Teaching your dog to wait, one step at a time

How “wait” and “stay” differ

Many trainers keep these two cues apart so dogs don’t get confused.³⁶

This is a convention trainers like to use, not a fixed rule. What matters is that everyone at home uses the same word to mean the same thing.

Why train with rewards

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) states that the evidence supports reward-based training for every kind of dog training, and that there is no evidence painful or frightening methods are needed, such as choke or prong collars, shock collars, shouting or jerking the lead.¹

A study of 92 dogs from 7 training schools in Portugal found that dogs trained with aversive methods showed more stress behaviours and a bigger rise in stress hormones after training.⁴ Another study comparing recall training in 63 dogs found reward-based training worked at least as well as e-collars.⁵ Both studies have design limits, but the results point the same way as AVSAB and the RSPCA, who advise short, regular, reward-based sessions.¹⁷

Step by step

Have small treats your dog loves, pick a quiet room, and train in short sessions several times a day.⁷ The method below is based on guidance from the AKC and VCA.²⁶

1. Teach a release word firstPick a short word such as “free” or “okay”. Ask for a sit, wait a second, then say the release word as you give a treat and invite your dog to move. They learn that this word means they can get up.²
2. Start with 1–2 secondsAsk for a sit or down, show a flat palm as a hand signal with the cue, wait just 1–2 seconds, reward, then say the release word.²
3. Build up the timeOnce your dog can wait about 10 seconds, reward them at intervals during the wait.² Sometimes reward right away and sometimes later, so they learn that waiting is normal.⁶
4. Add distractionsOnly once your dog can wait about 30 seconds, start adding distractions such as tapping a table or someone walking past, and shorten the wait each time you add a new one.²
5. Step back one pace at a timeTake one step back, then walk back to your dog, reward, and only then say the release word. Always go back to your dog before releasing.²

Waiting at the door

A wait at the door stops your dog dashing out into traffic or getting lost, and makes it safer to carry things in and out of the house.³

1. Open the door just a crackIf your dog moves towards it, gently close it again. If they stay put, reward, then open it a little wider.
2. Add the cueOnce your dog understands, start saying “wait” before opening the door.
3. Step into the doorway, then walk throughReward while your dog keeps waiting. Some rounds, release them out with a toy as the reward; other rounds, just come back and give a treat without releasing.

Start with doors inside the house. At the front door, always keep your dog on a lead, then practise at the crate door and the car door too.³

Common mistakes

• Walking backwards away from your dog, which invites them to follow²
• Making it harder too fast, or adding several things at once²
• Releasing from a distance, or letting your dog release themselves²
• Saying the release word by accident in everyday talk²
• Rewarding the release more than the wait²
• Giving the cue when your dog is stressed or very excited⁶

When puppies can start

VCA suggests starting “sit” and “come” from about 7–8 weeks, and “stay” and “leave it” from about 3–4 months, and it may take many more months before a puppy follows cues reliably.⁶⁸ If you join a puppy class, choose one that uses rewards and requires vaccination before joining.⁸

When to get help

If your dog has a serious behaviour problem, such as aggression, strong fear or anxiety, talk to a vet, a veterinary behaviourist or a qualified animal behaviourist, as it may need changes to the environment, behaviour modification and sometimes medication.¹⁷