Teaching stay at mealtimes
This is a great time to teach some impulse control. The puppy’s action will determine what you do.
Hold the bowl of food and wait for a calm behaviour. Without saying anything, start to lower the food bowl to the floor. Watch your puppy closely! Any move towards the bowl and you must bring the bowl up (back to your starting position). Say nothing! When pup is settled you can start the process again. It will likely take several attempts, but your patience will pay off.
When you are able to place the bowl on the floor, encourage your pup to eat. They may be hesitant as previous attempts to move toward the bowl made it go away. Make this a training session by repeating the exercise several times. Divide the food into 3 or 4 portions so you can try 3 or 4 times during the one meal. Feeding smaller portions can help if your pup likes to gulp the food down quickly.
Only add a cue when you see your pup learning to wait.
Teaching stay with a platform
Use a mat to begin with. I prefer a raised surface (I use a platform) as it really helps to define the space your dog should be in. Start close and reward him for being on the mat. Give him a treat every few seconds for about 5 or 6 treats. Then take a small step backwards and quickly return to him. If he hasn’t moved, then you can give the treat.
It is important to return to your dog for rewards (initially) as it is the ‘not moving’ part that needs reinforcing. Pay the Stay!
Gradually increase the distance but always return to him for the reward which reinforces the ‘not moving’ behaviour. Once he shows that he is beginning to understand the behaviour you can try adding a visual or verbal cue. Make sure this visual cue doesn’t look like anything else. I use an open hand with palm facing the dog. Keep the sessions short (1-2 minutes max) and then give your dog a play break. Do use a release word (like “OK” or “FREE”) so that he knows he has permission to move from the stay position.