Hot Take: You Don’t Need To Say “Stay” In Dog Training: Here’s Why Release Cues Work Instead!

Hot Take: You don’t need to say “stay” in dog training! I’m sharing how clear release cues give dogs greater clarity and confidence. I’ll take you through how I introduce this concept early with my puppies, how Crate Games helps build a strong foundation, and what it all looks like in everyday training, including when working with more than one dog. When our dogs truly understand what’s expected, they gain confidence and confident dogs make brilliant choices.

🐾Key Episode Moments:
00:00 Why I don’t use the word “stay” and what inspired this episode.
00:44 How cues get eroded.
03:20 What “controlled behaviors” mean for dogs.
04:46 How I introduce the release word to my puppy.
06:58 My dogs’ cues for leaving position (and why they don’t need “stay”).
08:19 Why I never use “sit” to stop my dogs at the door.
09:25 Why I teach “go chill” separately.
10:28 Step-by-step training for clarity with two dogs.
16:57 Outdated training vs. modern day training.

Resources:
1. Podcast Episode 52: The Five Most Common Words in Dog Training and Which Ones I Never Use - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/52/
2. Podcast Episode 155: 10 Ways To Teach A Sit WITHOUT A Food Lure! Unreal Results For Puppies And Dogs Of All Ages - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/155/
3. Podcast Episode 151: How Location Specific Reinforcement Markers Will Improve Your Dog Training! - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/151/
4. Podcast Episode 266: Hot Zone And Stays – How One Dog Training Nuance Can Fix Anxiety And Duration - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/266/
5. YouTube Video: Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett -    • Target Training for Dogs with Susan Garrett  


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Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team.

Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years.

A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained.

Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 132 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn.
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