One of the best household commands for a dog is the "Place" command. Whether you need to improve indoor manners or quickly calm your four-legged friend, it will be your lifesaver.
Usually, this training is quite difficult for a dog and time-consuming for a pet owner. But things will change with the use of an e-collar. Teaching the "Place" will become straightforward; all you need is to follow the information below. Let's dive right in!
What is the "Place" command
In general, the "Place" command is necessary to control the dog's location indoors and outdoors. It shows if your pet can move to a particular spot and remains there. You can choose any object as a "place." We recommend use a dog's bed or blanket (it should be where the dog relaxes) for home training and special Place Boards for practicing in the garden or parks.
Never punish a puppy or an adult dog in its place. The bed or rest place should be associated with the pet's own, protected, and safe area and not cause negative emotions. If this simple rule is violated, teaching the "Place" will become much more difficult or even impossible.
When to start training
When the dog reaches the age of 6-8 months, you can start teaching the command "Place" using an e-collar.
It is necessary to train a puppy very carefully, without making excessive demands on them. The owner must understand that it is physically impossible for them to stay in one position for a prolonged period.
Since the puppy's nervous system is still weak, it is difficult for them to concentrate on one type of activity for a long time. About 1-5 seconds on the spot is a good result at the beginning of the training.
If you need to teach the "Place" an adult dog "from scratch," start teaching from the "puppy" level. In this case, it is impossible to skip a single step.
At the beginning
The trainer influences the pet in many ways: gestures, clothing, voice, movement patterns, etc. It is necessary to establish the correct relationship between the dog and you as the trainer. The pet always carefully observes your movements. Be calm and confident to make them trust you, be obedient and not afraid of you. Remember, all your gestures are an essential part of the training process. For example, quick and impulsive movements can trigger a defensive reaction, causing the pet to become timid or even cowardly at the sight of a trainer.
So, once you have prepared yourself for the training, make sure that the puppy and equipment are also ready. You must find your dog's working level before starting any remote training exercises and setting it up on the device. We provide a simple guide on finding the dog's level in this article - 5-step Tutorial of E-collar Training for Beginners
What you need (equipment)
- 4 ft Leash
- E-collar
- Table board, dog's bed, blanket (anything associated with place command)
- Treats
How to teach "Place"
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Put a leash on your dog. It should always be on while you are at the beginning level. The leash helps you to correct your pet’s movement and fully control the process.
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Stay with your dog 3 feet away from the so-called "place". Before going to the next step, remember that you need to guide your canine through the process with your movement and voice, not only the e-collar stimulation.
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Press and hold the stimulation button as you say "Place" and slightly move forward in the direction of the dog's bed or table board. Watch your pet follow you. Direct them with a leash if needed.
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Once your dog reaches the place and puts all paws on, release the button and praise them.
Repeat all the steps about 4-5 times.
Do not apply pressure to the leash or tug your dog to the place. Use it only as a guide. The canine should understand the meaning of stimulation of the e-collar, not the leash. At an advanced level, your dog will follow all the steps without the leash on.
The next level in teaching your dog the Place command is to repeat all the steps above with a loose leash. Also, you need to stop 1 foot before the spot, and your dog should continue to move towards the target. The pet should coordinate their movement with stimulation from the e-collar.
Once you are successful at this stage, go further. With a loose leash, you need to pass 1 foot after the spot. Remember, stimulation stops once your dog puts four paws on the place. If this stage is successful, your dog will stop once the stimulation is over and doesn't follow you.
If these two steps are complete, you can proceed to off-leash training.
Conclusion
With completing all the steps, training should not take more than half an hour. After that, your dog should rest and go about their business. And don't forget to praise your pet for every success!
Recommended reading: Good Manners Around the House