# Teaching ‘Place’ and using it elsewhere



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

For the out an about question: To control excitement of greeting people, try this (from Dunbar academy training info). I haven't tried it yet but if Rufus has a good 'sit', it seems like it will work. I live alone and need to find some helpers to do it.
Walk your dog on a small "block" in your neighborhood. Have 6 strangers (to your dog), each some distance apart walk the same block in the opposite direction. Each time you encounter them, the stranger asks them to sit and be calm. When they do it, you reward him. I think it would work to some extent even using family members, but really IDK.


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## TK9NY (Jan 6, 2017)

Greeting people in the home and greeting people in the outside world are, at least IMO, two different things. I don't use "place" for both situations, and i don't think most people do. 

When greeting people in the outside world you don't necessarily want your dog to go some place and wait (IE a cot or bed) on cue for a greeting, you want them to remain calm by your side when people approach to greet them. It's two different behaviors - knock or ring means they go to their "place" and stay put, person approaching in public means remain calm by handlers side. Yes, that does require different methods of training.

Note: You CAN use the "place" command if you're, say, in an off leash area or public area and want your dog to remain in one spot but don't necessarily need them to "stay" (IE not move at all). Like say you're reading a book on a park bench and want your dog to stay on a portable cot beside you - you "place" them to the cot, which allows them to sit/stand/lay/chew a toy but not allow them to move off it.

To me, "place" is not exactly a "stay". If i tell Dublin to stay then he remains in that position until release. "Sit, Stay" means sit down and stay sitting. "Down, stay" means lay down and stay down. "Place" to me means "go here and stay there" but as long as all four paws remain on that spot i don't care if he sits, lays down, turns around, etc. He can move all he wants on that spot, he can chew a toy, he can take a nap. 

I do not "stay" him for more than a couple of minutes usually, but can "place" him for much longer... like if i'm trying to cook and he's annoying me by poking his nose on the counter i'll tell him "place" and put him on his cot until i'm done cooking.

When using "place" in the house for greeting visitors or when answering the door, i do not release him until he is calm. That might just be a me thing, though. If he's calm coming off his cot then he's more manageable to guests, as opposed to 42 pounds of excited fluff jumping off the cot and barreling at them lol. I also only use his cot as his "place" so he doesn't get confused - another reason i don't use it in public, i don't carry his cot around.

I hope all that makes sense! You can choose if you want him to sit, lay, etc while in "place" or if you don't want him to move at all. I would, however, make sure he is going to the same spot each time and doing the same thing. If you want all four feet on the place then every time he has to have all four feet on the place. If you don't mind him just plonking down like he is with front feet off, make sure he's okay staying just like that each time until release or he might start trying to figure out how to get away with three feet off, or all four with just his butt there. 

Dublin still needs to be guided to his place, but in all fairness to us it's just me training him. We don't get a lot of people coming to the door so there's little "practice" for that. I can however put him on his cot and he will stay on it while i walk all the way around him, go open the front or back door and close it, and walk around the whole house. He stays until i give him a treat reward and the release word.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I think it depends on the situation and why the dog is getting excited. 

Sometimes the dog is reactive because he wants to go visit the people and get busy making friends right away. Sometimes the dog is reactive because he's nervous.

With an excited happy dog a good strong sit or place command is usually appropriate. The dog needs to calm down, and releasing the dog to meet the people becomes a reward. (Of course, not everyone wants to meet even a calm dog, so praise and treats are also a good reward.)

A nervous dog might want to check out the person to see if they are a threat, but he's not entirely confident the situation will end well. In this situation, it makes a bit of a difference whether the dog is at home or elsewhere. In the home it is possible to teach the dog that a bed or crate is a safe zone. Going to his bed when he is nervous is always the right choice, because he is always safe there. Of course, this principle only works if in fact he IS always safe there. No following the dog to his bed to paint his nails with sparkly polish. He must always feel his bed is a place where he can retreat and be safe.

Outside the home he's not going to have a safe zone, because he doesn't live in the park or bank lobby. To borrow a horse term, "keep the feet moving," might be the best way to handle the nervousness. Requiring the dog to sit or lie down takes away the dog's ability to flee, and it also gives the dog nothing to do besides worry. You therefore increase the anxiety. Instead, distract the dog with training exercises that redirect the dog's focus onto you: heel, touch, gimme a paw, spin, etc. Asking the dog to play/train signals the dog that you aren't particularly concerned about the threat. It protects the dog by giving the other people a clear signal that you are busy and now is not a good time to approach. Finally, it also gives you the opportunity to nonchalantly move the dog away from whatever is making it nervous.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

Determining if he needs stillness or movement to help him calm down will help. If you are on Instagram, Denise Fenzi did a talk about it. Login • Instagram


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

cowpony said:


> I think it depends on the situation and why the dog is getting excited.
> 
> Sometimes the dog is reactive because he wants to go visit the people and get busy making friends right away. Sometimes the dog is reactive because he's nervous.
> 
> ...


So smart.


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