Teach Your Dog The Place Command

When it comes to obedience commands, the place command is an important milestone for dogs. Not only is this an impressive command to master, but it offers a wonderful option for treating unwanted behaviors or controlling your dog in your home. So how do you teach a dog the place command?

In this article we’ll dive into the details behind the place command, and help you understand the steps it takes to reach success in your training process. 

So what is the place command? The place command is a way to instruct your dog to go to a certain spot each time they hear the place command. The point of this command is to teach your dog that even with distraction, they should always walk to their set spot when they are asked.

The place command is a wonderful way to disrupt unwanted behavior, assist in crate training, or even training your dog to separate themselves from stressful situations. When trained correctly, the place command can be beneficial to both dog and owner.

Just like any other obedience command, a few steps are required to help your dog master this trick. In order to help you and your pup achieve this behavioral goal, let’s dive into the steps. 

Before you begin the process of teaching the place command, it’s important for your dog to first understand how to sit and stay. If your dog has not yet mastered staying in one position on command, they are not yet ready to dive into this skill. In order to make sure your dog is successful, be sure they know how to sit and stay.

Once your dog is ready to learn the place command, you must first designate a spot that you will use as their set place. It’s important to make sure that you are able to use the same spot each time, and that it’s an area that your dog will feel comfortable spending time in.

Once you have chosen your set spot for the place command, just be sure to be well equipped with dog treats and a clicker. Both of these items will make your training process even easier, and help your dog find motivation in the process.

The last step to consider before the training process begins is your choice of words for the place command. Since this will be the command that leads your dog to their designated spot, you should be sure that it’s a clear and concise command that you can stick to. If you choose not to use the word “place” for your training, just be sure that it’s easy to decipher between your other verbal commands. 

Once you are ready to dive into the training process, you should start by introducing your dog to the spot of choice. You can do this by taking them to their “place”, and offering them a treat each time they are in the set spot. Just be sure to verbalize your place command word, so they can begin to learn the process. Repeat this process over and over until they walk to this spot on their own when you say the place command. 

Once your dog has learned how to walk over to their “place” on command, it’s time to teach them to sit and lay down in their spot. You can do this by combining your place command with other familiar obedience commands. By practicing these steps, your dog will soon learn to not only walk over to their place, but sit or lay once they get there. 

Once your dog has mastered sitting and laying in their spot on command, it’s time to teach them how to stay for longer periods of time. You can do this by implementing your stay command while they are in their set place, and practice increasing the time with the use of treats.

Once your dog is an absolute pro with the place command, it’s time to perfect their craft and practice the command from a distance. By repeating the steps above from a further distance, you can become confident in the fact that your dog will run to their set place from anypoint within your house. Once they have gotten to this point, the place command is a wonderful way to control a number of canine misbehaviors. 

As you can see, the place command is a beneficial skill that can come in handy in your home. Be sure to follow the tips we mentioned above, and your dog will master the place command in no time!