Freaks Out When He Cant See Me

[Shakti]

Hi everyone - please offer any and all suggestions - I am out of ideas My gorgeous 4 year old male GSD is loving having more time with me and we go to dog training every week as well as doing long daily walks together, some agility and Obedience etc.

He is wonderful with most Stays including the Stand but he is absolutely miserable on a Stay if I move out of sight. He will hold it for maybe 1-2 minutes but then start crying and yelping and within another minute or so will break to run and find me. If he is tied in place he will Stay for maybe 2 minutes but when I return to him, he cries and jumps at me and just wont/cant listen to any commands until he is calmer.

I don't make a fuss of him when I return to him and try to keep the time I am away from him short so he doesn't start to get distressed but we are just not making progress.

I have been trying to increase how long he can manage without being able to see me for almost a year now :D

[luvsdogs]

I used to have the same problem with April. When I 1st started doing obedience with her she was very good at staying. As time went on & we advanced through the classes the instructor would get us to do very long stays, sometimes longer than a football field. So she started breaking all her stays. I would have to put her back 2-3 times. After a time she started to get a little better when the instructor got us to do an out of sight on the other side of the clubhouse. Needless to say she followed me. I never did get her out of it, but then I never did any trialling.

Perhaps you too progressed too quickly before he had a chance to build confidence. The only thing I can suggest is to go back to the very beginning, one step at a time.

[becks]

I would say to go back to basics with him and don't give him a chance to fail. If he is crying and yelping, then you shouldn't be leaving him that long.

Try using a definite sound to end the stay, eg. I helped one of mine by training stays with a clicker, so they knew that my approach wasn't the end of the exercise.

Do you try walking around the dog? This way you can practise a return to dog without leaving him.

[WildatHeart]

if he is cyring and yelping so you continue back to him and touch him/release him? if you are that would be reinforcing what he was doing. try ignoring it till he stops then pat him or whatever you do. Mine was the same

[Cosmolo]

How did you start your out of sight stay?

[Shakti]

I started leaving him for 5 second iincrements at a time - returning to him, walking around him and then after a few more minutes of standing still beside him releasing him. He is fine up until about 10 seconds and then he starts with the whingeing, If I am in sight he will Stay solidly for up to 5 minutes.

[Lablover]

I started leaving him for 5 second iincrements at a time - returning to him, walking around him and then after a few more minutes of standing still beside him releasing him. He is fine up until about 10 seconds and then he starts with the whingeing, If I am in sight he will Stay solidly for up to 5 minutes.

Is this setup at obedience training only? What is his reactions during stays, at home?

[Cosmolo]

Where are you leaving to when you go out of sight, ie how far away?