For everyone who doesn’t want their dog bolting out the door or simply to be more patient, this is a great cue. Teaching a dog to ‘wait’ is actually pretty simple. Often people are confused about the difference between ‘wait’ and ‘stay’ but it is really quite simple. ‘Stay’ means freeze in the posture you are in, be a statue. ‘Wait’ simply means no more forward progress. If a dog is told to ‘stay’ while it is sitting and it decides to lie down, technically that is not a good ‘stay’ and they would need to be guided back up to a ‘sit’. However, if a dog is sitting and it is told to ‘wait’ it’s okay if it changes position as long as it doesn’t move forward. ‘Wait’ is a much more casual word and applies well to pet dogs.
To teach a dog to ‘wait’ find a visual threshold. Walk your dog toward the threshold and turn your body in front of your dog. If your dog waits say ‘good wait’ followed by ‘okay’ and pass through the threshold. If your dog barges ahead of you, simply turn around and try it again. When your dog is waiting successfully try reducing the exaggeration of your movement. Maybe you can try turning a foot in front of the dog, putting a hand in front of them, or turning to the side a little as you say ‘wait’. The reward for ‘wait’ is the release but if your dog needs more help understanding you can pet it before you release and walk through the threshold.
Another way to teach ‘wait’ is having your dog wait for its meal. Ask the dog to ’wait’ as you are ready to put the food down. If your dog breaks position and moves forward guide them back to the spot they were at and try again. This may take a few tries especially if your dog is excitable about being fed, just be patient and consistent and your dog will learn by trial and error that charging forward does not get the food.
