Teach Your Dog Wait Command

What you’ll need Food bowl Your dog’s food Patience

How to make it happen Start to practice where you feed your dog. Place several bits of kibble in their food bowl and ask your dog to sit.Once your dog is in the sitting position, say your cue, “Wait” and slowly begin to lower to food bowl to the floor.Continue to lower the bowl as long as your dog remains in the sit position.If at any time should your dog move out of the sitting position, give your no reward marker (“Eh-eh”) and abruptly raise the food bowl back up. Your dog should respond by returning to the sit position. Once they do, continue to lower the food bowl down towards the floor.If your dog begins to get impatient and starts to jump or bark trying to get their food, simply give your no reward marker once more and calmly leave the area and take the food bowl with you. Once your dog calms down, try again.

Continue this until you can lower the food bowl all the way to the floor and stand up, and take one step away.Once your dog can do this, give your release cue (“Okay!” or “Break!”) and allow your dog to eat the kibble in their bowl.

Make it more difficult by moving further away from the food bowl before releasing your dog to eat. You can practice stepping away and turning your back to your dog, spinning in a circle, or even while dropping an object.

Training Tips Continue to practice this during each and every meal time to increase impulse control and patience for your pup.

Practice this exercise with different treats and high value toys to help generalize this behavior. You should also practice this in different areas of your home as well.

“Stay” versus “Wait”- be consistent on which you use and when. “Wait” should only mean “Do not move forward” and the Wait cue can be used for entering a room or waiting to get a valued toy, object, meal or treat. “Stay” means to hold a particular position, like sit, down or stand, for a set amount of time before being released.

Practice this same routine at doorways, opening the door slowly as long as your pup can stay in position before giving your release cue “Okay!” and allowing them to follow you out. If they break the wait, give your no reward marker and close the door and step away. You can practice at the end of a sidewalk before crossing the street as well!