Training with Joe : Stay Command

In a previous post we discussed the stop command. 

Now, as I promised you, we’ll talk about the “stay” command.

“Stay” is the big one.

Very important for various reasons other than behavior and control issues.

In fact, without a stay command its not possible for a freight or long distance trail-breaking team to exhibit their true strengths.

I’ve explained much of it in my recent book too.

Let’s continue: the stay command is the link that connects the go and stop commands together.

Without it those two commands are meaningless.

So, let’s say we have our two year old youngsters hitched-up, harnesses fitted perfectly and they’re jumping like popcorn kernels in a hot skillet.

And they’re behaving with total disregard to the stay command that we taught them earlier.

However, on their first run I just let them do what they want.

They can pee on their running mate or jump around like a crazy fool.

It doesn’t matter.

But the second run we have to carve the stay command into the neural pathway of their brain.

So let’s hitch them up again.

This is the second run in their lives and this is when we gotta get it right.

It takes an awful amount of work to go back and fix it if we don’t.

So, here they go again going ballistic like a bunch of firecrackers even though we told them to stay.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this scenario: Nikki is screaming like a siren, Sally is jumping on Bruno while Gunner is peeing on Fido.

The hook is set securely in the snow and everything is ready.

Now, it’s time to go inside the cabin for a nice hot cup of coffee.

Yes that’s right.

Nothing better than a cup of hot coffee while our youngsters are acting like maniacs outside our window.

About 15 minutes later, the coffee mug is almost empty and our youngsters have settled down and behaving like level headed adults.

So, now we pour another cup of coffee and set it the wood-burning stove to keep it hot because we know what’s going to happen next.

When we swing open the door the youngsters go ballistic again.

Okay, we walk out and tell them to stay but they are to busy screaming to hear us.

Well, it’s about time for brunch and another cup of coffee.

By now you see where I’m going with this.

And Malamutes usually figure it out too.

After another 15 minutes tick away on the clock that hangs on the log wall, we step outside in the crisp air.

They’ve settled down now and a are a little depressed and confused.

Now it’s time to walk around a bit.

Maybe rub Nikki’s tummy, talk to Sally and tell her how beautiful she looks with her new harness and scratch Fido on the ass.

Next, we nonchalantly and quietly pull the snowhook and set it in the sled.

Then we walk around the youngsters again petting and talking to them a bit more.

When they’re all preoccupied wondering what the hell is going on, we give the command to go.

Just the sound of your commanding voice will startle them enough that they’ll jump up and most likely shoot out of the Dogyard with our veteran lead dogs leading the wild bunch.

During the run, every few minutes or so, stop and walk around similarly like you did in the beginning.

Now we’ve taught them to stop and stay.

The go command is similarly as important.

But it should come naturally for them.

However it’s absolutely most important that they go on our command rather than the action of pulling the hook.

Ultimately, our team should be hitched up without planting the hook into the snow.

Most are thinking why go through all this hassle, but, this training, as mentioned earlier, is specifically for breaking trail and hauling freight.

There are other reasons as well that are very, very important but they are partly explained in my most recent book.

Thanks for reading!!