Training Essentials: The Place Command
Why Do I Need a Place Command?
The idea of a place command is the ability to send your dog away to a clearly defined spot (often a raised bed) where the dog will settle until they are given a release command.
Why is this valuable and why do so many trainers focus on teaching it?
Many problem behaviors are just a symptom of an underlying lack of structure or clarity needed for the dog to look to you for guidance and direction. A while back I asked what our followers would like to work on that would make living with their canine companions a more harmonious experience. Here is a list of some of the behaviors we got in response that might benefit from a strong place command. See if you resonate with any of these:
Barking out the window at the neighbors or the mail carrier
Counter surfing
Generally not listening
Reactivity to guests entering the home
Jumping up/ over excitement
Separation anxiety
Chaos in a multi dog household
Dog chasing the cat
Begging at the dinner table or in the kitchen
In addition to providing structure and the building blocks for many other skills that we can teach our dogs, a good place command will also give them a clear, desirable behavior when you ask them to stop doing something undesirable. Most dog owners focus on things like STOP BARKING or NO JUMPING without redirecting the dog to what they want them to do instead.
How Do We Teach It?
I am going to throw in some terms that we will look at in greater depth in future blog posts, but for now I will keep this as brief as possible and link a Youtube video with master trainer, Tyler Muto where you can see this all in action.
For our place command we can use a dog bed, a mat, an area rug, or anything that the dog can be directed to that will create a clear boundary. My preference is to use a raised bed (click the link to see the one I use), as there is a clearly defined moment when the dog has all four paws on the place.
First, we are going to lure the dog to the place using food or leash pressure. At the exact moment that the dog has all four paws on the place we are going to mark the behavior. I use the verbal marker, “YES”, to mark the correct behavior. This is where you may see some owners or trainers using a clicker. Both work just as well. Just to be clear for those unfamiliar with clicker training, the clicker doesn’t teach anything, it just marks the desired behavior like a camera snapping a picture of that moment in time. Our verbal marker can do the same thing. The idea is that the marker creates a bridge between the desired behavior and the food reward that will follow. More on that in a future post. After marking the behavior with a “YES”, deliver the food reward.
We then need a release command so the dog will start to know that the behavior is over. I use the word “BREAK”. Some people use the word, “FREE”. You are welcome to use “HUZZAH!” if it makes you smile; just stay consistent.
So again, we are going to LURE the dog to the place, MARK the desired behavior the moment it happens, REWARD the behavior with food (this will change later), and then RELEASE the dog from the place.
Another reason I love starting with teaching the place command is that it sets the foundation or the patterning for how we are going to teach almost everything else. This is as much to develop the skills of the human as it is for the dog.
Once the dog starts to be comfortable with this pattern, we can CUE the behavior by saying “PLACE” as we direct the dog to the raised bed. I don’t add the cue until I am sure that I can expect the desired behavior from the dog.
Let’s See This In Action
TEACHING THE PLACE COMMAND WITH TYLER MUTO
(At some point I will get set up to record training tips myself, but this is a great resource)
How To Use This?
In following blog posts, I am going to discuss adding Distance, Distraction and Duration so the place command can be incorporated as one of the most valuable behaviors for your dog to have. That’s where the rubber meets the road. We will look at transferring the place to other locations and how to use this command to stop or manage the unwanted behaviors listed above.
For now, it is worth building your reps with the skills demonstrated in the video.
Keep it Fun! Keep it Short!
Working on this behavior for a few minutes at a time in the context of a training session will be well worth it, I promise! When the Amazon delivery person rings your doorbell, it is not the time to be training this. We will put it into useful practice soon enough. Let’s get it down first so we have it when it counts. All of the photos below come from transfering a strong place command to other places or areas of distraction. Just wait until the next time you go to the vet and they say, “let’s see if we can get him up on the scale” and all you have to do is point and say, “place”.
*Disclosure – Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. These small commissions help to support the time and effort involved with putting together these resources for you.
