Week 1 Long Place

  Long place is technically the 4th step in the overall place command:  

• First step is intro.  Intro is just walking the dog and letting them pass over it.  "Place" is said when all paws are on the place.
• Second step is teaching the dog to step on the place themselves.
• Third step is teaching them that there is a boundary they should not step off.
• Fourth step is beginning to proof and advance this exercise by having them keep themselves on the place for a period of time.   Trainer only gets involved if they try to leave.

This teaches your dog that you might very well be in a seated position when they are in a place (while the third step has started the idea that you may be moving around the room).   This is tricky for dogs as they usually want to be petted or cuddled when you take a seat, but it is important that owners have time to read, work, eat a meal, and so on without constantly needing to pay attention to their dog.   Usually this is eventually used for a half hour or an hour.  It is like a crate without walls.  It allows your dog to feel more included, but they are responsible for staying there until released.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO START:

1. Place object (something with boundaries, feels different than the floor, elevated is nice but not necessary)  Dogs beds, heavy folded blankets, cots, pallets and so on work nicely for this.   
2. Training Collar
3. Leash 6' or more, more especially if you are outside.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1: Walk to the place, point as you say "place" from the last distance practiced.

STEP 2A:   If your dog goes on the place, say "good boy" or "good [dog's name]" or "good place".  

NOTE: THAT "GOOD" HERE IS USED AS A VERBAL MARKER TO MEAN KEEP GOING OR GOOD JOB.  IT DOES NOT MEAN THE DOG IS RELEASED FROM THEIR JOB.

STEP 2B:   If your dog does not walk on the place themselves, then you need to use the protocols in the send to directions.  You can use the verbal marker "no" if you would like first.  Then correct the dog via body bump or leash tug, until they are on the place (make sure you always practice the send as this gets going in a separate and much shorter session).

NOTE: THAT THE VERBAL MARKER "NO" SIMPLY MEANS "THAT WAS NOT WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR".  USED CONSISTENTLY IT HELPS YOUR DOG PUT A PATTERN TOGETHER AND TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT NEXT TIME.  IT IS A WAY TO GET YOUR DOG TO USE THEIR MENTAL ENERGY.

STEP 3:  At first you will want to keep where you will sit close, and the leash in your hand to act quickly.   Now you want to take a seat that you have placed at the appropriate distance from your dog.

STEP 4A:   At first, you will want to be ready to spring up should your dog try to leave when you sit or before you sit.   This is pretty standard and normal to happen.   You need to correct it as timely as your other training.   Ways to start the correction are to walk into your dog, step on the leash, tug on the leash, body bump them if they are not all the way off, and the like.

STEP 5: Keep this up for five minutes at first, until your dog can do this most times without breaking out of it (no matter the normal distractions that happen in your home or yard).   You will want to build this up to  15 minutes and then a half an hour.

Time in training:  If you have the time, with the five minutes you can do four of them in one day.  Once you get to 15 minutes, you could do one or two of them in a day.   When I get to 30 minutes, I usually do one of them in a day, and keep a journal if they break or not.