How to Teach Your Puppy the PLACE Command! | Step-by-Step Puppy Training (Part 2), by AKADEMIA K9 on YouTube. 7 min 40 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 40 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes a day for a week
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Pick a quiet room and lay the cot flat on the floor. Keep treats in a pouch within reach and hold your clicker. Put the leash on if your puppy tends to wander off.
Check that your clicker is already conditioned, meaning the click always comes right before a treat. If your puppy does not yet look for food when it hears the click, do that first.
Stand quietly near the cot and wait. Do not point, push or say anything yet. Let your puppy sniff the cot and work it out on its own.
Click the instant a paw touches the cot, then drop a treat on the cot itself. The treat landing on the cot makes the cot the good place to be.
Repeat and raise your standard. Click and reward only when the puppy puts two paws on, then three, then all four. Stay silent between clicks.
Once your puppy steps on with all four paws most tries, say "place" just before it steps up. Click and treat after it is on the cot.
Feed two or three treats in a row while your puppy is standing on the cot, then say a release word like "free" and toss a treat off the cot so it steps away.
Build time slowly. Ask for two seconds on the cot, then five, then ten, always ending with the release word. Add a small distraction such as a toy on the floor before you ask for longer stays.
Practice in short sessions and start again in a new room once the puppy goes to place reliably in the first one. Fade the clicker later by rewarding only some correct tries.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep each session to two to five minutes and end while your puppy is still succeeding.
Say "place" once only. Repeating the word teaches your puppy to ignore it.
Never lift or push your puppy onto the cot. Waiting and rewarding gets a faster, calmer result.
Always release your puppy with the same word so it learns that place time ends on your cue.
Questions
How long does it take before my puppy understands the place command?
Most puppies start stepping onto the cot within a few short sessions. A reliable stay on place with distractions usually takes several weeks of daily practice.
What if my puppy will not step onto the cot?
Make the cot easier by lowering it or using a flat mat, and reward a single paw touch first. You can also drop treats on the cot to encourage sniffing and stepping on.
Can I use a dog bed instead of a training cot?
Yes, any mat or bed works as long as it stays in one spot and is easy to tell apart from the floor. A raised cot simply makes the boundary clearer for a young puppy.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
