Whoa and wait?

[Djanes]

We are doing basic obeidiance with our GWP and want to teach him the command wait. But will this hamper or conflict with whoa training later?

[gonehuntin']

To me, they mean the same thing.

[zjohn14]

I just stay so in case dog is laying or sitting I can say it just around home only been trying use whoa in the field an training. A friend of mine said work well for him so I tried it

[shags]

I use both whoa and wait. Whoa is for in the field and means ' stop immediately and do not move a muscle or else the Wrath of All That is Holy Will Descend Upon You'. Wait means 'stand still enough that I can get your collar on, ( or open the door, or get back on my horse, or pull the vegetation off your tail, or for other non-urgent more casual situations where I don't care about a little movement). I don't want to pull out the big correction guns every time I need the dogs to be still a minute, and I really don't want them to get into the habit of moving once they're told "whoa".

[birddogger]

I use whoa for all of it. I only need one command for the dog to stand still. As GH said, they mean the same thing to me also.

Charlie

[Djanes]

Thank you guys. I appreciate your input. I think were going to go with wait around the house and whoa in the field.

[Brazosvalleyvizslas]

No need to muddy the water with multiple commands when they mean the same thing. I personally use "wait" because everyone else uses Whoa and I don't want my dogs responding to them.

It doesn't matter what command you use but I see very little use for multiple ones that mean the same thing.

[41magsnub]

Is "wait" the same thing as "stay"?

[shags]

No need to muddy the water with multiple commands when they mean the same thing. I personally use "wait" because everyone else uses Whoa and I don't want my dogs responding to them.

It doesn't matter what command you use but I see very little use for multiple ones that mean the same thing.

The point is, they don't mean the same thing.

[Brazosvalleyvizslas]

No need to muddy the water with multiple commands when they mean the same thing. I personally use "wait" because everyone else uses Whoa and I don't want my dogs responding to them.

It doesn't matter what command you use but I see very little use for multiple ones that mean the same thing.

The point is, they don't mean the same thing.

Why don't they mean the same thing? Please explain.

[Brazosvalleyvizslas]

Is "wait" the same thing as "stay"?

Wait is like Whoa...It means wait for your next command.. ie Wait for your food, wait to go out of the door, wait until I give you further demands.....

You can use whatever word you want but the more commands you use for the same desired outcome, the more difficult it becomes. I don't ever have to use a "stay" command because any type of still position, the dog needs to stay there until released. You can use any word that you choose but you don't need more than one to achieve the same objective.

[shags]

No need to muddy the water with multiple commands when they mean the same thing. I personally use "wait" because everyone else uses Whoa and I don't want my dogs responding to them.

It doesn't matter what command you use but I see very little use for multiple ones that mean the same thing.

The point is, they don't mean the same thing.

Why don't they mean the same thing? Please explain.

We field trial, so it's important that when my dogs are told to whoa, they do not move at all.

At home or in certain other situations, I may want them to be still enough to let me do what I need to do, but a little slinging, happy footing, or other movement is OK.

If they are commanded to whoa during some of situations at home, and they move a muscle, I have to correct them each and every time in order to maintain the behavior I want at trials. Who has time for that? Not me. I have 6 dogs in the house and with "wait" I can have some semblance of order with the whole pack loading up into the truck, getting roading harnesses or ecollars on, or at feeding time. It would take forever to have to enforce "whoa" if needed at those times. Might be lazy of me, but I like being able to relax the standards sometimes and not be in whoa-police mode all the time.
YMMD

[Bluesky2012]

I use both whoa and wait. Whoa is for in the field and means ' stop immediately and do not move a muscle or else the Wrath of All That is Holy Will Descend Upon You'. Wait means 'stand still enough that I can get your collar on, ( or open the door, or get back on my horse, or pull the vegetation off your tail, or for other non-urgent more casual situations where I don't care about a little movement). I don't want to pull out the big correction guns every time I need the dogs to be still a minute, and I really don't want them to get into the habit of moving once they're told "whoa".

So whoa means "stand still indefinitely" and wait means "whoa but I won't actually enforce you staying still or staying in one spot"

Yea...... How about just enforcing a command? Do I need sit, and sit-lite? Or here, and here at your own convenience? No. You either do what You say and obey, or you don't ask the dog to do it.

No reason to ask a dog to differentiate a minute detail between a command, and a general request you've never actually trained or enforced consistently.

OP, teach a dog whoa, and sit. Both mean stay in a certain position, in a certain place, indefinitely.

If you start adding conditions to each command, it muddys the water. Don't waste time with that crap.

[shags]

How 'bout you do what works for you and I'll do what works for me? Then we're both happy unless of course you need to be the training police around here.

[Neil]

How 'bout you do what works for you and I'll do what works for me? Then we're both happy unless of course you need to be the training police around here.

Love it.

[Bluesky2012]

I'm just making sure the OP doesn't waste time.

[DonF]

Actually they probably do mean pretty much the same. But I think where you use it make's the difference. In the field I never say wait. But going outside at the door, wait means don't barge out, wait till I tell you to go. getting in and out of the car I also use wait. I guess wait means you can fidget if you want whoa means you cant. Beauty of it is dog's don't really understand english, unless of course you have a setter! The word's used for command's need to mean something to you. If they mean the same, expect the same compliance no matter where you use it. When my dog's are waiting to get out, they are pumped up. Whoa get's lost in the excitement to often.

[birddogger]

I like to use as few commands as possible and keep it simple for me and the dog, but that doesn't make my way right or wrong....It is just what works for me and what I prefer. I agree with shags....Do which ever you prefer and what works for you and the dog. There are probably very few of us that do everything exactly the same for every situation. As long as it works, it doesn't make one of us right and the other wrong.

Charlie

[Pepper]

Understand that these are commands are in our language not the dog.The commands should be different in voice and have different meanings so that dog doesn't get confuse on what we want. We need to be fair. Whoa or stay or something other needs to be communicated clear. Otherwise you will be getting the looks from your dog on.....

[gonehuntin']

I like to use as few commands as possible and keep it simple for me and the dog, but that doesn't make my way right or wrong....It is just what works for me and what I prefer. I agree with shags....Do which ever you prefer and what works for you and the dog. There are probably very few of us that do everything exactly the same for every situation. As long as it works, it doesn't make one of us right and the other wrong.

Charlie

+1

[RayGubernat]

How 'bout you do what works for you and I'll do what works for me? Then we're both happy unless of course you need to be the training police around here.

I have to say that I use a version of "whoa" in the field and the dog had better stop...and I mean stone dead in its tracks and grow roots until given a release command. No exceptions, no deviations, no happy feet...nothing... just stand there with a high head and an elevated tail...for just as long as it takes.

Around the house and kennel I don't even use the command, except for training reinforcement. I try not to overuse commands in general, and that one and "HERE" in particular. I want INSTANT and total compliance to both of those, so I use them sparingly and enforce them like their lives depended on it.

A field trial dog that moves it's feet after establishing point is wasting my time, the judges' time and entry fee\, because it ain't gonna do squat where I trial.

RayG

[MNTonester]

what is the meaning of "is"

[Sharon]

I like to use as few commands as possible and keep it simple for me and the dog, but that doesn't make my way right or wrong....It is just what works for me and what I prefer. I agree with shags....Do which ever you prefer and what works for you and the dog. There are probably very few of us that do everything exactly the same for every situation. As long as it works, it doesn't make one of us right and the other wrong.

Charlie

x2

Whoa means " don't move yet" to my dogs. That's all I need in the house or field. Whoa also has a more clear vowel opportunity than wait.

[TonyS]

Use one word consistently. Then the dog understands what you want.