[Marilize]

Oh, I know. Sometimes they are just too cute.

What do you want out of the stay exercise? Do you want him all excited and running around after a stay or do you want him to have a reliable, consistent stay? If you answer this question truthfully, you can work on what you want and need.

I think you will find that he will be excited in a park anyway, regardless of whether you encourage it or not. To have a really obedient dog, he has to listen to you wherever he is and exciting him so much that you can't handle him afterwards may be detrimental later.

At the moment, he is getting his reward if he breaks the stay. His reward being to run around like crazy. So, in his mind, the sooner he breaks the stay, the sooner he gets his reward. No wonder he is breaking the stay. He is a smart little guy.

In your situation, I would take a ball or toy with me to the park and give it to him after the stay. This will reward him for a great stay in a great way. He should look forward to the end of a stay, but he shouldn't break a stay to get what he wants earlier.

So, reward him with a toy or ball and a fun game of fetch. He will soon learn that if he holds off a little while longer, he gets a better reward. I mean, he can run around as much as he wants, but that isn't going to get him the toy.

So, simply change your reward and he should do fine. Hehe, I find that even though they absolutely love running around like crazy, they will hover near you if you have a nice toy and a fun attitude.

A dog behaviourist friend told me something that has meant the world to me: The most important thing when you are training your dog is to figure out what he wants at that moment. So, he wants fun and games... give it to him, but only on your terms and only if he is a good boy.

Good luck. I think you are both going to have a lot of fun.