Week 1 Three Stages to Teach the Place Command In

 Description of the place command:  The place command, when finished, allows you to send your dog to a bordered object on the floor (a folded quilt or blanket, a cot, or a dog bed are some examples) where your dog can stay until you release them for a period of time and they can be comfortable for a period of time, while you do something else.

This exercise also helps your dog to have impulse control, and learn they can’t be the center of everything all of the time.

Equipment needed: Leash, Collar, and Place Object (something that feels different than the floor like a blanket, cot, or dog bed)

You could also use food with a food motivated dog for this exercise, especially if they are skittish at first about walking over the place object.  Just lure the with the food going over the place object, if you can.

STAGE 1:  INTRODUCING THE PLACE OBJECT


STEP 1:   Position your place equipment in the middle of the room.

STEP 2:  Start walking your dog around the room.

STEP 3:   Walk with your dog over the place area.   When all four paws are in the place, say "place".

STEP 4:   Repeat step three from every angle of the place mat or bed (remember dogs can totally interpret something as "just from this direction", so help them to learn to generalize the command by doing this).

STEP 5:  After several (15 or so) repeats of this, stop short of the mat, and see if the dog is ready to step on themselves.


NOTE:  SOME DOGS CAN BE SKITISH ABOUT GOING ONTO THE PLACE AT FIRST.  SOMETIMES USING A BLANKET OR DOG BED INSTEAD OF A RAISED COT HELPS WITH THIS.  OTHER TIMES, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE PATIENT AS YOU HELP THEM.  IF THEY MISS OR SIDE STEP THE PLACE, JUST TRY TO ANGLE THEM SO THEY CAN GET ON CASUALLY.  


STAGE 2:  TEACHING YOUR DOG TO WALK ONTO THE PLACE THEMSELVES


STEP 1: The leash and collar are still on your dog.   The place (board, mat, dog bed) item is in the middle of the room so you can walk around it, and use all sides to place your dog (so that they do not generalize).

STEP 2:   Now as you approach the place, from a couple of steps away from the boarder of the "place item", extend your arm and point as you say "place" before the dog walks onto the place (different than before as you were saying place as you walked over with your dog, and only when the four paws were on the mat).

STEP 3:  If your dog does not make it onto the place themselves, use the collar lead and your body language (IE nudge into the direction) to help your dog to the place mat.   Be sure once there, that all four of their paws are on it.   If paws are sticking out beyond the boarder, just place your feet near them.   If they try to walk off and you catch them early, you can normally just move towards them quickly, and they will walk back onto the place area. 

STEP 4:  I do this until I can get three sets of four sends in a row that don't need prompting or correction.   Once this has started, this usually takes 5-7 minutes.  Later I use it as a warm up for Circle Place.


STAGE 3:  TEACHING YOUR DOG THE BORDER BY CIRCLING THEM


Add to above directions for send to place, but now you are concentrating on circle place.


STEP 5:  Once all four dog feet are on the place board, and your dog remains in whatever position he/she wants to, hold your six-foot leash (this is so your dog can't dart away and have a game of chase), and circle close to the boarders of the place item (mat, board, dog bed).   When a successful circle has been made, you can tell your dog "Good" (good job and keep going marker word) and give them a scratch under the chin (or food reward) "yes" (release marker word) and lead your dog off the place board.     You should only leave the place board once the performance has been good (IE you made circles around them very closely).  That means if your dog steps off you correct them with a body bump or walk towards back onto the place instead of leading them off.  If you are having a very hard time getting four in a row of whatever number of circles or time you are working on, then you probably progressed beyond what you and your dog are ready for.


Goal is to build this up to at least a minute.  The biggest goal is to get four in a row of whatever time you have selected.   So, if your dog keeps breaking, then you need to probably reduce the number of circles or the length of time.


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