As long as all four feet are off the ground and your dog is calm, you’re teaching the place command properly (Photo: Labrador Retriever puppy lying on a dog bed)
If you’ve never heard of the place command, you’ve come to the right place…pun intended, since it made it past the editing stage. Sorry not sorry.
When we live with dogs, we sometimes end up telling them to stop barking out the window, or stop chasing the cat, or stop stealing food off of the countertop. What we don’t do, is provide direction to our dog of what we would like them to do instead of that undesirable behaviour.
Sometimes, we do ask our dog to do something else. How many of you have asked your dog to lie down on the floor or their dog bed, only to find they get up two seconds later and head straight back to that undesirable behaviour they were doing before?
We’ve all been there.
Didn’t I just tell you to go lie down?!?!? What are you eating? (Photo: black pug licks a mat on the floor while a toddler wanders in the background)
Your dog’s state of mind is more important than you think. When you only address the dog’s body position, “Go lie down,” they lie down, but it doesn’t last because they are not in the right state of mind — calm. They are often still fixated on the noise they hear outside, or rip-roarin’-ready to chase the kids up the stairs again. As soon as you walk away or sit back down on the couch, they’re off like a rocket. It can be very frustrating.
Ready for some good news? Once you properly teach the place command, this “getting up and heading straight back to business” won’t happen anymore.
Why?
Because place is an implied down-stay that your dog has to be released from. No more strolling away to pester the cat, searching for shoes to chew on, or stealing the kid’s socks. You’re giving her a job: stay here until I say so. Read on to find out why that job actually feels good to your dog.
Here’s how it works.
The place command provides your dog a safe, quiet place to go and relax. It’s very natural for dogs to be calm. It feels good to them, so your dog will actually want to hang out there. In fact, sometimes they’ll go to place all on their own and take a nap.
The easiest way to teach place to your dog is on an elevated dog cot. Because it is raised off the floor, it creates a clear boundary to your dog.
You can use an elevated dog cot, or a nice thick bed like this one (Photo: pitbull puppy sitting on a thick dog bed)
The elevated dog cots prevent this — your pup’s feet shouldn’t be touching the ground while teaching place (Photo: terrier on a dog bed with his two front feet touching the floor)
You can use the place command:
-to greet guests at your front door (your dog stays in place, and no one gets jumped on or nipped —YAY!)
-to add structure to your regular day — send them to relax on place after mealtimes and after training sessions
-to keep your dog safe — if you break a glass in the kitchen, send them to place while you clean up the pieces
Next week, we’ll talk about other ways that the place command can help you and your dog on your path to wellness.
To learn more about place, head to Instagram and check out our highlighted stories: https://www.instagram.com/gobeyonddogtraining/
Happy training, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: Taylor Kopel @taylorkopel (Labrador Retriever puppy lying on a dog bed,) Charles Deluvio
@charlesdeluvio (black pug licks a mat on the floor while a toddler wanders in the background) Jordan Bigelow @jordanbigs (pitbull puppy sitting on a thick dog bed) Mitchell Orr
@mitchorr (terrier on a dog bed with his two front feet touching the floor.)