Most people think "stay" and "wait" are two interchangeable dog training cues that mean the same thing. However, there's a big difference between the two and it's important to train your dog to understand both.

Stay and wait are two behaviors that can be extremely helpful in everyday life with your trained dog. Especially for those dogs who need a little more help when it comes to pulling on the leash, jumping on people, or generally with impulse control.

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Your dog's stay cue may already be rock solid from the previous guide but I want to address a common question most dog owners have in their training sessions. It usually boils down to the difference between wait and stay. What do each mean and should you teach a dog to wait while teaching stay?

In my experience as a certified professional dog trainer, I've found using stay and wait as the same cue to be confusing for both you and your dog when training. I recommend teaching your dog the stay and wait cues as two separate behaviors so it's crystal clear which behavior you're asking your dog to do.

What does that actually mean?

The stay cue is sacred. When you ask your dog to stay, you expect your dog understands to stay in that exact position until you return and give him/her a release cue. When you ask your dog to wait, on the other hand, you expect more of a brief hold in your pup's position maybe for a few seconds until you release your dog and call him/her to wherever you are in the house or outside.

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Step 1: Decide if you're training your dog to come to you or if you will come back to your dog

The starting position for stay and wait are the same. No matter which behavior you're training, your dog remains in a sit, stand, or down position. It's the reason you give your dog a release cue that determines whether it's best to use the stay cue or wait cue.

Give me an example

If you're training your dog to release toward you after you've taken a couple steps to the front door, as an example, then you should ask your dog to wait. If you have your dog sit while you walk around the house, open and close the front door, and come back to your dog, you should use the stay cue.

In the first example your dog came to you - that's when you use the wait cue. In the second example, you came back to your dog, that's stay. That's the difference in knowing which behavior to train.

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Are you trying to teach your dog to wait and release to you after several seconds or hope your dog stays until you come back? Both are helpful behaviors for dogs to know. Just different criteria for success.

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Step 2: Your dog likes success. Make it easy.

To teach the behavior for wait and stay we always want to start with low criteria, gradually increase in difficulty as our dogs continue building to the next step, and always train using positive reinforcement. Keep your training time short and successful. Train for 3-5 minutes per day and then give your dog a break with his/her favorite toy, lots of praise, and treats.

What does that actually mean?

Many people make the mistake of increasing criteria too soon and then their dog fails. This will set your training back and can be frustrating for both you and your pup. Remember, keep it easy and take your time!

Step 3: Learn how to tell when your dog is ready to gradually increase training difficulty

When our dogs are successful in a behavior we want to increase the criteria (the level of difficulty). For wait and stay, this means asking your dog to wait longer before giving him/her the treat -- asking your dog to stay for a few more seconds, or even minutes!

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So how can you tell when your dog is ready to increase the training difficulty? One way to test this is by seeing if your dog can successfully complete the behavior repeatedly at the previous level of difficulty. If he/she can, then it’s time to gradually increase the criteria!

If your dog fails a behavior, go back a step and make sure your pup understands the cue fully before moving on.

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Step 4: Learn how to teach your dog to wait

There are two basic criteria for teaching a dog to wait. The first is your dog must remain in place until released by you. The second is your dog cannot cross an imaginary line that is designated as the “wait” boundary. When these two criteria are met, we then mark and reward our dogs with lots of treats and praise.

Try this

1. To begin training wait, have your dog in a sit, stand, or down position, whichever your dog prefers. Take one small step back while facing your dog. Give your pup a release word as a cue to go free and come to you (or an object like your dog's food bowl if that's what you're practicing). Your release word can be something like "okay" or "break." When your dog comes to you, click and treat as a reward. Repeat increasing the distance as your dog is ready. If your dog sees success with that, go to the next step. Remember, we aren't using any verbal cues to ask our dogs to wait yet!
2. Begin again by asking your dog to sit, stand, or lie down. Turn your back on your dog as you start walking away and creating some distance between you and your dog. Turn to face your dog. Cue your dog's release word to set him/her free to come to you, click and treat as a reward. Repeat.
3. Once your dog has learned this behavior consistently and fluently, you may begin to add in the cue word "wait" just before you walk away from your dog.

Step 5: Practice wait in a real life scenario

Have you ever asked your dog to wait at his/her food bowl? That's a great place to practice wait in real life. Begin by putting your dog's food bowl down and then asking him/her to wait. If your dog makes eye contact, that's bonus points. Once he/she has waited patiently for a few seconds, mark the behavior with a "good" and release your dog to their food. Gradually increase the amount of time your dog must remain in place before you mark it as good.

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Another great way to practice wait is to have your dog wait at the door before going outside. This goes for the car door too! Try practicing wait in different locations around the house, and then practice taking a few steps back over time until you can walk all the way across a room without having your dog break his/her stay. Over time you can also start using "wait" as an alternate behavior for sit or down.

Step 6: Refresh your stay training

Now that you and your dog understand the difference between stay and wait, it's time to refresh your stay training. This is especially important if you plan on using stay in more challenging situations to help keep your dog safe.

Try this

1. Begin with your dog in a sit, stand, or down. Take one step away from your dog white still facing him/her, come back to your dog, click and treat as a reward.
2. Next, raise your criteria a little. Get your dog in position. Take a few more steps back from your dog to create longer distances, return to your dog, click and treat as a reward. Continue to practice adding more distance until your dog is comfortable holding the stay cue with about 5-7 yards of distance from you.
3. Next, level up your dog's stay behavior again by practicing turning your back and walking away from your dog while holding the sit, stand, down, or whichever position you asked your dog to hold stay in. Begin by turning your back, taking one to two steps, come back, then click and treat your dog as a reward.
4. Once your dog has learned this behavior consistently and fluently, you may begin to add in the cue word "stay" just before you walk away from your dog.

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There we have it! You now have two separate behaviors to communicate efficiently with your dog about what specifically you expect from your pup. Practice makes perfect, so keep at it for a few days and soon you'll have a well-trained dog who knows how to stay and wait on cue!

When you're comfortable, start using stay and wait in more real-life situations. For example, put your dog in a stay at the door when guests come over or have your dog wait a few seconds before dashing out of the car. The possibilities are endless! Just be sure to keep practicing these behaviors regularly so your dog maintains his/her skills.

Next up in the Manners Channel on Dogly

Now that you and your dog know the difference between the stay and wait cues, you're ready to start teaching your dog to enjoy going to a designated spot in your house on cue. Teaching your dog to go to bed/mat is broken into six parts in the first guide here.

If you have questions feel free to ask them in the Community discussion in the Manners Channel or I'm happy to help you 1-1 if you would like more personal training guidance.