Teaching the Place Command for Better Manners

We often hear “That dog is so well-behaved! My dog could never do that!” I’m saying, no way! Any dog can learn how to be calm and relaxed around distractions if you take the time to show them how.

Here’s Kasha, a 6 month old doodle, learning for the FIRST time how to relax around another dog. He absolutely loves people and dogs, so without boundaries, he would be in everyone’s faces trying to play and get attention. As cute as that is, it’s also pretty annoying. And rude. So we’re using the place command to teach him that he doesn’t get to be involved with everything going on around him.

Is this mean or unfair? Nope! It’s teaching him how to respect others’ space. And it’s giving him the manners he needs to enjoy life out in the world with his family.

Can you imagine bringing a dog out on a walk that is pulling and jumping and barking every time it sees a potential friend? Actually, I’m sure many of you can. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be so much better (and so much more fun) if you put in the work to teach your dog appropriate boundaries. Here’s how!