Border Collie Stay Command

Once your Border has mastered the "sit" command,you can start to work on the "stay" command.But let me warn you up front,with this command you may want to wait until your pup is five or six months old.A Borders natural inclination is to stay close to you and asking him to stay while you move away may be more than his nature will allow.With that said,here is how I would suggest that you start training your Border Collie to stay.

Attach a leash to his collar.With your dog facing you,command him to "sit" while holding onto the leash.Take a small step back,hold your hand palm up towards the dog and say"stay" or "sit stay".Again,whatever you are comfortable with.Just be sure that you are consistent in the phrase you use.Don't use different words as this will confuse your dog.

If your dog makes any attempt to get up,it must be corrected at once.Return him to the "sit"position and repeat your Border Collies "stay" command.Keep trying this until he understands.Be patient,this may take a while.

Once your Border Collie begins to understand,you should be able to increase the distance that you can step back from him.You need to be able to get a fair distance away.Using something like a bit of rope or clothesline attached to his leash will help.

Eventually your Border will learn that the "stay" command has to be obayed no matter how far away from you he is.With time and more effort you should be able to move completely out of sight and he will stay in place.

When you do get to the point where your dog stays until you release him,avoid calling him immediately.This will let him know from your actions that it is okay to break rank when the requested action is assumed to be over.Instead walk all the way up to him before releasing him.This will help to keep him in place like you want until you decide.

As I said before,this command can be a difficult one to master as it goes against your Borders natural desire to be next to you.Take your time and of course be very patient,use lots of praise and you should be fine.