Please tell me when to use the command "Wait" as opposed to "Stay"?

Not sure why this confuses me so much, but it does, and I seem to use them interchangeably............not good.

I use WAIT as she sits at the top of the stairs, I go down say Bridget come, and she does.

In the yard, I tell her SIT, then STAY then walk away, and call her..........

Unfortunately a dog is only as smart as it's owner, and I keep having stupid days......

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LOL don't be so hard on yourself, you'll get it. Use whichever word is most comfortable for you. You don't want to have to stand there and debate with yourself on which word is appropriate, getting the behavior is what counts.

I use stay for most things but I do use wait occasionally like when they're in a hurry for me to finish fixing their dinner or something like that. Dogs don't really get hung up on words like we do. My DH can't ever remember the right command word so he makes them up, both dogs are used to it

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I do not use 'stay' at all. I use sit & down. They stay until released. I think it is your choice.

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-Jackie- mom of twins plus one. Oh, and can't forget my Golden Retriever and my chickens! RIP Kayanne

One of the reasons I ask is...I got barked at by a trainer at our last star puppy training class...(The dog passed...straight A's..lol)

I left Bridget with her, said STAY, and then hid and called her.

She said I should have used WAIT.

?????

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I believe you're supposed to use one or the other, not both, but I'm not sure why your trainer would care which word you use


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Grasslands Liberty Belle "Bella" CGC (5-7-2012)

I use "wait" instead of "stay". Before Remington and I went to our obedience class, I had been making him sit and wait at the front door after our walks. Since he knew "wait" when we started training, I just used that instead of "stay". He understood what I wanted and I haven't seen any reason to use 2 different words.

I use wait for when going to different rooms, or when I'm getting out of a car or going from outside to inside. I also use wait when I don't want her to come out of her crate yet.

I actually don't use stay a lot, except for simply practicing it...

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-Tim

"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." (Theodorus Gaza)

I remember being told in an obedience class to use 'Stay' if you're going to come back to them to release them. 'Wait' means you'll release from a distance. It wasn't put forward as something critical- but as something that might be useful later, particularly if you go on to compete.

I also don't use the word 'heel', because mostly I'm just asking for a good loose leash walk next to me. So for that, I say 'with me'. That way 'heel' is reserved for something more specific and precise. I think it's the same basic logic.

That said- a real trainer could likely do a much better job of explaining why you might want the different commands. I just know it was suggested it might be useful in future training.

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Topbrass Phool's Luck CGC RA
K9data.com
RobinNLucky Youtube

I use them interchangeably. I have always used wait when we are going into or out of the house and I use wait when feeding them. During training and when doing the sit or downs, I use stay. They both mean the same thing and the dogs know what they mean.
At the star puppy class, Alli only knew wait at the time and the trainer didn't have a problem with which word I used. I have since taught her the stay command also.

I agree with rob1. My rule for "stay" is that I never ever release Molly from a distance. I must return to heel. For the dog, it means "stay here until I come back and release you". A "wait" is way more casual and I don't care how she is released. It means "wait here until I give you your next command".


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