Adding Leash Pressure to the Place Command

2 min 45 sec

In this segment we are going to be adding leash pressure to our place command. We break this up into two components, sending to place and staying on place. Some of you may find that you do not need much leash pressure for the sending component of this work, and we are going to spend much more time on the staying part of it because that is the part that really helps to develop self-control can't calming skills, which are important to character traits that will serve us well moving forward.

The first thing we are going to work on is the"staying" component of this behavior. We are going to break this simple concept into multiple key elements. These key elements represent three early types of distractions or triggers that often caused dogs to fail. By isolating them in the beginning stages makes it easier for our dogs to be successful, and also easier for them to understand where they erred if they make a mistake later on. Additionally all three of these early distractions are going to be elements that we need the dog to be able to deal with in order for us to have a functional place command. So, by working our dogs through these three elements we not only begin proofing them with minor distractions, but also preparing them with a strong foundation for a very solid place command moving forward. The three elements are Movement, Petting, and Dropping and picking up the leash. We will begin with movement.

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Adding Pressure for Staying

9 min 45 sec

We are going to begin with the "staying" component of this behavior because it is easier for the dog understand. Here are the key points do to remember from this clip:

Step 1

• Start by luring your dog into place command, just like we did last week.

• Give a few duration rewards your dog for staying.

Step 2

• Position your hands underhand grip. Keep the active hand hovering over your dog's head or shoulders.

• Keep the leash loose. Remember, "restraining is not training".

• Have the dog stay on lease for a bit longer than normal your hands in this position so you are ready to correct if necessary. Do not move, we are just focusing on building a bit more duration first.

• If your dog steps off of place before released, say "nope" and add a bit of pressure, releasing once the dog begins shifting back towards the place command.

• If when you add pressure, your dog does not change their behavior right away, do not force them but rather wait and maintain pressure on the leash until the dog chooses to change their behavior. Resist the temptation to pull your dog back up on the place.

Step 3

• Once you have done in a few repetitions with your dog successfully staying on place for a longer than normal amount of time. We are going to begin adding some movement to increase the challenge.

• Lure your dog onto the place just as before, and position your hands in the underhand grip.

• Begin moving around the place, pivoting around your active hand as the axis point.

• Make sure if your dog is doing well, that you stop and give a few duration rewards.

• Don't let your dog make too many mistakes in a row. I try not to allow more than two or three mistakes before letting the dog be successful. This may require that you remove some distractions, or reduce your expectations so that the dog can practice with being successful.

Demonstrating With Maybe

 1 min 52 sec

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Movement Away and Petting

3 min 21 sec

Movement away from your dog is going to be more challenging than movement around them. To help facilitate the process and make it easier for both you and your dog it is important to use properly handling and stay connected to the leash so that if your dog makes mistake you can have good timing and avoid over-correction. Practice this until you can take a big quick step away from the dog and they stay on place without needing to be reminded.

Once your dog is doing well with movement around them and away from them the next challenge that we are going to work with is petting. For some dogs this is not a challenge at all as they're able to remain calm while being pet. For others, such as Maybe, this is going to be a big challenge as petting elicits a very excited response and makes it difficult for them to sit still.

It is important that we can pet our dogs while they remain on the place because as we build longer and a longer duration, you will want to be able to return your dogs and praise them to let them know they're doing well, even though we may need them to continue to stay there for longer. If we cannot praise our dogs while they are staying on place, then during the longer duration repetitions we will not be able to give them any feedback and they will be on their own throughout that time.

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Dropping the Leash

5 min 28 sec

The last element that we are going to work on for the staying component. The place command is dropping the leash and picking it up. Some dogs get excited when we drop the leash and they think they're free to go. However, for many dogs it is the act of picking up the leash that creates more of a problem. By isolating this potential trigger working our dogs through it, we are better preparing them to be successful as we move forward with our place command.

Demonstrating With Sonny

 5 min 27 sec

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Using the Leash for Sending

3 min 15 sec

Lastly, we are going to add leash pressure for "sending" to place. There are two variations of this: Us going with the dog, and sending the dog away from us. 

Going with the dog is easier, and you should start there. However, we ultimately want to be able to send out dogs away from us to the place, as it is far more convenient and practical.