# Place command



## Naughtona (Dec 12, 2012)

Hi everyone! I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered, but I didn't find what I was looking for using the search function. My boyfriend and I got our little Penny two weeks ago and at nine weeks she is quite the handful but also so sweet and fun! She already knows sit and lay down and I am very interested in teaching her the "place" command.

My two questions are these: 1. How did you go about teaching the "place" command? This is our first puppy so we are no experts at training! And 2. can a moveable object be the "place"? Penny has a blanket that she likes to lay on in the kitchen and living room (when she's not on the couch : ) and we also bring it to our cabin with us and to our parents' houses. If possible, I'd like to teach her the command using this blanket as the place so it can be used anywhere and moved from room to room and to different places. Not sure if this is too confusing, though. 

Thanks in advance for any advice. This forum has been so helpful in the months leading up to getting her and since we got her!


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## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Savannah knows 'rug' specifically so it could change from place to place. As she has gotten older, even the rug has changed from a rug to a blanket to a towel depending on where we are. In general, it is something she knows is hers that marks the place where she is supposed to hang out until I say differently.

There may be a quicker way to train the command, so I look forward to other responses. 

Basically, I just led her to her rug, said 'rug', and when she put a paw on it I praised her. Sometimes she got a treat. As a puppy, she had the attention span of, well, a puppy. Sometimes it felt like the attention span of a gnat. She had to be escorted back to her rug every minute or so, especially if we were some place really fun or that had lots of people or activities. Every time - just the same - showing no frustration - even when you are ready to scream. "Rug." Escort to rug. Paw touches rug. "Good girl". At home she learned the command quickly. Getting her to remember to stay took longer. Taking the command on the road took even longer. The last stage was getting her not to whine in protest when she wanted to wander and understood that she should not. At 2.5 years, we still occasionally have to work on the whining. :

Good luck!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Do not do much training or expect anything reliable until the baby matures a little. 
Potty train and have her follow the food morsels. Guide her nose. 


Place, later on is taught by walking the dog on leash on a pillow, and throwing a treat on the pillow. As the dog steps on the pillow say place and make her sit and down. Later on you can add time before the dog can stand and walk off the pillow. 

You can put the pillow on which the dog still on leash, sits next to you when watching TV. Step on the leash so the dog cannot stand up and walk away. 

We have many places. Wherever I point is the place. If can be a couch, carpet, chair, dog pillow...


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