Hi all

I'm having touble teaching my rescue BCX to understand the 'wait' or stay' commands.  It maybe due to some insecurity...but the moment I take so much as half a step away from her a look of panic comes across her face and she leaps forward and wraps herself around my ankles....
Have tried having my SO holding her collar...but she tranfers her attention to him ignoring me completely, thus when I try and do this on my own she resumes her snake-like efforts around my ankles.
The instructor at dog training classes tells me not to go too far away...but i can't even step 6 inches away...I can get half a step away IF I keep my hand on her chin keeping her in position...but the monent I lose contact she lunges to be next to me.
She won't 'sit' for more than a microsecond...seemingly needing to be 'active' at all times....so trying for a prolonged 'sit' becomes 60 'sit' commands a minute...if you know what I mean. 
She gets confused, and I get frustrated...and then I have to end the session because good just gets worse....and losing my patience with her is probably the worst thing I could ever do....she's so desperately willing to please...but seems to have a concentration span of a milli-micro-second...
Please help....she's so desperate to get it 'right'...and I'm so frustrated that between us we can't seem to get it right...

The secret of stays is confidence, both you and your dog. The trouble is, you leave her, she moves. Next time when you leave her you are half expecting her to move so you are apprehensive. The apprehension goes to your dog and is a self fulfilling prophesy.

What's she like at catching things? BC's are quite sharp and usually very good. Try holding a handful of goodies and as she's sitting tell her to stay and toss one for her to catch. Gradually wait a little longer before tossing a treat and slowly back off another pace. Success breeds confidence, both yours and hers. If she is not food orientated try using a toy instead. BC's love showing their skills off. My sister's used to sit stay whilst catching a tennis ball and bouncing it back to her.

Best wishes, John

Thanks John

I think you're right..it is a confidence thing, and YES i do now anticipate that she'll move.

With regard to catching things...she's complete crap!  I often throw treats to my other dogs...and because she's bottom of their pecking order she doesn't even attempt to catch any treat coming her way.  So, even if she's on her own she'll wait for the treat to hit the ground before she attempts to eat it, as if she's waiting to see if another dog will take it first...
I know nothing about her first year of life as I picked her up as a stray last summer...but sadly she has no concept of 'play'...so a ball or toy holds absolutely no interest for her...i can only assume her puppy-hood was miserable...its terribly sad, and i've tried to teach her how to 'play' but she really has no interest.  She'll pick up a raggytoy and have a chew, but if you take it off her to instigate some 'playtime' she just resigns herself to the fact that you've removed the object.
Thanks for your reply though ...any other ideas...;o)

Try getting her to relax before training I had a similar dog to train for the stage(not my dog but a clingy ex rescue that had not been trained at all)

I use T touch massage to relax him did a little heelwork with loads of praise n titbits & then I treated him as i would a puppy & started by moving my right leg away & keeping the left one next to the dog repeating sit sit sit then move the right leg back & titbit. When he was relaxing I moved my right leg a pace then my left leg maybe only a few inches still giving the sit command & then back agian & reward

It is a confidence thing & the relaxation technique does help. I only train for like 5 minutes a time & as soon as one stage is regularly done with no problems move on. In 6 weeks this dog was on stage on his own doing the recall in Annie right across a real stage & run across stage & a walk across in semi darkness on his own. It was a reward in itself to see the change in him let alone his faultless preformances on stage(better than some of the actors)

You say she won't sit for more than a nanosecond - is this only when you move or at any time?

She will have to learn to sit beside you before you can start moving away.  Try getting her sitting beside you, on lead but with the lead having a small loop in it so it is not tight.
Say "Sit, one, two" in a firm voice and no eye contact, then if she has sat release her (okay or go play) and reward her with praise, treat or a couple of second of play.
Repeat up to five times and stop.

A couple of hours later repeat as above, then count to five instead of two for the rest of this session

A couple of hours later repeat but go up to seven, always starting off at the point (or below) that you successfully finished last time.

If you are dedicated enough about this you should be able to get her doing a sit stay beside you within a week, the rhythm of counting reassures and reaffirms what you want her to do.  Make sure your voice does not drop when you reach the point when you are going to stop, if this is happening then muddle the numbers up and make them random.

Once you are getting a minute sitting beside you take a small step away and start from the beginning again, then two steps.  Once you can take a few steps away you will be able to drop some of the numbers, ie - one, two three .... silence ...... six, seven, eight nine ......... silence ........ fourteen etc.

Thanks all for all your helpful replies.

I have taken all advice on board and will take her outside to give them all a try. ;o)

Try practicing indoors first as there are probably less distractions :)

LOL...there are far fewer distractions outside...inside she'll have to cope with the attentions of my four other dogs, all bristling with excitement because 'mum' opened the 'treat' box...
Beleive me...in my situation 'outside' is quieter....
But good suggestion for people with more a ideal indoor set-up...;o)

A trick I used was to get someone to hold him whilst I gave him the command.  I would leave him literally for 5 seconds before returning for him (stays obviously) then I would increase my time away from him.  Eventually he did learn that I was going back to him no matter what.  Now I am able to do an 8 minute out of sight with him no problem.

With the wait I gently lifted him up by his collar and placed him in the sit again if he broke.  I was never harshly lifting him up but just merely reinforcing.   I do push it with him now though to ensure that he does still know what a wait means because I can command him to wait and pull him on his lead towards me whilst still saying wait and he will not budge one inch because he knows what a wait means until I release him. 

A trick I used was to get someone to hold him whilst I gave him the command.  I would leave him literally for 5 seconds before returning for him (stays obviously) then I would increase my time away from him.  Eventually he did learn that I was going back to him no matter what.  Now I am able to do an 8 minute out of sight with him no problem.

With the wait I gently lifted him up by his collar and placed him in the sit again if he broke.  I was never harshly lifting him up but just merely reinforcing.   I do push it with him now though to ensure that he does still know what a wait means because I can command him to wait and pull him on his lead towards me whilst still saying wait and he will not budge one inch because he knows what a wait means until I release him. 

It is all about having confidence in your dog too.  Just believe in her instead of thinking she wont do it.