Teaching the ‘place’ command
Comments (0)When you teach the ‘place’ command there are three parts:
1- Go to the place
2- Lie down in the place
3- Stay in the place
I like to use a dog bed or mat to teach this behavior. Start out with your dog on a leash. Get your dog close to the bed. Give the command ‘place’ as you indicate the bed. If the dog doesn’t go to the bed use the leash to communicate what you want. Keep saying place as you tug the dog in the direction of the bed.
Once your dog is on the bed the next step is having him lie down. If he doesn’t go down right away use the leash again to communicate that you want the dog to lie down. Say ‘place’ as you give little tugs in the direction of the floor.
Now the goal is to have the dog stay. If he gets up before you ask him to, simply use the leash to tug him back onto the bed. When he gets back on and lies down praise him verbally. Keep enforcing the three parts of the behavior. Again, at any time that he breaks any of the three parts use the leash to communicate what you want as you repeat the ‘place’ command.
As you continue being consistent with this command you will eventually be able to wean the dog off the use of the leash. Gradually increase the distance and the time that your dog is staying in his place. Soon it will be a very functional command to have your dog calm and under control in the house.
The ‘place’ command
Comments (0)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.
Why I never teach a focus command
Comments (1)I have read many books and seen many dog trainers that teach a ‘focus’ command. This is a command where the dog is to look at you when you say it to receive further instruction or to perhaps not pay attention to outside distractions. I never train a focus command and find it to be irrelevant.
There are three reasons why dogs disobey their owners:
1- Lack of focus. The dog doesn’t know how to focus on the owner as the leader of the family and source of commands.
2- Lack of communication. The dog doesn’t understand what the owner is trying to tell him.
3- Dominance. The dog understands what is wanted but decides to do what he wants to do.
The first one, focus, is very important. I find it unnecessary, however, to actually teach a ‘focus’ command. If a dog truly looks to you as the leader he has a natural focus. What that means is that you don’t have to ASK for his focus, it is already there. I almost never use the dogs name or a focus command before telling the dog to sit, lie down, heel, etc. It is the trainers job to teach the dog that those commands can come at any time and that the dog should pick out those words when they are said.
Use sound training techniques and you will find that you don’t need to ask for your dog’s attention before giving a command.
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