Begin to back away with your hand still out. Say “good” when your dog stays

in place, and release the dog to come to you for a reward in a few seconds.

Each time you repeat this successfully, make the time interval of staying

longer until your dog will stay on command for up to a minute. Always offer

treats and plenty of praise as a reward for a job well done. It is best to teach

your dog to stay in a quiet place, however you should alternate practicing at

home and in a dog park or other public area to reinforce that stay means stay

regardless of the surroundings.

58.Teach your dog to settle down. Younger dogs especially tend to get wound

up very easily - sometimes with no external stimulation. Therefore, you are

wise to teach your dog how to go to “time out”. Do this by issuing the

command PLACE or RELAX and your dog’s response should be to go to the

designated spot and to lie down until you call him back. To teach this

command, catch your dog when he is wound up or pacing around incessantly.

Put on his leash and allow him to continue for a few moments. Then, issue

the command and gently guide him to the designated place, where you will

place your foot over the leash in order to keep him in place while he lies

down. At first, you may need to stay in position with your foot on the leash for

5 minutes or more until he has calmed himself. Do not relent – you may need

to devote more time. After a few sessions of training this technique, your dog

will probably be more than willing to retreat to his time out space for a few

minutes upon your command.

59.Train your dog to let you wipe his paws before entering the house. Dogs

are different from people – they are rarely bothered by dirt or mud on their

paws. They also do not realize why you would prefer they not leave mud

streaks all over your new carpeting. Avoid problems by getting your dog into

the habit of sitting near the entrance door on a mat or towel until you have

issued a command of INSIDE. But, before you issue that command take the

time to wipe each of his paws of all dirt and mud.