22/10/2026
🐕 THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A DOG IN PLACE 🐾
One of the most underrated skills in dog training is teaching your dog to go to their bed and settle calmly until released.
It might look simple, but a reliable place command can make a huge difference in everyday life!
🏡 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
✅ Builds impulse control – teaches your dog that they don't always need to react to everything happening around them.
✅ Encourages calmness – helps your dog learn to settle instead of constantly pacing, following you or demanding attention.
✅ Improves household manners – useful when guests arrive, you're eating dinner, cooking or spending time with family.
✅ Creates structure and clarity – gives your dog a clear job and teaches them what you expect from them.
✅ Helps around distractions – with gradual training, your dog can learn to remain settled while everyday activities happen around them.
🎯 HOW DO YOU TEACH IT?
1️⃣ Start with the bed.
Choose a comfortable mat or dog bed in a quiet environment with minimal distractions.
2️⃣ Introduce the command.
Guide your dog onto the bed and reward them for getting onto it. Introduce your chosen cue, such as "PLACE", once they begin to understand the behaviour.
3️⃣ Reward calm behaviour.
Don't just reward getting onto the bed. Reward staying there, relaxing and making calm choices.
4️⃣ Build duration gradually.
Start with a few seconds and slowly increase the time. Avoid asking for too much too soon.
5️⃣ Introduce distractions carefully.
Once your dog understands the exercise, gradually add movement, household activity and other distractions. If they repeatedly leave, make the exercise easier.
6️⃣ Teach a clear release cue.
Use a word such as "FREE" to tell your dog when the exercise has finished. Until then, the expectation is to remain on their bed.
🐾 REMEMBER: Place training isn't about forcing a dog to lie down and stay there. It's about teaching a clear behaviour, building duration and helping the dog develop the ability to settle.
For dogs that struggle with frustration, overexcitement or constantly seeking attention, this can be a useful part of a wider training programme. However, it isn't a standalone fix for anxiety or reactivity; those issues need to be addressed according to the individual dog.
A calm dog isn't created by chance. We teach calmness through consistency, clarity and repetition.
At Dog and Ball Training, we believe good training is about helping owners understand their dogs and build better behaviour for everyday life. 🐶
📩 Interested in improving your dog's manners, focus or ability to settle? Get in touch to discuss training options!