Magic carpet ride

This is NOT going to become a training blog but I just have to share this idea for proofing stays because it's fun. It's from my friend Renee, who got it from her friend Linda, and if it needs to be credited to anyone beyond that, well, I don't have a clue.

First you need a rug just big enough for the dog to sit on. Obviously, Phoenix is not sitting on his rug. He's eating it. Eating the rug is not a useful proofing tool.

Neither is tugging. But it's fun. And it makes the Malinois happy. And heaven forbid the Malinois not be happy.


We will be serious now. Listen to me! Be serious! You are so not serious. See what I live with?


This proofing game really makes the dog think about holding his stay. It turns a passive exercise into an active, thinking exercise that the dog can "participate" in, not just zone out. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend doing this with great big dogs unless you are a professional weight lifter. Or unless you really like having sore muscles the next day. Phoenix weighs 52 pounds. I am not a professional weight lifter. But I have ibuprofen and I know how to use it.

Have your dog sit on his rug. Give your stay command. Carefully hold the edges of the rug and pull your dog across the floor. Or just pull him a couple of inches if you didn't eat your Wheaties this morning. Did your dog stay on the rug? Did he leap off? Does he think you are a GODDESS for coming up with a new game instead of drilling those monotonous sit-in-a-(yawn)-line stays.