AKC ob competition requires a "stay" command. It can be voice or hand signal.
Schutzhund will cost you points if you do either. It's considered a double command.
When I do AKC I do it for no other reason then to appease the judges but I always use a hand signal.
The reality is that, as you said, the sit or down command should be held till you say otherwise. "Stay" is moot!

Good morning Mr. Scott,

After an extremely mild winter, snow this week... Amazing.

I usually use hand signals preceded by some sound or dog's or dogs' name or names. Not sophisticated hand signals, more gestures, really.

Palm out for 'stay;' a waved palm out for 'cut out that behavior and do some thing else.' Heh, heh, heh.

I think, over time, I've come up with variations on the right way to do stuff that demonstrate a generally lazy dog owner's approach to working with dogs. A shorthand, perhaps.

Mostly it is easier to carry on conversations with people if you can snap your finger or grunt or simply get eye contact and use a hand signal to achieve a desired command outcome.

A story: out in the front yard puttering around, a walker stops to chat, we chat, he asks 'where are your dogs?, I respond and point 'there' - where the four were down on the other side of the yard watching us - and he asked if Freya could visit, I called" 'Freya, come,' she came and the other three stayed down.

It is comforting when the dogs resist temptations and remain where placed. And these are not pansy mutts.

And I needed to mow the lawn today. Darn snow.

I'm pretty much with the others here. I used to use stay a lot, since my dogs would get up and wander off if I didn't, but now I only use it for keeping a dog in a room, or from jetting out of their kennels first thing in the morning when they're fresh and ready to go.

Mike, it sounds like you've pretty well got things under control.
BTW
I just noticed your sub line quoting JW. One of my fav oldies!
Sam,the dog was trained by the same guy Rudd Weatherwax (sp) who trained lassie. I believe "Sam" was either a sibling or pup that came down from Lassie.

IMO it's all what your looking for in the command. "Down" or "sit" with an implied "stay" that is trained that way, is what you get. Pup lies down and doesn't move until told to do otherwise. Using "down" or "off" to get off furniture or whatever else is what some people use "down" for. "Down" with a "stay" is teaching two seperate commands, and splitting those behaviors with "stay" being used in combination with other commands. "Stand" , "stay" or "place" , "stay" or "there" , "stay". "Stay" is your operative word for "do not move".

I'll walk my dogs and give a "stay" command in the middle of the walk. I expect them to freeze in place and do not move. They are both well aware of what the command is, and what it implies. "Ok" is my release command for everything.

You can even use a "down" with an implied "stay", and use the "stay" command seperately for other things.

So it all depends on how you want to use it. You can get two behaviors in one command, or split up the commands and use them for other things.

Down means down and sit means sit and hold that position until I give the release command. I have never trained the word stay my dog doesn't know the word, there's no "down stay" or "sit stay" that's a double command like Bob said.
I do have a hand signal and a "wait" command but it's only used by itself not as a double.
Besides I find the quadruple to be more affective "Sit no wait stop" lol.

Joe; do you use any proximity commands?

If I'm on the same page when you say proximity I use "close".
Mainly when were walking off leash and I want her to be close to my left side, not a formal heel with focus just a what I call a sloppy heel, stay close until what ever passes then release command "break" or "go".

Or were you referring to proximity scent or alert I know you've been tracking right?

Joe;
Not tracking proximity.
The first part of your post is part of what I was asking. The part I'm still wondering about is how you get her to stay somewhere and you don't want her to follow, say from room to room or one part of the yard to another. Do you always put her in a position and make her hold it til you return?

I'll toss in something else. Not to answer for Joe.
I have two sets of commands. If I tell the dog go lay down, I'm not as strict as If I give a "Platz" command. That's a competition command and I expect the dog to hold that til told otherwise.
"With me" is a very loose heel command that I learned when herding. "Fooze means sharp and precise.
"Here" for me is an informal command. Ge over here and hang around. "Front" is formal and I expect a straight sit in front.
When competition heeling I will always lead off on my left foot. ALWAYS! That's anothe cue that tells the dog to keep up.
When I leave the dog for a long down or sit I will leave with my right foot. That's also another cue for the dog to remain in place till told otherwise.
Dogs read our body language easier then they understand our babble. Be consistent and the dog will figure it all out!