Teaching Your Dog to Go to His Place

Lead him to the mat. As you walk toward the mat, say "Go to Place."

When he gets his 2 front paws on the mat, praise and drop treat right on the mat.

Repeat this several times.

Drop his leash and lure him to the mat using a sweeping hand-motion. When he is on the mat, praise/and put treat right on the mat.

Lure him to the mat from various locations and then praise/treat when he stands on the mat.

When he's going to the mat without hesitation, begin asking him to DOWN! praise/treat him for the down.

Repeat, repeat and repeat. Then command "Go to Place" and then command, "Down."

Once your dog understands the game, cue him to go to his place from many different locations. When he goes there and downs, praise and treat him, and then release him by tossing a treat away from his place and say, "okay." Then re-command him to go to place.

When he isn't looking, periodically throughout the day, just toss a treat or 2 on the mat. Your dog will discover them and think they grow there just for him. You will probably notice that he's spending more and more time on his mat without being asked. Anytime you see him show interest in the mat or you see him lying on it, go over and reward him for that.

Once he knows to go to his place, work on down/stays teaching him to stay on his mat for longer and longer periods of time, while you walk away from him, and then teach him to stay on his mat with distraction training.

If your dog is aggressive or is pushy and demanding, teach your dog to go to his place and to do 2-30 minute down/stays everyday.

Written By Renee Premaza

Renee Premaza
Dog Obedience Trainer & Behavior Consultant
(609) 280-9338
www.jerseydogtrainer.com

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