Being a first time dog-owner (and therefore dog trainer) I had some naive and unrealistic expectations when I began training Harvey. For example, I thought that once he'd learned 'sit' he would just sit there and patiently wait for me to tell him it was OK to move again. : Instead of which, once I'd researched the matter, we started with just a 2 second sit/stay and no distance away. 2 seconds!!! Anyway, we've plugged away at it and today we managed a 3 minute sit/stay at 10 paces with me in sight and a 1 minute sit-stay with me out of sight. Admittedly this was all in the house with no distractions but nevertheless I was so proud of him (especially as 3 minutes doing nothing seems like an eternity to me so heaven knows what its like for an excitable labrador!). I know we have some way to go before being anywhere near what some of you have achieved but I just wanted to share our progress.
Re: Stay progress Wow, that is really good!!!!!!!! That is up to obedience trialling level. Admittedly in trialling you have to do it outdoors, and with other dogs next to yours....but the duration is the same as what you have achieved. What do you think you will do not to extend it? Keep lengthening the time or adding distractions? (don't do both at once). You are right to be really pleased with your stays!!!
Re: Stay progress Thanks Rachael. I'm pretty happy with that duration for now. I think we need to work on different locations and distractions. The best that we have managed at training classes is 1 minute with me just a lead's length away (he gets so excited in classes that it's hard to get him to focus - for a good number of weeks a 5 second stay was the best we'd get ).
Re: Stay progress Good progress! Slowly steadily things just add up with perseverance. Well done both of you.
Re: Stay progress As Australian dog trainer Steve Austin says: "Small steps of success are better than giant leaps of failure"
Re: Stay progress [quote author=Oberon link=topic=5947.msg77003#msg77003 date=1400020632] As Australian dog trainer Steve Austin says: "Small steps of success are better than giant leaps of failure" [/quote] I like it. Wasn't he the Bionic Man? Or an American Wrestler?
Re: Stay progress Bionic man. You are showing your age. As am I. If he was the 6 million dollar man in the 1970s, what would it cost today☺️
Re: Stay progress Most impressed. An achievement I can only dream of as it will never be something I could get Lady to do. 8)
Re: Stay progress Well done uncle Bob and especially well done Harvey. ;D I know what you mean about the duration thing I get bored waiting never mind the dogs. : I need to do some practise on the stay not done any for awhile. We do mainly 'wait' which is basically the same as stay but followed by a command rather than me always returning to release them. I find wait more useful in every day life like at doors, greeting people, waiting for a steady retrieve etc so our stay has taken a back seat recently. :-\ Keep going i mean sitting Harvey.
Re: Stay progress Don't you just love it when a plan comes together to paraphrase another old TV series cliche Well done - I'd start on getting him outside now - but don't expect too much too soon, keep the stay's a little shorter to start with, then build up again.
Re: Stay progress Well done uncle Bob and Harvey. For our last test Bess had to stay in a down position in a hall with other dogs for five minutes with us owners out of sight. This was quite a challenge for Bess mainly because she wanted to play with her good friend another black lab. I realized I was getting things a bit out of proportion when I put my paint pot down and gave it a 'stay' signal! Alice
Re: Stay progress It is surprising at how time flies until you are doing a 'stay' and then time seems to stand still! So very well done, especially as Harvey is young.
Re: Stay progress [quote author=Mollly link=topic=5947.msg77050#msg77050 date=1400051728]You are showing your age.[/quote] Erm ... I er ... ah yes, I watched re-runs many years after the original airing. [quote author=Mollly link=topic=5947.msg77050#msg77050 date=1400051728]If he was the 6 million dollar man in the 1970s, what would it cost today☺️[/quote]With all the improvements and advances in technology it might actually be cheaper now! ;D Thank you all for the praise - I'll pass it on to Harvey. [quote author=gad link=topic=5947.msg77192#msg77192 date=1400075508]Don't you just love it when a plan comes together to paraphrase another old TV series cliche[/quote]I do. But I ain't gettin' on no plane! Anybody got any suggestions for how to build up the level of distractions so that 'stay' in class is as successful as it is at home?
