A young puppy has the patience of an active toddler. When you first teach behaviors, keep durations short. What do I mean by that? Work up to a solid 20-second stay for things such as place, go to bed, sit-stay, down-stay, kennel doorways, and wait. That’s the first benchmark. As soon as your puppy can remain still and calm for that amount of time (it may take the first few weeks to achieve this, so be patient), then start adding the 4D’s: distance, duration, distractions, and difficulty. Note: We cover this in more detail in our Online Puppy School. For more information, check it out here.  

Once your puppy is one year old, they should have enough patience to hold an hour-long stay, maybe more. So how do we go from 20 seconds to one hour? Each day, add a few more seconds to the time. Give your puppy a food reward intermittently to keep them in place for the desired time. Mix up when they get food rewards and which food reward they get to keep them motivated. 

Practice the wait cue while you mop, vacuum, or sweep. It helps your puppy to practice behaviors in real-life situations. If you simply go through the motions for no reason, their attention span will wear out. Make each day a new experience by changing up the location and training throughout the day. Be creative. 

In addition, I like to chart out three-month goals on a sheet (also included in our Online Puppy School). Divide the year into quarters, then work toward a 15-minute stay after the first three months, a 30-minute stay at the six-month mark, a 45-minute stay at nine months, and finally an hour at the year mark. These are just guidelines to keep you on pace. 

Creating foolproof stays takes a lot of practice. Don’t push your puppy too hard, too fast. We want most sessions to be successful, and we always end the practice with a nice, solid stay. Typically, I shorten the last practice session to ensure it’s a positive one. For more information, check out our online puppy school.

Happy training!

Amy & Team