# Stay and release help



## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Millie's stays are really coming along - I have been introducing BIG distractions like ringing the doorbell, playing fetch with Henry, tossing treats, etc. She is really developing a solid stay.


BUT - I can't get her OUT of her stay! Literally. I exclaimed "Free! Yay!!" and she wouldn't budge. I jumped around, ran around, gave her a toy and kept saying "free!" and she just looked at me. 

She takes training SO seriously. She is a different dog when we are training - she goes from silly, happy go lucky to FOCUS TIME.

Anyone else have a problem teaching their Poodle to RELEASE from a stay? Any suggestions on how to help her "release"?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy the papillon can be a bit like Millie - as it is the Stay that gets the reward, she sits tight! I found giving her a couple more things to do - Down and then Stand, for example, and rewarding those, gradually got over it. She still sometimes just sits and looks at me, though. To be honest, I rarely use Stay - both of mine have a very good response to Wait, and I find that more useful. We don't do competitive obedience, so I tend to concentrate on the most useful - or most fun - exercises.


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## Gorky (Jul 14, 2009)

I am not an authority, but maybe you should teach Millie the command stand. This usually gets Gorky moving.


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

She thinks you're just testing her more! The 'release' cue needs to be taught just like you'd teach any other cue, and it's clear she DOESN'T understand what "free!" _means_! Continuing to say it and acting silly with temptations etc is just reinforcing her that you're just testing her and she's supposed to be sitting tight like you told her to in the first place. LOL!!!

If you want to get a solid release command in too, then I'd be giving the cue ("Free!" or whatever it is) and if she's not getting up, physically bring her out of the position she's in by her collar and THEN rewarding her for getting up (even if it's with you dragging her up to some degree!) I'm not sure if she'll take kindly to being 'dragged' from where she thinks she's supposed to be though, so do be careful she's not just shutting down and being unhappy about that! 

Now you will need to be careful about it too, and at other times when testing her stay you want to make a point of putting pressure on her collar without the body language and cue of "free!" so she knows still that stay means stay UNTIL she gets the command otherwise.


Alternatively you can give her a different cue to do (like roll over or wave or something) to help break the static-ness of 'Stay' but that's not really teaching the release thing to her at all either... Hmm.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Excellent point, FD (I seem to be making a habit af agreeing with you!). I have a release phrase - "OFF you go", which I use when releasing my dogs from their leads on a walk. At the moment it is associated with Wait (while I unclip your lead), but I must see if Sophy recognises it as a general release cue. Training the release word seperately from the stay may be the answer, especially if the dog gets distressed by tugging on the collar.


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## bluespoomommy (Feb 25, 2010)

i usually break up the stay command with the 'come' command. since she's used to getting a treat with the 'come' command she doesn't normally have problem with the release.

but millie is such an obedient girl with her stay great job!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I was taught to us Wait before Come, to distinguish it from Stay, which means don't move till I come back to you. But as I rarely use Stay, it does not really make much difference ...


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Vasco and I have had many training challenges, but not this one!

I haven't seen this before, but down-stay to stand seems like a good way to start. 

Good luck. Do post what works, I'm interested.


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