With every puppy owner client I have I nearly always teach them the ‘place’ command right off the bat.  The ‘place’ command is one where the puppy goes to a bed or mat and stays there.  I love this command for several reasons:

1- It makes it easier to supervise the puppy.  Puppies need CONSTANT supervision.  If they don’t have it they will often sneak away to chew on your stuff or pee on your floor.  Supervision can get tough, however, when you are involved in day-to-day activities.  If you can have a ‘place’ command it makes it easier to keep your puppy supervised when you are cooking dinner, mopping the floor, or just hanging out watching television.

2- It sets the proper ‘tone’ of the home.  I enter many clients homes for the first time to meet dogs that are literally doing laps.  The dogs are wild and crazy in the house and think nothing of running to and fro with reckless abandon.  If you can use the ‘place’ command with frequency it helps the dog just ‘be’.  The dog lies down, stays, and therefore becomes conditioned to a different way to be in the house.  It helps the dog learn that the house is not a place for wild antics.

3- It is a good precursor to the ‘down stay’ command.  If you can teach your dog to lie down on his bed and stay it then becomes a short trip to teach your dog to lie down anywhere and stay.  I like to start with the ‘place’ command because there is something about using a physical target such as a bed that helps the dog learn to stay much quicker than without a target.  Once the dog gets it with bed, then you can move on to having the dog lie down and stay anywhere.

4- It is a good replacement behavior.  The place command is a great way to have the dog greet people at the door.  If you can teach your dog to lie in his place when the doorbell rings you don’t have to worry about him charging through the door or jumping on your guests.  If you can use the ‘place’ command at dinnertime you don’t have to worry about your dog begging at the table.  Use the ‘place’ command to replace bad behaviors instead of scolding the dog unnecessarily.

Want to learn how to train the ‘place’ command?  Stay tuned for a coming post detailing the best way to train it.