Settle: Extending the Time
PREREQUISITE: Your dog should be approaching and lying down on the mat. You should not be using a cue yet.
TOOLS:
- Clicker
- Treat pouch
- Treats
- Mat
TRAINING ENVIRONMENT: A relatively low distraction environment in your home.
RECOMMENDED TREAT POSITION: Toss the treat to get your dog to move away from the mat.
STEPS:
- Just like with other behaviors, to extend the time we are going to hold off before we click and treat the behavior.
- Remember to be random. Keep your dog guessing about when the treat will come.
- If your dog looks like he’s going to get up, try to click and throw the treat before he/she gets up.
- Try to increase your time by 10-15 seconds every day.
HOMEWORK:
- PUPPIES: Work for 2-3 minutes, up to three times a day.
- DOGS: Work for 5 minutes, three to five times each day.
AT THE END OF THIS STEP:
Your dog should be lying on the mat for at least 15 seconds.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
My dog lie down on the mat.
Go back to the last step and practice more. Your dog isn’t ready for this step yet.
My dog gets up before I click.
- Shorten your time.
- Try a less distracting environment.
- You may have worked too long. Short little training sessions are your best bet!