Sending your dog to bed
For this exercise, it is useful to think about practical applications such as sending your dog to bed.
To move out the way and listen to you.
Imagine you have someone visiting (it will happen again) and need your dog to move out the way. You are cooking and need your dog out of the way.
You want your dog to move as you are carrying something.
Dogs feel so much better if someone else is making the decisions, so this idea is to teach your dog to take the worry away from them and reduce their stress levels. When a dog is stressed, like us they make the wrong choices, so lets help them.
Start by putting your dog on a lead and then taking them to their bed. Get them to lie down on command and reward.
To begin with do this all in one room.
Do not proceed any further until your dog knows the word “Bed”.
Next move is to keep your dog on a lead but drop it and get your dog to go and lie down on their own. Follow up behind and reward as soon as they do it. Repeat and repeat until they do it willingly and stay there. Can you toss them a treat and keep them on their bed?
Now we have to send your dog from across the room and get them to lie down and not move.
Do it at least 3 times.
Now to future proof the exercise.
Move the bed to another room and repeat 3 times still sending them while you are in the same room.
Now try it while you are in another room
Do it 3 times again. Reward each time.
Now let’s keep them on their bed for longer.
Put the bed back in the kitchen and send dog to bed. Now while they stay there, put the kettle on and make a cuppa. Every time they move, stop what you are doing and put them back on their bed.
It is not the making of the cuppa but the training of the dog that it’s important. It just gives us a length of time you need your dog to stay.
Now try it in the hallway if you have one or the garden. We are now going to get your dog to move quickly in a straight line to the bed.
Finally find yourself two tubs/markers which you can put in front of your dogs bed. Now they must ignore them but go past and lie down. Practice and have fun.
Why not list all the times you can use this exercise and send them to me.
Have fun and send me some photos of your dogs.
