Life at home gets crazy sometimes, and you can’t always have an extra eye on your pup. Maybe you don’t want to relegate them to a crate all of the time, but you aren’t crazy about leaving them to their imagination around the house. This is where “Place” comes in. A Place can be anything elevated. Generally speaking, something a little higher off of the ground is better than using something like a dog bed, at least in the beginning. There are only a couple of rules that your dog has to follow while on their place; all four paws have to stay on (meaning no getting off, jumping on people, etc.), and no crazy barking or whining. We don’t do commands like “Sit” and “Down” while on a place. It should be a spot for them to just hang out and relax. A Place should be big enough that they can comfortably lie down, turn around, and maybe even chew on a bone. A good guideline is to use about the same size as the bottom of their crate. Teaching your dog the “Place” command is also great for dogs that get really excited around guests (or even dinner). When you have people over, putting your dog on a Place prevents a whirlwind of jumping and acting crazy at the door, but still allows our friends to go say hello and greet them once they are inside. If you have a dog that likes to put on their best sad face at the dinner table and try to get some sympathy scraps, a Place can let your dog still be out and with the family during dinner, but prevent them from being in your lap while you eat. With time and consistency, this behavior becomes so automatic that most dogs will go to their place without being told when the doorbell rings or when we sit down to dinner. If you’d like to know more about how teaching a “Place” command, our training team would love to help get you started!