I'm puzzled. I'm sure everyone or most of you know he was abused in his old home. He is getting better.... Sort run of the story is everytime you looked at him he thought he was in trouble and peed. Its been three days and hes had I think two pee accidents.

Now back to the training...

When he goes out to the bathroom (he is house trained) I started using this time to give him a treat and get him to laydown. Well the first few weeks he would pee becuase he thought I was mad, even thought I wasn't and had the treat where he could see it.

Now he comes into the house and does two laps around the house running his springer head off and then sits and looks at me for his treat... I take the treat out and say lay down, BANG the past week I've only had to say it once and hes down.

Now I want to do stay... I've tried lately but he lays down and then crawls slowly until hes right up to me. and since I can have a firm "no" to make him stop and I can grab him and move him back to the spot, all of which makes him pee. I really don't know what to do.

He knows Sit, Come, Lay Down but not stay. I'm puzzled.

Are you trying to move away from him when you say 'stay'???????? Will he stay down with you next to him and only move when you try to move away??Also, have you tried just reinterating the 'down' - this works much better with my pup - rather than 'stay'.

Hi Erin, You can try and use "wait" instead of Stay as it sounds so much like play. Another thing don't use his name with the command when you back away ie "Hendrix, stay" can be confusing as he knows that when you normally use his name he comes to you. So try "Hendrix sit, stay/wait"

I had a few probs with Angel when she was young, the only way I cracked it (not necessarily the right way!) is to put him in a sit next to you, crouch down next to him and gently hold his collar with your left hand, toss a toy that wont roll too far and tell him to wait, if he goes to move gently hold his collar and if necessary put your right on his chest, all the time saying wait, then release him giving a command like "go on"

Good luck!

Sam and Angel

i think bearing in mind your previous posts and my replies, trying to train him and correct him till hes gained your trust is only setting you back.let him learn to be a dog first then start the training

I wanted to address Cheeky first...

I have been doing this... He now feels very safe (from what I can tell since hes not peeing as much now... the past two time have been out of excitment.)

I have started a BARF feeding and since starting this he has seemed to be responding to me better... Don't askme why I cause I don't really know...

He has let me groom out the mats behind his ears and cut the hairs on his feet that were getting very long... before he would just run from me when he saw the scissors. Thats why I have started the training. I hope this kinda puts to rest your worries.

Also he has not started to play play when I take him for off lead walks... which was a first all he ever did before was run and walk.

Hi Erin

Do you actually need him to stay at the moment??? It took me ages for Freddy to manage this and even now it is his weakest training spot, any insecurity has him creeping or all out flinging himself to me. When he is tethered, say when we are camping, he needs to be on a metal cable as he would chew to get to me.

I rarely actually need him to formally stay so I have tended not to bother too much. He can (after 4 yrs of training for it) do a 2 min stay with 30 secs out of sight but he has to be totally confident with the dogs and people in the group.

Conversely I can leave him on his bed, a different room etc for ages now (just by leaving im not commanding him) so it is not SA, he is just uncomfortable and made anxious by being left in a stay .