If You're Running Away And I Touch You, You Freeze

Barley, a dog, patiently waits for permission to do something about the treat balanced on her head.

Barley doesn’t really understand the command “Stay.” In general, it’s much more difficult to train dogs to not do things they want to do than it is to train them to do something they wouldn’t otherwise. So Barley treats the command as a sort of general-purpose “Don’t!” Whatever she’s doing, she musters enough will to very reluctantly hold her position. However, she won’t really stay put - if you tell her to stay, and leave the room, she’ll probably follow you unless you keep shouting “Stay!” from the other room. Still, she’s good at waiting for permission to eat, at least for a moment.