One of the most valuable habits you can develop in dog training is saying your instruction once—and meaning it. If you really need your dog to stay, you’re not going to want to repeat the word 50 times. You’re going to say it once and expect your dog to stay.
The problem with repeating cues is that dogs are quick learners. If they realize they can ignore the first few times you say “stay” (or “come,” or “sit”) before anything actually happens, they’ll build that into their behaviour. Instead of responding the first time, they wait until the fifth. That’s not disobedience, it’s training. You’ve trained them to understand that your first few cues don’t matter.
Here’s how to set your dog up for success:
1. Say It Once and Exhale
When you give a cue, say it once, calmly, and then breathe out. Exhaling will calm you and your calmness will transfer to your dog. If you repeat yourself anxiously or with rising stress, your tone changes, and your dog hears more emotion than instruction. One word, one breath, clear and steady.
2. Pair Words With Hand Actions
Dogs live in a world of sight as much as sound. While your voice is important, your dog is likely to respond even better when you pair your cue with a hand signal. Give them something to focus their eyes on instead of competing with every distraction in the environment. A simple, consistent gesture can make your words more powerful.
3. Build Behaviour With Actions First
When I’m teaching a baby puppy or even teaching an adult dog something new I often begin with just a hand action and no words. Sometimes I’ll lure them into the position, sometimes they’ll offer it naturally (like a sit). Once the dog reliably performs the behaviour when I give the action, then I add the word. That way I can time the word at the exact right moment and the dog has a clear association between action, behaviour, and reward.
Dogs are action-based creatures. They don’t speak English the way we do, but they learn beautifully when we combine a visual cue with a behaviour. Once the connection is strong, you can use the word without the hand signal, or at a distance, the hand signal without the word. Either way, your dog will respond reliably because they actually know what it means.
When you give your dog one clear instruction, timed correctly and supported with a visual focus, you set them up to succeed. One cue, one action, one happy dog.