Settle/place training

[Scaredypup]

My ddog is one next week. She has a lot of issues but we’re working on them and seeing some improvements. She’s always struggled
to settle but has got much better at this, still a way to go though.

She knows the settle command but only really stays ‘settled’ as long as there’s treats coming beciase she’s in training mode. But still, I think doing this training has helped her learn to settle independently at times of her choosing.

The issue is, sometimes I want her to settle on command but don’t want to be actively there giving her treats but as soon as I give the command she goes into that mode. How do I get her to settle and stay that way? Same with ‘go to bed’, how do you train them to stay there until you say otherwise or for a period of time longer than 2 mins? I’ve managed to get her to stay in bed whilst I load the dishwasher but I’m having to treat her intermittently.

You teach her a cue, so that she knows a treat is coming so long as she carries on doing what she's doing. I use yes and good as my cue words, but you can use whatever you like.

So if you say to her, 'bed', and she hops into her bed, you say 'yes!' and give her a treat a split second later. She will learn very quickly that 'yes!' means 'I did this thing right and a treat is coming'. You can use this to teach an awful lot of things - the moment the dog does as asked (or when she is learning, you can lure her into place with the food), you say 'yes!' and the treat follows. But you need to make sure that there is a gap between the cue and the treat for the cue to work as a cue. She will learn that 'yes!' marks the exact thing that she did right.

You then build on this with 'good'. Ask for a sit, say 'stay' (followed by a physical signal like a raise hand - this helps too), take a step away, and if she doesn't move, say 'yes!' and treat. After repeating this over a few days, move the step, say 'good', move back, 'yes!' and treat. Slowly build up the distance, duration and distractions, using 'good' to let her know that she's doing the right thing and will be rewarded. Eventually you'll be able to leave her and go out of sight, and hardly need to use 'good' at all, because she'll know what you want her to do, and be motivated by whatever reward you give her for doing it.

Have fun - and your dog will too.

I do all of these things, used to use a clicker but was advised not to use that for teaching calmness so also use ‘yes’ as the cue. I’m just not sure how to build up duration. If she goes into bed and I say yes and give a treat she’ll often then get up once she’s got her treat. If I make her wait for the treat, she’s not settling as she’s waiting and can end up barking in frustration.
i have the same trouble with lead walking. As soon as she gets the treat she leaves the heel position and trots off ahead.

'Yes!' not only pinpoints the split second when the dog did exactly what you wanted, it's also a release to reward: 'You've done the right thing, come and get your reward.' So you can use 'Yes!' at a distance to capture that moment, and the dog can come bounding over for the reward it knows it will get - and it knows what it's getting the reward for. And make sure that the 'Yes!' precedes the reward.

The next cue to teach is 'good', which means, 'this is what we want, just keep on doing this.' It might help to teach your dog a down first, before you start asking for a settled down-stay in her bed.

Then you can do one of two things - you can teach a stay, and then transfer that to the bed, or you can teach a stay/settle on the bed. If the bed is a point of contention, I'd teach a stay elsewhere and teach it again on the bed.

I'll try and break this into stages - I don't want to patronise you so sorry if I'm repeating what you know, but I want to be really clear.

1. Decide whether you want your dog to sit or lie down in the stay, or if either will do. Ask for the one you want, and then nail this behaviour as the one you want with the instant 'Yes!' and the slightly-delayed treat. She can then do as she likes - you're not expecting a stay just yet.
2. Then move on to asking for the position, saying 'good' and, if she waits a moment before getting up, nail that moment when she's sitting or lying down and not moving with a 'Yes!' and reward her. She'll probably hold position waiting for the expected 'Yes!' so you should get a chance to work in a 'good'.
3. When she begins to stay lying down for a bit longer, draw out the 'goods'. 'Good, good, good, yes!' and reward. Start to step away as you say good. Say 'good' at longer and longer intervals. End with a 'yes!' and a treat.
4. Eventually (how long depends on the dog, how often you train etc) you should be able to say, 'In your bed, good...' and walk off, out of the room, and then come back 1, 2 or 5 minutes later to say, 'Yes!' and reward.

I can send my dogs to their bed, tell them to settle down and leave them. If they get up before I'm happy for them to get off (I don't insist that they stay there forever) they get sent back. These days they don't tend to get a food reward, they just get the release cue and a fuss and praise. To be honest, us getting up from the table after a meal counts as a release cue, and I'm happy with that.

There is an absolutely brilliant breakdown of 'Yes!' and 'Good' on Spotify - look up 'Leerburg Michael Ellis philosophy of dog training' and you should find it. It's quite long but he's not hard to listen to.

PS I meant to say, you can apply the same principle to 'heel': once the dog knows that 'good' means 'keep doing this and a reward will come', it will work for heel walking as well.

I agree with not using the clicker.

I also do not start with a cue

Put treat on bed as you have done - dog goes on bed. Reward for being on the bed at frequent intervals.

The important bit is to have a release command. This tells the dog it is ok to get off the bed. Choose a word and as you say it throw a treat off the bed.

Then Wait

Usually your dog will turn around and go back on to the bed as this is where they have been rewarded most.

If they dont pop a treat back on the bed (say nothing) and the dog will return to the bed. Feed on the bed

Again give release command and throw treat away from the bed so dog has to get off bed to get the treat.

Wait and say nothing and dog will return to bed

All you need to do is to increase the time you give the release command BUT always do give a release command or else the dog will self release like yours is doing.

if the dog does wander off make a note and next time put in the release command a bit earlier.

Also make a bit of a thing about them getting of "oh my word where should you be and see if they go back to the bed for a reward"

Takes time but it a really fab behaviour to do,

@EdithStourton Thank you that’s really helpful. We’ve definitely mastered stage 1 and 2 and sometimes 3. I can’t imagine reaching stage 4! That’s the dream but I’ll keep at it. I managed to keep her in her kitchen bed whilst I chopped up cheese for her earlier using the intermittent good command you suggested and the occasional’yes’ followed by a bit of cheese. It’s definitely progress from the days of jumping up my legs and barking but still only works because she knows there’s a possibility of cheese. I’ll work on adding duration and leaving the room. I’ve tried but she follows me as soon as I’m more than a couple of steps out of the room.

@forumsempronii Thank you. I’ll definitely work on a release command. I’ve used ‘go’ previously but not enough that I’m sure she knows what it means. She definitely sometimes thinks ‘yes’ is the release command and this is where I probably confuse her.

some dogs have terrible impulse control - we have one like that now. He has possibly the worst impulse control of any dog I have ever had. He is now over 2 and is still struggling with a long settle. Some of them take A LOT longer to get this behaviour. Don't feel disheartened as it actually sounds like you are doing really well. I have mastered this with other dogs I've had so I know this isn't me. it really sounds like you're on the right track. Some of them also go through a bit of an idiot phase at this age where they regress a bit but if you keep going and are consistent, they do normally come out the other end!

Do you give her anything to do on her bed? Like a long lasting chew, kong or Toppl? Bear in mind she is still very young, a sentient being and not a robot. Our lurcher will settle and snooze for Britain, but this is typical for a sighthound (and one of the reasons we got one, we knew we needed a dog that would be “boring” in the house as I often have work at home to do). What breed is she? Would staying still for long periods in one place be something you would expect from her breed?
My boy is 2 now, and I remember finding the 1 year to 18 months period just awful, and wishing we had gotten a Guinea pig instead. It gets better, they get less interested in stuff going on, and they do mature eventually, just keep at it and stay consistent. They suddenly wake up one day and all the training has sunk in and they actually behave like nice beings rather than irritating monsters!

@sewinginmyfreetime She’s a cockapoo, 75% poodle, so No definitely not a chilled dog. Tbh it’s not even that I expect or need her to stay in her bed for long periods, it’s more about helping her to switch off as she finds it hard. I often have to resort to leaving her in the kitchen with the gate shut, which works, but I’d rather not have to. She’s currently chilled next to me on the sofa- something that was out of the question a few months ago.

I can’t wait to get to the promised land of mature dog 😂

@SpotOnMyBot i don’t think mine will ever have great impulse control either but she’s my first dog so I’ve got no point of comparison and I probably didn’t teach it properly either. I’m hoping it gets better with maturity.

As well as training an "alert" settle which you're marking & treating for, also reinforce an offered "natural" settle, such as laying quietly beside you. Don't mark it. Praise her& stroke her in position (very calmly & without using her name - perhaps "beautiful settle, well done" plus a gentle brief stroke) use the word settle within that. Then take your attention away for a while, then praise again, making sure she stays in position. Gradually increase the time between praise.
It'll come.