# What is the purpose of "place" command?



## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

I've seen this command referred to as "place" on here, and the trainer is teaching this in my pre-basic dog class right now although she has a different name for it. This is where you teach the dog to go to a mat or something similar on command, and stay in place.

The class trainer says this is different than training your dog to go to her bed. My question is, if your dog has a reliable down-stay, what is the purpose of the place command? In what situation would you use that instead of just putting your dog in a down-stay?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

many times that crate pad or mat is a security blanket for dogs with anxiety or reactivity...the mat can go everywhere with the dog, and if they are doing training, or sport, the 'place' command is soothing to the dog. The dog knows what to expect when on it, nothing bad happens.
Down-stay is a bit different as it is an obedience exercise and some dogs will load up if put in a down stay...where as the 'mat' or place is a relaxing type exercise.


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

Because sometimes you don't want to get up from the dinner table to take your dog over to her bed and put her in a down-stay.


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

Angelas, you must not have read the part where the trainer said this is a different command than telling the dog to go to her bed. Your post also seems to imply that a down-stay has to be in the dog's bed? But thank you both for answering!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

The purpose is to teach your dog to be sent to a spot. Whether it is the bed, crate, a mat. the dog doesnt' have to down. it simply needs to go to that spot.


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

Alright, so I guess what has me confused is the way this trainer teaches it, then, since she says this command is NOT for telling the dog to go to her bed or crate. Just a mat, and to stay there. In which case onyx'girl's answer makes some sense to me, as I was looking for some practical purpose for this in your life with a dog if it did not include sending her to her bed or crate, or just telling her to "stay"


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

control unleashed by leslie mmcdevitt has this useful exercise in the program. I learned to use it in that context with a reactive dog.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I have no idea what the trainer's theory is. but it makes zero sense to carry a mat around every where you go to send the dog to and if in the house, why not use the bed or crate? I've never found it a useful command other than teaching your dog to Go. once they know that, then you can teach them to go to any object.


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## J-Boo (Mar 5, 2015)

Jax08 said:


> I have no idea what the trainer's theory is. but it makes zero sense to carry a mat around every where you go to send the dog to and if in the house, why not use the bed or crate? I've never found it a useful command other than teaching your dog to Go. once they know that, then you can teach them to go to any object.


Those were my thoughts exactly.

So with "go", are you able to just point to an object and tell her to go to it?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

5 Steps to Train Your Dog to ?Go to Place? | Karen Pryor Clicker Training


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I did mat training with Halo when she was young. All our dogs have always gone into their crates to the "go to bed" command, but I started using mats for the Relaxation Protocol with Dena and Keefer. The mat was a place to hang out and chill - basically do nothing in that context, while stuff goes on around the dog. RP was developed by Dr. Karen Overall, and advocated by Leslie McDevitt, who wrote Control Unleashed, which Jane mentioned. It's not necessary to use a mat for RP, but Leslie uses one quite a bit as a chill spot for dogs that get over or under-stimulated (she's an agility trainer and competitor), and it made sense for me to use a mat in conjunction with the program. 

The nice thing about that is once the dog makes the association between calm relaxation and the mat, you can take it anywhere and invoke the same emotional state. I used to bring Halo's mat with me to training classes, and when we were between exercises, while the instructor was describing and demonstrating what we were going to be working on next, she'd lay calmly on her mat and look at me.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Echoing Deb

The primary reason it is used at least the way I teach it is a form of conditioned relaxation. The dog is taught to go to it and stay on it but what they do on it as long as they don't come off and don't get whiny or loud is to get them to chill out. 

People might say well why don't you just use a down stay? Because it offers the dog more freedom. They can stand, sit, stretch, lay down, or whatever as long as they don't come off the place. It keeps them in one spot, keeps them from entertaining themselves or pacing or whatever it was they would ordinarily do in a room left to their own devices. They end up relaxing when kept there and that relaxation conditions to the room they are made to do that place exercise in. It is good for high strung dogs that need to be chilled out in the house.

A variation of that sort of thing was how I have 2 calm Malinois in the house. Management tools for creating and maintaining calm dogs (and managing and training dogs from an emotional standpoint) don't get enough clout.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

This was honestly very insightful for me to read. Thanks for the OP for posing the question and the response. 

At 5 years old, I feel this is something new and useful I can train with Titan when I get home. 

I too never fully understood the point of a place command. In my head, I taught him "go lay down" and "go to bed" Both different in that one is directive to where and the other is just a go elsewhere... anywhere not here, and lay down. People have talked about theirs learning the "place" command and it just didn't seem to have significance to me. But now I see it could definitley be used in situation where I want to bring Titan but he isn't going to be getting played with the entire time. In certain situations, like sporting events, camping, etc. he get over-stimulated by there being ample opportunities to play but no one playing with him. He whines and will stay where I put him, but not truly calm down. This could very well help. 

Do you think this would be a good use for that?


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