Settle: Increasing Your Dog's Distance From the Mat
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 move the dog away from the mat and reset the behavior.
STEPS:
- 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 let him/her return to the mat and lie down.
- Click and toss the treat off the mat, but toss it one to two feet farther than usual.
- Click and treat for return and lie down.
- Repeat this ten times increasing the distance every third time, 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 from ten to fifteen feet away.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
My dog won’t go to the mat.
- You may need to slow down your progress. Go back to the last distance where your dog was successful and work there. Increase your distance more slowly this time. Inches rather than feet.
- 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.