6 Reasons to teach your dog the Place command

What is the Place command?

We teach the word “Place” to dogs to direct them to an object with a defined parameter to stay on. Unlike the sit/stay or down/stay, the rules for the “Place” are only to stay on it unless you’ve also asked for the dog to sit or lay down. The dog can choose to lay down, stand up, or move around as long as all four paws are still on the object.

Why use the Place command?

1. Housetraining: Putting your dog on a Place such as their bed is a good way to supervise him so he sin’t running off out of sight to do his business.
2. Park your dog: With the Place command you can have multiple Places to “park” your dog or one you can move or take with you whenever or wherever you need it.
3. The doorbell drill: For dogs that greet visitors too enthusiastically teaching him to “Go Place” when the doorbell rings gives him a safe, out of the way place to calm before meeting guests.
4. Prevent wet muddy floors: Keep a place near the door to park your dog on so you can wipe their wet or muddy paws. Go a step further and teach your dog to Place directly on an old towel until he’s dry.
5. Confidence building: Teaching your dog “how to” climb up on different objects like stumps, park benches, small stools, ect… is a great confidence builder. It’s also a great way to exercise your dog by hopping up on different and increasingly more difficult objects.
6. Control Space: Dogs with behavioral problems benefit from structure and rules. Controlling space is a way of telling your dog that they can’t do whatever they want whenever they want and that it’s your house, your rules. By teaching your dog to stay on a dog bed or other designated place until you release him puts you in a leadership position as well.