Wait is one of the behaviours I use most often with my dogs. Wait means don't move forward. The dog does not have to remain stationary and can sit, stand, or come back to you if you are walking, but the one thing she cannot do is keep moving forward or cross a barrier such as a door, a gate, a road, or jump out of the car. It's an important cue for safety.
I like to start training wait by using different positions of my hand with food. Watch this video with Buddy where he learns that when my hand is held down in a fist he must wait, and when I open my palm, the food becomes available to him. "Wait" should always be paired with a release cue that tells the dog he no longer needs to wait. In this case, my release cue is "Take it".
I like to start training wait by using different positions of my hand with food. Watch this video with Buddy where he learns that when my hand is held down in a fist he must wait, and when I open my palm, the food becomes available to him. "Wait" should always be paired with a release cue that tells the dog he no longer needs to wait. In this case, my release cue is "Take it".
To help Buddy generalize the concept of "Wait" at the front door, I feed him as I open the door slowly. By moving slowly, and rewarding him generously for not bolting out the door, I help him be successful.
After lots of practice, Buddy learned to wait at the front door. He waits until he is given permission to exit through the open door with the release cue, "Let's go". I continue to move slowly to help him be successful because this is still a new, and difficult, behaviour for Buddy. The polite behaviour doesn't end once Buddy goes through the door. He is also expected to wait calmly on the other side of the door, and not pull me. Watch Buddy sit and wait at the front door.
Release cues: Here are the release cues I pair with "Wait". You can choose your own cues, but it is important to have a release cue so your dog understands when she has to wait, and when she is free to go ahead or move forward. You could use a generic release cue such as "Free" or "Break" but I like to have specific release cues for different behaviours. It's completely personal preference. Here are my cues:
"Wait" (to eat) - "Okay, eat" (release cue)
"Wait" (at door or on trail) - "Let's go" (release cue)
"Wait" (in car) - "Exit" (release cue)
If you practice enough, waiting in some circumstances, such as at the door or in the car, will become a habit and you will not even need to give the cue. Your dog will simply wait to move or go ahead as a matter of course until she hears the release cue.
The difference between "Wait" and "Stay": Notice that the "Wait" behaviour is different from "Stay." Some people use these two cues interchangeably but I like to differentiate them. As discussed, "Wait" means don't move forward or cross a barrier but your dog can change positions, move sideways, or come back to you. "Stay" on the other hand means, literally, don't move. The dog should stay in place. See how to train a sit-stay and a down-stay (COMING SOON!)
Another use for the cue "Wait." Sometimes our dogs anticipate our cues and do the behaviour before we cue it. That may or not matter to you in some contexts. But if it does matter, because you want your dog to learn to do a behaviour on cue, you can use "Wait" to teach your dog to wait for the cue before doing a behaviour. Here's an example: TT is shutting the door and having so much fun that at one point he starts to move forward to shut it before I give the cue. So I ask him to "wait", he pauses, and then I give the cue "Shut it". You can see this at the 37 second point.
"Wait" (to eat) - "Okay, eat" (release cue)
"Wait" (at door or on trail) - "Let's go" (release cue)
"Wait" (in car) - "Exit" (release cue)
If you practice enough, waiting in some circumstances, such as at the door or in the car, will become a habit and you will not even need to give the cue. Your dog will simply wait to move or go ahead as a matter of course until she hears the release cue.
The difference between "Wait" and "Stay": Notice that the "Wait" behaviour is different from "Stay." Some people use these two cues interchangeably but I like to differentiate them. As discussed, "Wait" means don't move forward or cross a barrier but your dog can change positions, move sideways, or come back to you. "Stay" on the other hand means, literally, don't move. The dog should stay in place. See how to train a sit-stay and a down-stay (COMING SOON!)
Another use for the cue "Wait." Sometimes our dogs anticipate our cues and do the behaviour before we cue it. That may or not matter to you in some contexts. But if it does matter, because you want your dog to learn to do a behaviour on cue, you can use "Wait" to teach your dog to wait for the cue before doing a behaviour. Here's an example: TT is shutting the door and having so much fun that at one point he starts to move forward to shut it before I give the cue. So I ask him to "wait", he pauses, and then I give the cue "Shut it". You can see this at the 37 second point.