James Middleton has shared his quick-and-easy method for training dogs to learn the command ‘stay’ - using ‘a flat Amazon box or a car mat’
The Duchess of Cambridge's brother, revealed his top tips for teaching a pooch to learn commands as part of a series of training videos for his health and wellbeing company for dogs, Ella and Co.
The entrepreneur - and self-styled ‘dog dad’ - took to Instagram on Saturday to share his ingenious technique with the help of one of his six dogs, golden retriever Mabel.
James, who also has four black Spaniels called Ella, Zulu, Inka and Luna, and puppy Nala, shared episode two of his video series James’ Training Tips, which was on teaching dogs to ‘sit and stay’.
The dog lover told pet owners that they needed a ‘quiet place’ to practice his technique with their own pooch and need something for their dog to ‘sit on’, such as an Amazon box, carpet tile or car mat.
He explained: “First off is to find a nice quiet place for you to do this with your dog. And the other thing that is really important is to find something that your dog can sit on.”
“So, for example, an Amazon box, the mat from your car, an old bit of carpet tile, or what Mabel's sat on is a little stool.”
Demonstrating his three-step technique in the video below, James said that owners first need to get their dog comfortable with getting on and off the chosen object so their pet ‘wants to go back on’.
As his obedient pooch Mabel showcased the first step, James continued: “She [Mabel] knows this is a good place that she gets lots of attention when she's on it, and then when she gets off it, she wants to go back on.”
James said the owner then needs to gradually increase their distance away from their pet before coming back to praise them, reassuring their dog that they won't be abandoned.
Showing the final step, James explained that owners will then be able to walk away from their dog, who should obediently stay on the step, before calling the pet to join them.
He concluded: “I hope that helps. Let me know how you get on and if you've got any questions or you've got your own videos to show me, please share them. I'd love to see them.”
Alongside the training video, James revealed he had also shared tips on trimming your dog's nails at home on his Ella and Co Instagram page.
He penned: “Over the last few weeks I've been sharing a range of training tips on how I train my dogs.”
“The more that training becomes an everyday part of life with your dog, the more you will both benefit - their minds will be stimulated.”
“Keep thing fun and engaging, rather than thinking of training as something that is taking time away from fun and games with your dog - make it just another way to enjoy spending time together.”
James, who was staying with his parents at their Berkshire home during lockdown, launched Ella and Co last summer and said he was 'extremely proud' to be starting the business, which he described as his ‘heart and soul’.
His company has since released products including freeze-dried dog food and cold-pressed food and James also uses the platform to share handy dog training tips.
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