How to Teach Sit
and Stay.

Sit and stay are the two most fundamental commands in dog training. Get these right — truly right, not just in your living room — and you have the foundation for everything else. Here's how we teach them at Pack Protocol.

Teaching Sit

The fastest way to teach sit is with a lure. Hold a treat at your dog's nose and slowly move it back over their head. As their nose follows the treat upward, their rear naturally drops to the floor. The moment their rear hits the ground, mark it and deliver the treat.

After 5 to 10 repetitions with the lure, start adding the verbal cue. Say "sit" once, clearly, right before you move the treat. Never repeat the command. One word, one time. Repetition teaches your dog that the command is optional.

Fade the lure quickly. Within a few sessions, your dog should be responding to the verbal cue alone. If they need the lure every time, the behavior isn't trained — it's just being managed.

Teaching Stay

Stay is built in three dimensions: duration, distance, and distraction. Most owners try to do all three at once and wonder why their dog keeps breaking. Work on them separately.

Duration First

Ask for a sit. Count one second. Mark and reward. Ask for a sit. Count two seconds. Mark and reward. Build duration slowly and never ask for more than your dog can succeed at. If they break, you asked for too much too fast.

Distance Second

Once your dog can hold a sit for 10 seconds reliably, start adding distance. Take one step back. Return to your dog. Mark and reward. Do not call your dog to you from stay — always return to them. Calling them teaches them that stay ends when they choose to move.

Distraction Last

Only add distractions after duration and distance are solid. In Miami this means practicing around other dogs, on busy sidewalks, and in parks. A stay that only works in your kitchen is not a trained stay.

Common Mistakes

• Repeating the command. Say sit once. If they don't respond, reset and try again. Repeating teaches them to wait for the third or fourth time.
• Releasing with the wrong word. Pick a release word — "free" or "okay" — and use it consistently. Your dog needs to know when stay is over.
• Moving too fast. Most training failures happen because the owner increased difficulty before the foundation was solid.

How Long Until It's Reliable

With daily 5 to 10 minute sessions, most dogs have a functional sit and stay within two weeks. Reliable performance across all environments with real distractions takes longer — typically 4 to 6 weeks of consistent work.