Whats the difference?

[Punkygirl0101]

When I went to PetSmart the other day, I was watching them do training (there was a Chihuahua, and two very beautiful great danes ), and anyway, they were teaching "WAIT"..and it looked just like stay.

Whats the difference between "Wait" and "Stay"? I actually started training sessions with "Wait"...Bjorn has been doing great. But..is "stay" any different? Just curious..

[britishbandit]

I use both "wait" and "stay". Sit stay, down stay and stand stay, and is only used when I want them to literally stay put. In a "stay", they must keep their focus on me.

Wait I use for going out of a door, getting into the car, feeding. It's more of a pause, and a manners thing for my crew. They don't have to stay in the exact position, I don't make them be in a specific sit, down or stand for it. For wait, I don't make them focus on me, but they do have to wait for the release before going ahead.

[Rivsky]

I was taught the same thing as BB but for some reason River just couldn't comprehend a stand stay - he will do wait so I have to use that word for stand stays only - I have no idea why because he knows sit stay and drop stays I just use wait now for stands - we both know what's going on that way!!

[fancychicken]

I use wait the same way. However I have also found it works quite well for recall. For some reason both Daisy and Shamous will come to a screeching halt if I say "wait!", then they focus on me and I can call them back.

[Ritz459]

I've just always used stays for both of the situations, but I can see how the wait would be less confusing. I think my dogs pick up on the seriousness on which I go about telling them stay. If we are in our "training mode" (Blackie has a "working mode" he goes into whenever I give him a series of commands) then stay means to hold still in this position and don't move. But in other "lighter" settings, it means just stay in one spot. Probably confusing to the dogs, but they get it.
I use the wait command for their food. I'll put their food in their dish and tell them to wait. Then they stay and when I release them, they can eat the food. This also comes in handy for giving them treats, so then they don't try to grab it out of my hand.
Blackie also had a problem with his stand. He would stand when I would tell him too, but then as soon as he stood he would sit right back down. So then I would have him stand and as soon as he stood up I'd have to tell him stay. Then he'd freeze in place and wouldn't move until I released him. lol Silly dog.

[mom2cocoa]

I use wait when I'm letting the dogs out and I want her to wait until I give permission. I also use wait on walks when I need her to wait while I clean up dog poop. Things like that. Stay is for when I just don't want her to move for a while. Both commands are released with an "ok".

[mrsgrubby]

The difference between 'Wait" and "stay" is this. You should only release your dog from a "stay" when you are standing next to them in a heal position. But you can release your dog from a "wait" from anywhere.

Stay means, stay right there, don't move, until I get back to you and tell you that you can move. Wait means, Hold on, wait until the next command, ect. Wait is used to call the dog to you, or going through a door, or having the dog stop and wait on a walk. Stay is very specific, you put the dog in stay while you are next to them, and they dont' get up or move until you come back next to them and release them.

Many people goof up these commands, and then their dogs don't have a solid stay when they need it.

[TribalRats]

The difference in our home between wait and stay is wait will be short, while we are in a conversation on a walk, or I am getting their dinner and they have to sit and wait for my release.
Stay is a solid, you stay. I should be able to go out to the car, door open, and bring in 5 loads of groceries while the boys stay put.

[oc_spirit]

At my place ""wait"" means dont take the treat/toy/food yet but the dog is allowed to move about as he pleases and when released can go for what it is that he wants. whereas stay means to stay in the position I have placed him in until released.

[Punkygirl0101]

I think I have been doing both commands wrong!! Thanks for clearing that up. When I was doing stay with all of them, I would release them from the other side of the room, and not right next to them, and so now with "Wait"..I think THEY are wondering what the difference is too

[Cassiepeia]

Originally Posted by oc_spirit

At my place ""wait"" means dont take the treat/toy/food yet but the dog is allowed to move about as he pleases and when released can go for what it is that he wants. whereas stay means to stay in the position I have placed him in until released.

That's exactly how I use it (although Jesse isn't too fussed by the 'stay' command ).

Cass.

[n2dogz]

The resulting confusion in the two commands is why many trainers do away with the "stay" command all together. Some trainers believe if you put a dog on a sit, down, stand... it is assumed you don't want the dog to move until you have given the release command. Thus there really is no need for an additional command of "stay". The wait command comes in handy if your dog is not carrying out a command, on a heal, or involved in some sort of formal training excersize... and is just hangin' out being a dog

[IceyBlueSibes]

I use both commands. Kelso responds to "wait" better than "stay", so I use that command for him much more often.

Wait for my house means -- don't touch the toy/food/treat, let me open the door first, let me go out the door first, etc.

Stay means -- Don't move. Stay there until I tell you it's okay to move.

[sammy]

There's no "wrong" or "right" train what works for you and makes sense for your situation. Dogs don't speak english, so you can teach those cues however and to mean whatever you want. You could call it banana if you wanted The cue doesn't determine the behavior the consequence does.

For me "wait" is the word I chose to use, but I use it the way most people think of "stay" but I use it very sparingly. For my dogs wait/stay is implied in every cue ie if I cued a "sit" (or 'down' or 'stand' or 'bed' or 'crate' ) they need to hold that sit until they are either cued to do something else or released from it with "ok" or a click- the click ends the behavior is clicker training. OK is their release word for everything. Therefore "wait" is usually redundant although I did specifically teach it and proof it.

I thought training this way would be a huge PIA when it was suggested to me at first, but with fast, hyper dogs it's really helpful. Otherwise if I told Rosie to "sit" her butt would barely touch the floor before she'd be up again, but she would have done what I asked.

I agree with Mrs. G that it makes no sense to train a stay/wait by having the dog wait/stay and then calling the dog out of it for a recall-- that's essentially training your dog to break their stay to get rewarded (especially for a young or novice dog). Train your recalls either by calling the dog when they aren't expecting it, aren't breaking a stay or have someone hold the leash and do a "restrained recall" When you train a stay/wait go back to the dog to reward it- although I don't think you need to be in heel position, you should actually vary where you relase them from or being in heel becomes part of the cue to move.

[mrsgrubby]

Originally Posted by sammy

" When you train a stay/wait go back to the dog to reward it- although I don't think you need to be in heel position, you should actually vary where you relase them from or being in heel becomes part of the cue to move.

I guess it depends on what your intentions are for your dog. My two are in obed training, and unless I train the exact way the trainers do, then it is hard for my dogs to excel in class. Two of the trainers I train with use the St. Huberts school of training books, and they teach wait and stay the way I mentioned above. Including only releasing a dog from stay at the heel position. So my dogs have learned that while in stay, even if I go out of sight, I will come back and release them.

I guess it just depends on what it is you want from your dog, but the hardest thing I have found is that if you train one way, and then you sign up for a class and they train totally differnt things, it is hard on both the dog and the owner.