How Using the Place Command Can Relax Your Dog
Questions?
How The Place Command Will Help Your Dog Focus on Being CALM
And how you can teach him/her to do it in minutes a day
If your dog is relaxed and "in place" he/she can't:
- Chew the furniture
- Bark
- Charge the door
- Dig holes in the yard
- Jump on your company
- ...etc
Quick Contents:
Is the place command punishment?
Consequences for breaking command
Hey dog moms & dads,
If you have a perfect dog that follows your every command and doesn't misbehave in any way, you can stop reading right here and now.
If your dog has behaviors that you wish you could fix please keep reading because I want to help you TODAY!
If you feel hopeless because of your dog's behavior, don't fear because we've been where you are.
We're (our family) STILL where you are, but we're learning how to solve our dog's behavior problems that we couldn't ignore anymore.
And it's 10x easier than I ever though it'd be.
So if you've ever wanted to "train" your dog to relax more but think it's too hard or that you need a bunch of tools and experts...you've been misled like we were.
YOU can EASILY learn to teach your dog to chill out and relax with this simple command in just a few minutes a day... I PROMISE!
Most of us would never admit it out loud, but there's nothing enjoyable about a dog that runs the house. It's not cute when you DREAD people coming over because you KNOW your dog is gonna jump up on people, bark at them or do other behaviors that you just wish would stop.
Maybe you're the same...maybe you want to ENJOY your dog but you can't because of barking, whining, chewing, pacing or your dog otherwise controlling your entire house.
The "Place" command will teach your dog to relax instead of barking, chewing, pacing, jumping up on guests, charging the door...and other behaviors that are making you nuts.
So enough with the small talk...let's learn about how you can start using place TODAY to get your dog to be more calm and relaxed.
A calm dog won't want to misbehave!
What Is The Place Command?
The place command is nothing more than giving your dog a place where he/she has no choice other than to relax and be calm!
The "place" command is like a "chill pill" for your dog. It's simply a place where your dog can go and the ONLY thing he/she needs to do in the place is to be calm and relax.
- It's NOT punishment
- It's NOT a trick
- It's NOT hard to do
- It's NOT going to make your dog sad, scared, withdrawn or anything else that people might say is "keeping your dog from being a dog"!!
It IS something you can start right now and by the end of the day you can realize that "a well behaved dog" doesn't have to be confusing or hard for the average person like you to do.
That's not an insult! We are average people with 2 dogs that need a LOT more structure, and "place" is teaching them that more every day.
And now I want to help YOU get some much needed structure in your home.
Oh yea...it's so EASY to do that even 2 "worlds worst" dog trainers can do it.
And finally, the place command is awesome because when your dog is in place he or she can sit, lay down, chew a treat or toy or whatever else you give permission to do.
The only rule is that it has to be IN PLACE!
The Place Command Isn't About Doing a Trick!
In our home, we are not dog trainers. In fact, we SUCK at training our dogs.
And believe me, we've tried many times. For most normal people like you, dog training is one or more of the following:
- Too confusing to learn
- Takes too much time
- Is just for teaching tricks that you don't care if your dog can do or not
- Requires too many tools
- There's too much bad information out there
The place command isn't a useless trick.
You're not entering a national dog obedience show here...you just want you dog to stop (barking, jumping, chewing, going crazy at noises...etc) and relax.
The Place Command Isn't Punishment!
A lot of folks these days think that the simple act of asking your dog to behave is punishment or cruelty.
Cruelty is surrendering or rehoming a dog that is a few easy hours of training away (broken up into small bite sized chunks) from being a dog that is MUCH easier to live with.
A dog that doesn't know rules and boundaries is a dog that is uncertain. An uncertain dog is going to be anxious, nervous, bored or aggressive and is going to misbehave.
The place command isn't "time out" or any other form of punishment.
Your dog is your best buddy right?
You want to spend time with him/her ...you just want that time to be more enjoyable, right?
The place command will help your dog relax and be more calm!
How to Teach Your Dog the Place Command: Step by Step
If this "worlds worst trainer" can do it, you DEFINITELY can!
How to Teach Your Dog the Place Command:
Are you ready? I promise, you can do this!
No, I mean it...YOU CAN DO THIS!
Our dog Molly was sitting/laying in place for several minutes at a time within the first 15 minutes we worked with her on the place command.
Big deal?
If you knew Molly you'd be blown away by this...she is her own boss, and ours most of the time!
Prep / What you need to teach your dog the place command:
- You need an object your dog can sit/lay on. A blanket or dog bed works great for this. It needs to have a clear boundary
- Leash
- Collar or harness
- A quiet place to practice
- 3-5 minutes of time whenever you are free
This isn't professional dog show training, friend.
You don't need to spend HOURS a day to get results. You aren't looking for a dog that can stand on 1 leg and balance a ball on both ears while singing in the rain!
You just want a dog that will relax when you ask him or her to, right?!
Eventually you'll add distractions and noise, but to start it's best to have a quiet room without much or any noise or kids jumping around or any of the things that can make your dog excited.
Your ultimate goal is to say "place" and your dog goes to the place and is calm. But that's not likely to happen today, so you have to start with a leash and collar or harness to guide him to the place.
Do you see the possibilities of place yet?
Company comes over...you send your dog to place to be calm and quiet
The door bell rings...you ask your dog to go to place and be calm instead of barking
Kids are in the house...you ask your dog to go to place
You're eating and don't want your dog to stare...ask him to go to his place while you eat.
The possibilities are endless!
Do You Have To Use the Words We Use?
No! In this training you'll see the words place, good, break/ok and no. You can pick any words you like, but you have to stick to them once you pick!
It doesn't matter what word you use for "place".
Since dogs don't speak English, you can pick any word for "place" you'd like. You can use a clicker instead of a word if you want. You can use words like "chill" or "relax" or anything else you like...
But pick ONE word and stick to it forever so your dog doesn't get confused. For this how-to I'll be using "Place" but use whatever word you like.
Start Showing Your Dog Where Place Is & How to Get There (It's Easy)
Let's Start Showing Your Dog His/Her "Place"!
Now you've got your leash and collar or harness attached and you've picked your word for "place" if you don't like that word.
Now we're ready to show your dog how to finally be relaxed.
Step 1: Put the blanket or dog bed on the floor wherever you want to practice the place command.
Step 2: Using the leash, walk your dog all the way to the blanket or bed ...guiding him onto it and making sure all 4 paws are on it.
Step 3: As soon as your dog steps on the blanket/bed say "place" or whatever word you chose. I'll be saying "Place" for this series...substitute for the word you're using.
Notes: If your dog is stubborn but likes treats you can try to lure him to place with a treat, but try to do it without treats if possible.
Step 4: Praise your dog for going onto place. This can be a treat if you like or it can be a word like "good" some affection like a pet on the head for a few seconds.
Step 5: Say "break" or "ok" or whatever word you want (just pick ONE word and always use it) and guide him off of the blanket or bed (place).
Step 6: Walk your dog away from place (walk around the room for example) then walk him back to the place...saying your "place" word as he goes back on the blanket/bed.
Step 7: Repeat as many times as you can. If you are watching TV and want to practice between commercials then do this for 4-5 minutes.
Next commercial break do it for another few minutes.
You don't have to spend hours a day doing this! Do short bursts as often as you can and you WILL see results soon.
Quick Recap So Far:
1) Walk him to place
2) Say "place" word when all 4 paws hit the blanket/bed
3) Say "good" and praise with treat or pet if you like
4) Say "break" or "ok" or pick a release word and guide him off of place
5) Walk around the room for a second
6) Guide him back to place and repeat
Step 8: Once your dog is going to place without any fussing or objections, start stopping a few feet short of the place.
The idea here is to stop guiding him all the way to the place. If he keeps walking to place 3 feet after you've stopped guiding him then you are doing AWESOME...keep it up!
Remember ...one day soon you want him or her to go to place without a leash, so stopping short and letting your dog fill in the blanks is one step closer to that.
Step 9: After your dog is going to place even when you don't guide him 100% of the way with the leash, it's time to see how long you can get him to stay there.
In the beginning ANYTHING over 1 second is a big win for most people. If your dog sits, stands or lays down in place praise him with a "good" or even a treat and some petting if you'd like.
If it goes to 2 minutes give a "good" and more praise (but keep the treats to a minimum)
If he stays keep praising and saying "good"...
Until he walks off without permission from you. If you haven't said "break" or "OK" or whatever release word you've chosen then he's breaking command.
What to do When Your Dog Leaves "Place" Without Permission?
Now it's time to say "No" and guide him back calmly.
- You're not angry
- You DON'T YELL NO!
- You don't scold him
- You don't jerk his collar
You remain calm and very simply say "no" and then guide him back to the place with the leash.
He did something you didn't ask for, so show him the way...plain and simple.
This time you don't have to say "place" though. When he breaks command by walking off of place on his own, just say "no" and guide him back.
No rewards either!
If you give him a treat after breaking without your command then you are telling your dog that he'll get a treat if he walks off of his place!
Just guide him back, and start the routine again and keep practicing.
Rinse & Repeat as Often as Possible
Teaching your dog to go to place should be pretty easy. Getting him to stay there for periods of time will probably not be as easy.
This is why you have to practice.
But you don't have to do it for hours a day. Spend a few minutes here and a few minutes there and it will get better every day.
When your dog breaks command (leaves place without you saying a release word) gently guide him back and try again in a calm manner.
When he's really good at it, start trying it with the TV on loud or other distractions.
If you practice 200 times in a quiet house and all of a sudden the UPS guy comes and rings the doorbell then your dog isn't likely going to quietly go to place and relax.
You have to work up to that part slowly.
But he'll get there...just keep at it.
The Best Part About This Type of Behavior Training Is....
If you've ever tried to train a dog you may have had success or failure. You may have found it super easy or super hard and confusing.
I'll tell you for me and our family...we found it CONFUSING AND HARD!
The best thing about training using a place command is that:
It's easy to do - Even a non-trainer can easily get a dog to sit on a blanket
It strengthens the bond between you and your lil buddy - Your dog wants leadership. When you give it to him/her you are relationship building and your dog will finally be able to relax ...knowing that you are in charge and you have things under control.
Your dog WANTS to be calm - Too many dogs live in a constant state of stress and anxiety because they don't have any rules or boundaries.
More than anything, your dog WANTS to know that it can relax and chew on a toy and not have to worry about anything else.
Final Thoughts
There was a time when we thought our dogs would NEVER have any structure.
But slowly it's happening...and we're starting with the place command.
And I know you can do it too!
