Place training a puppy or how to teach a dog place might not roll off the tongue quickly but how about ‘teaching your dog to go to bed’ when you put it like that it makes more sense.

Training a dog to place or bed involves teaching them to target a mat, bed, platform or crate and stay there until released. 

In this article we’ll get into why it’s important to teach your puppy place, 5 steps to teach your dog to go to place, what to remember when teaching the place command, and our tips for teaching your puppy place in public. 

Put your training in the right place with Zigzag!

Download the Zigzag app today, and you’ll get a structured program for teaching your dog place, we call it mat training in the app, and it’s a great skill for pups or adult dogs alike to learn. Not just that, there’s a team of professional dog trainers ready to help you with any puppy queries you’re not sure of, or just for a friendly ear to listen when you need it most.

Why is it important to teach your puppy place?

Teaching your dog place is a useful cue to teach a puppy or dog of any age for the following reasons:

  • It gives them somewhere to go out of the way, so you don’t trip up on them. 
  • It teaches them to settle in one place
  • Stops dogs from begging at the table
  • Great for adding into doorbell manners training
  • Can be used for relaxation training
  • They learn there is a place that is safe, and they won’t be disturbed

5 easy steps to teach your dog “Place”

Teaching a dog to place is best done with positive reinforcement training using treats and rewards, and as a step-by-step process.

Pick a non-slip mat like vet bed, blanket, or a puppy bed as your place for your dog to lie on – it’s useful if this is a different texture to the floor it is on, a raised dog bed or cot is even better, as it helps the dog be clear about where we want them to be. 

Load your treat pouch with plenty of high value treats and let’s get going with training ‘place’.

Step 1

Build value in the mat by rewarding your dog when they make any contact with it. Use a marker word like ‘good’ to let your dog know that this is the place to be. 

Step 2 

After a few treats when your dog is standing on the mat, use a release cue like ‘OK’ and toss a treat to get your dog off of the mat

Step 3

Shape this behaviour by asking for a little more of your dog each time, start to reward when they have 4 paws on the mat, then wait for a sit. 

Step 4

Start adding duration so that your dog waits longer for a treat on the mat each time, after a few reps give them the release cue so that they keep returning to the mat.

Step 5

Work on the following to increase difficulty

  • Duration (how long your dog can stay on the mat)
  • Distraction (how distracting we are, or how distracting the environment is)
  • Distance (how close to the mat do you need to be for your dog to go onto the mat)

Once you have built up the time on the mat, and increased difficulty, you can start to add the verbal cue ‘place’ just before your dog goes to go on their mat or bed.

Practice the exercise in different locations to generalise the behaviour, that way ‘place’ means place wherever you are.

Things to remember when training the place command

Training place can be difficult, but follow these tips to help troubleshoot, and you’ll have your puppy trained to go to their place in no time

  • Start off really easy – shaping is done systematically, and in small increments, so it’s almost impossible for your dog to get it wrong.
  • Use super yummy treats, and don’t be stingy! 
  • Keep it fun and light – training is meant to be fun, not stressful
  • Give your dog plenty of breaks – short sessions work much better
  • When you start adding levels of difficulty, don’t make it too quick too soon

How to teach your puppy place in public

Teaching your puppy to place in public will be essential for those relaxing coffee meets, or some time in a dog friendly restaurant, without getting themselves in trouble. 

Here’s our tips to help with training the place command in public:

  • Get your pup a travel mat or blanket, and train with it at home so they understand what it means when it goes on the floor
  • Use plenty of treats to keep your pup in place
  • Give them a stuffed Kong or other enrichment toy to prevent boredom in a young puppy
  • Use the mat out and about to expose them to different environments
  • The mat should be their safe place, so if people approach, see if your puppy wants to engage with them, it’s OK if your puppy does not want to be petted, give them the agency and they will be more confident in the long run.
  • If your puppy is sleeping – don’t let people wake them up because they want to ‘say hi’! When your puppy is sleeping in place, think of it like a do not disturb sign! 

Choosing the right place mat or bed to use, systematic training and high quality treats, will have your puppy trained to place in no time. How about trying out some DIY dog treat recipes, or learning about healthy treats and which to use for your pup? 
Along with place, you’ll need to teach your puppy to settle. You can learn this inside the Zigzag app, we have a full mat training and settle program, to help your pup chill out and relax. For a step by step puppy training program, tailored to your dog’s age and breed, download the Zigzag puppy training app, you’ll get expert advice via our in app chat with professional dog trainers.

Download Zigzag today!