Settle: Adding the Cue
PREREQUISITE: Your dog should be going to his mat from five or more feet away and lying down.
TOOLS:
- Clicker
- Mat
- Treats
- Treat pouch
TRAINING ENVIRONMENT: A location where your dog has successfully gone to his mat and lay down at least six times in a row.
RECOMMENDED TREAT POSITION: Toss the treat off the mat to reset the behavior.
STEPS:
This exercise is similar to any where you are naming a known behavior. Please look back on the video about adding the cue to sit if you need a refresher on how it is done.
- Place the mat down and let your dog go to it and lie down.
- Click and toss a treat so that your dog has to get several feet from the mat.
- Once your dog has retrieved the treat tell him/her “settle”.
- Wait until your dog goes back to the mat and lies down.
- Click and toss the treat off the mat.
- Repeat this ten times, and then end the training session.
HOMEWORK:
- DOGS: Ten repetitions one to three times a day.
- PUPPIES: Five repetitions one to three times a day.
AT THE END OF THIS STEP:
Your dog should be going to the mat and lying down when you tell him to settle from about six feet away with you standing next to the mat.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
My dog won’t go to the mat.
- Your dog isn’t ready to have the cue added in the environment you are in. Go back to the last point where your dog was successful and work more on previous steps.
- If your dog has pent up energy, take him/her for a walk.
- Try working in a less distracting environment.
- Make sure he/she likes the rewards you are using.