Sounds pretty easy, but don’t be fooled, the long sit and down are one of the most problematic exercise when showing in obedience! Now, we’ll look at each portion a little bit closer. First, it is important to teach the sit and the down until the dog totally understands the command. The dog should be able to do the position all around the house, outside, at a training building etc. In other words, the dog needs to really know the position, prior to ever being put in a formal stay. Next, lets look at the actual position that we put the dog into. I like to teach a down, flip to a hip and curl a paw down. This starts at a young age and is insisted upon each time it is practiced. I also make sure the hind feet are tucked up under the rear of the dog (if possible) and the front feet are square on the sit. Once in a while, the standard has to be compromised with individual dogs. For example, Echo automatically went into a "frog" position on the down. I tried to change this, but it was natural for him to do this position, so I my command was changed to, "down, frog" (great fun for those next to me and onlookers!). Indy, on the other hand would only do the sphinx down. Being my first obedience dog, I didn’t understand the importance of position and did not teach it as a young dog. She broke many stays in her career!! It was so easy for her to break the position compared to Skye’s "down, flip, tuck" and Echo’s "down, frog". So make sure you spend the time to work on position early on! Dogs that have a hard time pulling their feet under them in a sit position will have more of a tendency to slide, so work on getting as tight of a sit as the dog is capable of.

As the dog gains confidence in the formal stay position, with other dogs for the duration of time needed in the ring, then some mild distractions can be added. I often don’t time my stays, even in the classes I teach. I don’t want to be so predictable that at exactly one minute I return after the novice sit stay. I like to vary the time, usually on the longer side then shorter. One form of proofing that I use is putting the dogs in all sorts of different formations while doing the stays. There might be two rows, with the dogs facing each other, some might be facing one way and the dog next to them facing the opposite directs. Sometimes we have their rears close together in a circle-use your imagination. One word of caution, make sure the group is trustworthy when doing this. The last thing anyone wants is for their dog to be attacked on the stays. Remember you are your dog’s protector and if you are training stays somewhere and are not comfortable, ask to remover your dog. Obviously you can’t do this at a show, but you can blow an entry if you are really concerned.

One last thought, make sure to be very consistent when you’ve asked your dog to be in a position. Don’t ask them to sit and then walk away and start talking with someone to the point that the dog gets board and moves position. This is your fault as a handler, but in most cases the dog gets correct or gets a way with it. So be consistent!!!

Happy Training!

Christy, Skye and Echo