Wait vs Stay | A Critical Distinction in Dog Training and Dog Sports
What is the difference between a Wait and a Stay? Give it some thought before moving on... I'll wait and fill some time with some background.
Do You Have an Answer?
If you've been to camps over the last 4 or 5 years, you've most likely heard me ask this important question. You have also probably seen the looks of confusion on people's faces when confronted with the question, or perhaps experienced some befuddlement yourself.
Having an answer, a logical and distinctive answer, to this question is a must for dog trainers and dog sport aficionados. That said, few trainers have that answer and it becomes a difference without distinction.
So do you have an answer? If you do, and it differs from the one I'm going to lay out here in a moment, go ahead and drop it in the comment section below. This is a question that I'm quite interested in.
The difference between a Wait and a Stay (duration behavior) is that a Stay releases to, and only to, the release word, while the Wait releases to a conditioned response.
Loot has a solid wait. A Wait is the most important behavior for successful vaulting. Without a wait getting started in sync and in time is nearly impossible. Loot is waiting for the presentation of the vaulting platform, a conditioned response, before releasing to the vault.Why It Matters
Conflating the Wait and Stay creates many performance issues making this distinction absolutely critical when it comes to dog sport. Conflating these two behaviors leads to unreliable Stays and delayed releases from Waits.
In addition to these critical performance problems, conflating the Wait and Stay creates a great deal of pressure on the dog, handler, and team and sets up unnecessary errors that get in the way of efficient, successful training and handling.
When is it OK to go? Do I stay here or move with you as I have been taught? Am I in it for the duration or am I looking for the opportunity to do the thing?
I believe that the confusion between Wait and Stay is responsible for many nagging problems in dog sport and dog training:
In Agility:
- Start Line Stay
- 2 On 2 Off Contacts
- Table
In Disc:
- Vaults and Overs
- Unstable Front Position
- Stalls and Dog Catches
- Multiples
In General:
- Heel Position
- Down Stays
- Pedestal Work
- Sit Pretty/Stand
- and a host of others...
It's Not Too Late to Clean It Up
The best way to clean this up is to alternate Waits and Stays within similar behaviors.
I will demonstrate and discuss some of my methods for creating a clear distinction between Wait and Stay in a future piece.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://pvybe.com/dog-training/wait-vs-stay-a-critical-distinction-in-dog-training-and-dog-sports/