How To Teach Your Dog Not To Be "Unstayable"

Yes,”Unstayable” Is a real word and it can be found online in the Oxford English Dictionary. The online OED was kind enough to state that the word is an adjective, has been around since 1633 and is rarely used. However, the OED 3rd Edition would not reveal to me the meaning of ”Unstayable” unless I ponied up $10. That seemed like extortion to me and I drove to the nearby branch library to seek a physical copy. No luck there, so I headed to the main library. The main county library had also balked at subscribing to the latest online version of OED (3rd Edition) but they did have the 1989 Second Edition. This monumental compilation of words is comprised of an impressive twenty volumes. These words are weighty, as the more than 291,000 entries on 21,730 pages are hefty- just over 137.7 lbs. 6,243 pounds of ink were used in the printing. (The 3rd online only OED has over 600,000 entries). The 1989, twenty volume edition, is yet available for purchase at a mere $1179.99, should you be so inclined (1) (2). Remarkably, shipping is only $3.99!

Oddly enough this huge dictionary (2nd edition) does not actually have a definition for the entry “Unstayable.” Instead it gives a couple clear examples of a definition that isn’t there. This confounded me so I sought the librarian in the research department for assistance. He was, as every member of his profession I have encountered since grade school, with the exception of one, most helpful and even interested in my query. Additionally, he had better eyesight than I and had no trouble deciphering the minuscule font in the OED 2nd edition. It is even smaller print than the nearly invisible font on vaccination records people bring to class on the first night. He came to the same conclusion. There was no meaning given to the word, only examples.

To further muddle the matter, “Stayable” is not a word included in the OED 2nd Edition. But “Stayable” is a word in other dictionaries. As a legal term it means to postpone a court proceeding. Another meaning is to be conducive to inhabit or stay in a place. Also, but not in a standard dictionary, “Stayable” is noted as the name of an extended stay hotel chain in Florida. Pet friendly, by the way.

Another complication is that a single word can have a number of meanings. The word “set” in the 2nd OED has 430 definitions! The word “run” in the 3rd Edition has an unbelievable 645 uses (3)! When we look at dog training, we discover there can be different interpretations for what are considered simple basic commands. People and dogs often are not on the same page, much less using the same dictionary. On occasion, they are not even speaking the same language. Dogs who did not get early socializing, dogs who have never been trained, dogs who are raised in different cultures (i.e. Spanish speaking families or rescues from Compassion Without Borders) will not have any dictionary or knowledge of English.They will be adept at reading body language but English is a second language that takes time and practice to learn.

The following list is a small sampling of dog training terms used by people I have worked with. A term may have no meaning to a dog or owner, have a very specific definition or be a multiple choice test depending on context:

Wait

Dog chooses to be in Sit, Down or Stand but must remain in position until released to proceed- as through a door or jump from car.
Used instead of Stay, as freeze in a position.
Hang out- you’re on your own. I’m outta here.
Used as short pause, time often determined by dog.

Come

Call a dog to you- ideally he Sits in front until released.
Regularly used as a walking word instead of let’s go or heel. As in concept of proceed but not in any particular position.
Occasionally used as release word.

Stay

Freeze in position of sit, down or stand until released or given another command.
Stay command sometimes given before an owner leaves home. Person sits dog, says Stay, closes door and leaves. Stay means I’m a home alone dog. Good way to teach “Unstayable.”
Stay not in the dictionary of untrained or under trained dogs.
Actually, Stay does not have to be used. Sit, Down and Stand can be defined to include Stay without using the word. A release word or signal is required.

Sit

Dog plants back end firmly attached to terra firma and stays in position until released with a release word or given another command. This is a preferred definition.
Dog Sits but pops up immediately. Has yet to learn stay and/or a release word.
Dog Sits but breaks when given a treat. Equates treat as a release.
A dog sits but breaks w/o release word. This dog decides when he has had enough or his person does not use a release word.
A dog Sits on command,immediately offers a Shake or Down. The owner has taught a behavior chain so Sit always includes a Shake or the dog Downs as the second link in the behavior chain included with the cue Sit.
A dog Sits on command but immediately breaks. If owner rewards the dog, the dog did Sit momentarily but the Stand position is reinforced.

Off

Remove paws from a pounced upon person.
Leave it, do not touch or go for it.
Jump off furniture, bench, etc.

Down

Dog lays on ground, remains in position until released.
Detach paws from a guest after jumping on him or her
Get off a table, bench, furniture or anything else

Often used instead of of Stand, upright on four paws.
The dog jumps onto furniture, grooming table, car, etc.
Dog stands on two hind legs.
A service dog puts front paws on a counter as part of a transaction.

Often means nothing- either not found in dog’s dictionary or has simply become a background noise to be ignored.
Defines nothing and offers no instruction. If dog hears No after he already committed a criminal act.
May prevent or stop a dog in the act of or about to commit a crime.

The same command, cue or word often means something completely different to different owners. The same word may mean something different to different family members. The same word can mean something completely different to an owner and to his own dog, depending on context. For example, a preferred definition for the command Stay, is for a dog to freeze in position until he is released with a release word or he is given another command. The same owner may also tell his dog to Stay as he leaves the house. In this second context Stay is ambiguous and leaves the dog to determine what happens next, after his owner departs. Not a well defined command or situation.

Keep in mind that there are no magic words. There is no official required vocabulary. No traditional training wraith will suddenly manifest and reprimand you if you use Heel to position or walk your dog on the right side. Your dog can figure it out easily enough and I promise you will not be struck by a bolt of lightning. Use whatever vocabulary you prefer with whatever comes naturally. However, do make sure everyone working your dog is on the same page and using the same definitions from the same dictionary.

The derivation of “Unstayable” from the 2nd OED is simple enough to determine. It means something unstoppable, inexorable, inevitable Do these words apply to your dog when you open the door for a walk as he automatically catapults himself- a blurry, furry projectile, into the outside world? Perhaps, at every meal, he storms his food bowl like you’ve never fed him, the instant the bowl touches the floor. Or he predictably launches himself from the car as soon as a door cracks open. Other common instances of an “Unstayable” dog could be a dog assuming the metier of official home greeter/harrasser to visitors or he strains at the leash to rush up to play with every dog in his path, each dog potentially his next and bestie playmate.

We have defined Stay with a preferred meaning- a dog freezes and remains in a determined position such as Sit, Down or Stand (on four legs) until given a release word or signal that ends the command (Release, OK, Free, Break, Party Dude, etc). Or the dog is given a second command that supersedes the original Sit, Down or Stand would be examples. Generally, there are no options.

From here we can proceed to invite “Stayable” and perhaps “Stayability” into our training lexicon. Being able or the ability to Stay as we defined it. We now have two new dog training definitions not to be found in a dictionary. To make a dog “Stayable”it helps to revisit a learning model from ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) that consists of four parts: Acquisition (task introduced), Fluency (develop accuracy and speed), Generalization (new contexts, take it on the road) and Maintenance (periodic practice) (4).

For a dog to truly know a behavior it has to proceed through all four learning stages. It is one thing to lure a dog into a sit, it is another thing to remain in a Sit. It is an altogether different thing to remain sitting on grass in public and in the presence of another dog. “Sit” is not just a simple position. It can get complicated depending on how an owner defines or doesn’t define it. The definition of Sit includes Duration, Distance and Distraction, the three D’s. Often, a dog’s training is in a state of arrested development in an early stage of learning. The owner may not realize that Sit includes taking the dog into public and expecting the dog to remain in a Sit in innumerable contexts.

So how do we train a dog to be ”Unstayable,” to not be able to stay? It is easy enough to unaccomplish a Stay. Here are some reasons/excuses: don’t train your dog at all, under train, believe he is untrainable, procrastinate (avoid a problem to “deal with it next time”), my last dogs never needed training, test to see what your dog will do before training is complete (remember the definition of insanity?), don’t expect him to stay, he’s friendly so he doesn’t need to stay, don’t maintain learned behavior and the list goes on, the list goes on.

There are a number of sayings that pop up in dog training. One of my favorites is “you train what you accept.” This is a very succinct statement and I wish I could trace it to a particular person to give credit. When searching for the dog trainer who actually said the quote AI Overview attributed it to Barbara Woodhouse . When pressed further as in, did she actually say the quote?, AI admitted she never did say or write those wise words but instead delved into her use of the concept (5). (Kind of like the dictionary and “unstayable”). Another favorite saying that I first heard at a dog training seminar is “the more you practice, the luckier you get.” Turns out this pearl of wisdom, while helpful, was widely popular in the world of golf (6).

Here are a couple more sayings that I recall from actual famous dog trainers. One of these trainers has millions of followers on the internet. The other, millions of viewers on TV. The first saying is simply, “that didn’t go well.” Kind of a theme in that trainer’s early days. The second saying is “I didn’t see that coming.” Everyone watching that episode sure did. No need to mention names. Oh, one other memorable quote from a superior training manager in the beginning of my training days that I have never been able to forget. “Learning does not have to be fun.” She was quite the killjoy. While on the topic of quotes, according to Professor Buzzkill, Einstein was not the source of the above mentioned definition of insanity (7).

Another helpful model is the use of the A, B. C’s of behavior. A is for Antecedent- that which comes first. An Antecedent can be a cue (command), an environmental factor, a trigger, among other things. B is for Behavior. Keep in mind we are speaking only of the Behavior of the dog . The C is the Consequence, it is the result- if it is something the dog likes, the dog will want to repeat the behavior. Or is it something unpleasant that will reduce the behavior. Or is it even worth the dog’s effort at the moment? Dogs are very good at cost/benefit analysis.

I can picture the glazed over faces of some people in my class were we to delve into the types of Antecedents and what is called Antecedent Arrangement. ”I just want my dog to listen,” “I want her to stop jumping on people,” ”I want him to stop pulling on the leash.” “Give us tools not a damn lecture.” Knowledge of Antecedent and Antecedent Arrangement is a potent tool. You can better stack the deck in your favor by understanding the types of Antecedents and how to make Antecedent Arrangements. For those interested, here are a few footnotes that do a good job of explaining the A, B, C’s (8), (9), (10), (11). People are very concerned about the C or consequence. How can I correct my dog?, “what will make my No stronger?,” “what treat works best?” The C is very important. The Consequence will determine whether or not a dog repeats a behavior. But what exactly is the A? The owner and the dog having a different take or definition of Antecedent will lead to different outcomes, including the dog possibly becoming “Unstayable.”

Let’s look at the A, B C’s of “Sit” from the dog’s perspective:

Antecedent Dog hears cue “Sit.”
Behavior Dog ignores cue, remains standing.
Consequence No reward. No punishment.
Result Sit is not in the dog’s dictionary This dog’s destiny is to become “Unstayable.”

Antecedent Dog sees.smells treat in owner’s hand. The owner says Sit.
Behavior Dog Sits.
Consequence Dog gets treat.
Result Dog will Sit only when he sees or smells the money up front.

Antecedent Dog told to Sit and then treated.
Behavior Dog breaks Sit when given the treat.
Consequence Dog rewarded for breaking Sit.
Result Treat will signal end of Behavior Sit.

Antecedent Dog hears release word- Release, Break, etc,.
Behavior Dog breaks Sit.
Consequence Dog praised and/or treated
Result Dog has learned “Stayable,” in that context.

From the above examples,we see a range of possible definitions of Sit for a dog based on different Antecedents. Remember, we are looking only at the very specific behavior of the dog, not the person . An Antecedent should be considered a context.

Antecedent Dog notices an open door.
Behavior Dog bursts through door.
Consequence Owner takes dog for walk, or dog plays “betcha can’t catch me.”
Result The dog is rewarded for blasting through an open door. This dog has unwitting owner training him to be “Unstayable.” The owner is likely to say his dog is untrainable. Au contraire! The problem is the owner has reliably trained the wrong Behavior by reinforcing it.

Antecedent Dog sees a treat while the door to the outside is wide open.
Behavior The dog rushes through the door or the dog concentrates on the treat, does not rush through the door.
Consequence Dog bounds out to play keep away or alternatively, dog gets treat for remaining with his owner.
Result Behavior depends on which consequence is more valuable to the dog at that moment.The dog determines which Consequence is more valuable.

Antecedent Dog placed in Sit next to open door.
Behavior The dog remains in Sit.
Consequence The dog is rewarded by going on a walk.
Result Dog keeps Sit in context of open door. Well done!

So in the context of “fixing” a dog who rushes through an open door, what are we looking at? Dogs, like humans, do what works for them. If a behavior is rewarded, a dog will want to repeat it. If the behavior is not rewarded, the behavior often will extinguish” or disappear over time. Dogs also learn from what doesn’t work for them. So again, using our A, B, C model:

Antecedent Dog is on leash as door opens.
Behavior Dog rushes to door.
Consequence Door closes and/or leash prevents blastoff.
Result Reward of walk or freedom denied.

Here are a few more examples of the A, B,C model.:

Antecedent Owner arrives for medical appointment, dog needs to use facilities.
Behavior Dog is antsy and will not keep a “Down.”
Consequence The dog is taken out and relieves itself.
Result Dog settles in nicely, stays relaxed throughout rest of doctor’s appo

Antecedent Stranger approaches dog in “Sit.”
Behavior Dog breaks “Sit” and retreats behind owner.
Consequence Dog avoids uncomfortable situation.
Result Dog is rewarded by avoiding interaction.

Antecedent Dog in Sit offered a treat by a calmly approaching person.
Behavior Dog takes and spits out treat.
Consequence Dog again avoids interaction.
Result Same as above. Treat not motivating enough.

Antecedent Person reaches the dog with different treat after a lengthy conversation.
Behavior Dog approaches her and takes treat.
Consequence Dog rewarded with treat.
Result Dog now more comfortable with person and/or new treat is better motivator. No Sit involved in this situation.

If the behavior your dog offers is not the desired response to your cue (presumed Antecedent), you and your dog have dueling definitions and are not working together. As for Consequences, some dogs will work for the minimum wage (kibble), others will require union wages ( meaty, cheesy, freezy dried), depending on context. It is important to understand that your cue (Antecedent), whatever it is, must be the immediate, salient (discriminating) stimulus that tells a dog that something good or not so good is in the offing. There may be something in the environment (open door, dog’s housemate is present, working on grass for the first time, etc.) that as an Antecedent, may supersede your cue. In other words, if not managed, the environment may give your dog a better offer. Additional factors could be the dog is hungry and motivated to work or full and couldn’t care less about the glories of obedience training. It may be the dog has to relieve himself and so is unable to focus until allowed to do so.

Once we have an understanding of the A, B ,C’s and have begun navigating a course through the stages of learning, there is a very practical protocol to enhance our training and communication. Jean Donaldson, author of The Culture Clash, has a very precise training guideline that will define behavior for both owner and furry protege. Donaldson looks at dogs “stripped of their Hollywood fluff, with their loveable 'can I eat it, chew it, urinate on it, what's in it for me' philosophy” (12). Her Push, Stick, Drop rule is simple and precise. If you attempt five repetitions of a behavior and are successful in four or five of the attempts you “Push” forward and add a bit more criteria or challenge. Specifically, a bit more Duration (i.e., time in a Sit), Distance (owner from dog or dog from distraction) or a tad more Distraction, itself. If you get two or three successes you “Stick” at that point and work there until you get four or five successes. If there are zero or only one success you “Drop” criteria and make it easier for the dog to succeed at the behavior. You reduce or remove the influence of whatever element or context your dog is having trouble.

Jean Donaldson’s Push, Stick,Drop goes a long way by itself to develop training clarity and definition. Basically, you can’t go too far too fast, you eliminate inconsistency and all the while you are building a solid foundation. In combination with knowledge of the four stage learning model and the A,B,C’s, an owner has clear direction, a detailed map to follow on the training adventure leading to a “Stayable” dog. Your dog and you now share the same definitions from the same dictionary.

Management- setting up the environment and situations to prevent problems is a huge factor for successfully using the learning stages model, the A, B, C’s, as well as Jean Donaldson’s protocol. If you train fifteen minutes a day, do the math as to how long you must keep your dog out of mischief every twenty four hours. Simply having the dog on a leash will help you prevent the “Unstayability” issues of bolting through doors, storming the food bowl, “friendly” assaults on guests, rushing up to say hiya to each of the two hundred dogs in the park that day. The leash is there for guidance, simply preventing the behavior of going through the door or leaping on someone, etc.

Our goal is to limit the dog’s options. If the owner can develop the attitude of you (Mr. Dog) will not ever be allowed to go through the door until you Sit or Wait. You (Ms Puppy) cannot greet that person or dog until you Sit calmly. If given no chance to make a bad choice a dog will soon learn to comply with the appropriate Behavior, for which he will be rewarded with a worthwhile Consequence. The dog and owner are working together. There is a predictability shared by a dog and an owner. One will realize that indeed, things are now going very well, thank you. The owner can now see things coming from a mile away and can easily avoid problems. All your practice is totally making you even luckier. (I am sure golfers happily share their wisdom). Learning with your dog has now become great fun for you both. The definition of “Unstayable” becomes irrelevant. We can still train what we accept only now with more confidence in ourselves and our dog.So with an improved predictability of success, let’s up our game to “you train what you expect.”

Mike OssenbeckSeptember 7, 2026