I don’t know about other dog owners, but there are times when I am walking my dog on leash and do not want her to walk, even if I am. An example would be walking down a slippery slope or wet stairs and I do not want any pressure on the leash that may pull me off my feet.

‘Stop’ could be used just as easily as ‘wait’, it is just a matter of personal preference but ‘wait’ is a more natural term that can be used in tons of different ways where ‘stop’ is a panic word. ‘Wait’ as the human brain understands it can be applied to more circumstances, say for example if you want your dog to wait before eating their dinner, taking a treat or picking up a toy.

Why is ‘wait’ different then ‘stay’? Stay is normally used after another command. First you get your dog into a ‘sit’ and then you say ‘stay’ and they know to not move from the sitting position. ‘Wait’ is a command all on its own that has them just pause in whatever position or activity they are currently doing. So, if they are walking, they stop. If they are standing, they continue standing. There is no putting them into a position first.

The ‘wait’ or ‘stop’ command also worked wonderfully when she was off lead. If we were on a trail and she was getting a little to far in front of me, one command and she would pause until I told her to walk on. She loved people but was an intimidating looking German Shepherd so as she approached strangers ahead of me, I could have her wait until I was beside her, alleviating the stress on the other person.

‘Wait’ also works well with ‘down’ in some cases such as when she would be chasing a squirrel or someone’s cat.

Training my dog to stop walking and ‘wait’ became even more useful as she aged. Sable was notorious for forgetting she needed a hand into the car or up the stairs and would try to get in on her own before I was even at the car. This was never pretty. Using ‘wait’ as she neared the car or stairs or anywhere I thought I might need to assist her saved her a few bumps and bruises through her final years.

To train ‘wait’, start using it when out for a walk. Have your dog ‘heel’ beside you and as you walk along, put some pressure on her collar so she cannot walk while saying ‘Fifi, wait’ in a soft, warning tone. Hold her for a second, then release the pressure and say ‘okay!’ or whatever her release word is while stepping off again. Give her a treat. Walk a few more paces and repeat, always using the pressure on the leash to force her to stop. After a few repetitions, lessen the pressure on the leash but be prepared to give her a mild correction if she does not stop moving. When she stops, reward her immediately with a treat. Pause. Then give her release word and step off again.

She will figure this out quickly.

Next, try her food dish at mealtime. Put your hand on her collar while you put her dish on the floor and saying ‘Fifi, wait’. Give her release command and let go of her collar at the same time. No need to reward, she has her dinner – a huge reward!

Start using it at other times as well. Play on the floor with her with a toy. Toss it a few feet in front of her and, while saying ‘Fifi, wait’, put your hand on her collar so she cannot go after the toy. Wait a few minutes and release her as usual.

The more ways you learn to use the command, the more uses you will find for it. It was probably one of my most used commands because it had so many applications and was a very natural term to use, at least for me.

Good luck and let me know how your dogs are doing with all these new commands we are teaching!

Ann