re out in the world in “real-life” situations, you want your dog to respond to you ESPECIALLY when they’re charged up by whatever’s happening in their environment.  If you haven’t done obedience work with your dog at high energy levels, then your dog will have trouble responding to you when the intensity of the world goes up a few notches.  Once you’re fluent with part one of the exercise, you’ll be ready to move onto part two, which is teaching your dog how to lie down on the box at a high energy level.  It’s also worth mentioning that all of these exercises can be done with very little (or no) vocal encouragement from you.  While I’m going to describe how you might use your voice to your benefit, I suggest that you always start ANY of these exercises by focusing on how your actions and body language influence your dog’s behavior.  After you’ve got a feeling yourself for how your dog is responding to your movement and physical cues, then you can add the vocal piece. 

Elicit the down response

Once you and your dog get the hang of the first lesson, you will be able to lead your dog up onto the box, and with a simple “whisk away” of your food hand, your dog will sit expectantly.  At this point you should have noticed your dog’s sensitivity to the edge of the box.  If you hadn’t been using a box, your dog might have simply followed your whisk-away hand.  With your dog on the box, the hesitation created at the edge moves your dog from “hunting-chase” mode into “hunting-wait” mode, and sitting is the natural response.  Now you’re going to use a combination of your hand position and this “hunting-wait” mode to get your dog into a “Down”.

1. Push with your dog to get the motor revving.  You are engaging your dog’s prey instinct to put them into a state of high drive.
2. Lead your dog onto the box and into a “sit”.  Use the techniques you learned in lesson one to get your dog into a sit in a state of drive.
3. Feed the position.  Give your dog some food to maintain the sit.
4. IMPORTANT STEP - Tempt your dog with some food, and do the “whisk away”.  Only this time, whisk away in a downward direction (i.e. towards the ground in front of your dog).  You’ll probably need to crouch down in order to do this correctly, so bend those knees!  You are using your body position and your dog’s “hunting-wait” response to elicit a down.

At this point, one of three things will probably happen.  Here’s what might happen, and what you should do:

1. Your dog lies down immediately.  ZING YOUR DOG PRONTO!  Then feed the down position.  Keep feeding the position until you are ready for your dog to get up.  At that point (when you’re ready to end the down), give your dog a “Ready…Sparky!” and back away from the box to do some pushing with them (off the box).  Repeat the cycle.
2. Your dog jumps off the box.  You treat this the same way that you did in part one of this exercise.  Lead your dog back up onto the box and into a sit.  If you can be quick with your food hand (you should be by now!), zing your dog upon getting on the box, whiskaway/zing for the sit, and then try using the whiskaway/zing again (combined with your hand position and direction) to get the dog into a down position.  You might need to go through this several times before your dog gets the idea of what they’re supposed to do.  That’s fine.  Just be patient, and keep working it.
3. Your dog doesn’t know quite what to do and looks at you confusedly.  If this happens, then you ever-so-subtly can place your left hand (I’m assuming that you’re feeding with your right hand) on your dog’s back, between the shoulder blades, and apply an ever-so-slight amount of downward pressure to help guide your dog into the down position.  When your dog goes down, zing immediately and feed the position.  If your dog resists, you can try increasing the pressure a little - but that might make your dog jump off the box (see #2 for how to respond).

To maintain the down (aka what to do if your dog wants to pop right back up again):

If you’re dog is really revving, then you might find yourself with a dog who wants to get right back up after lying down.  You need to start creating some solidity in the down position.  Mainly, you will do this by “feeding the position”  - and what is probably happening is that you yourself are getting up and your dog is responding to your body position.  So feed your dog’s position while you maintain your own crouched position.  You want to feed rapidly enough so that there isn’t time between zings (i.e. when you’re reaching into your food pouch) for your dog to get up.  As your dog settles into the position, you can space out your zings.  Ever so slowly (and zinging all the while), work to get your body back into an upright position.

Another important component of stabilizing the down is to begin massaging your dog with your left hand as you zing with your right (feeding the position).  As your dog relaxes, you can even stop feeding and switch entirely to a relaxing touch to help anchor your dog into position.  You’ll notice your dog developing a rootedness in the spot the more that they relax.

One last option for you to try, once your dog seems relatively rooted in position, is to tug slowly and steadily on their leash, as if you were trying to pull your dog off the box.  Don’t pull so hard that you actually pull your dog off!  Pull gradually, and notice that your dog resists your effort and “pulls” back, in order to stay on the box (and in the down position).  Once your dog resists, relax the tension on the leash and feed the position some more.

You will detect that THIS down is a different kind of down.  Your dog will be energized and extremely focused on you.  There will be an intensity to the down, but your dog will be quite still - so if you notice things like tail wagging or a concerned facial expression (note ear position especially) - that is a sign that you need to help your dog relax more in this position.  While your dog knows how to lie down when energized (that is, after all, why they’re doing it right now), you are teaching your dog how to lie down when energized around YOU.  Once your dog is reliably lying down, you can add a vocal “Down!” - but make sure you say it just as your dog is lying down.  Eventually your dog will learn something like “oh - this word “Down” means that I should feel the way I feel right now, which is to be hitting the dirt in an energized state with a focused direct alertness about me”.  Something like that.

Once your dog gets the down, you’re probably going to spend most of your energy working on down, followed by the “stay”.  We’ll cover the “stay” in Part Three of this series - in the meantime, you can cycle between play training, pushing, getting on the box, sitting on the box, and lying down on the box.  Keep things fun for you and your dog by changing things up.  If you’re walking down the street with your dog and you see an empty bench, use that as an impromptu “box” to transfer some of your work to a more public (and distracting) location.  While you’re playing fetchtug with your dog, tease your dog with a toy to get them onto the box, and then use the TOY to elicit the down response.  You can throw the toy as a release for the down.  Whatever you do, just make sure that you’re developing a “pop-up free” down, on which we can build as soon as we start talking about “stay”.  Good luck and, as usual, let me know if you have any questions.