# Teaching "on your mat"



## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Here you go:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2132517_teach-dog-bed.html

This is how we learned it in our 1st obedience class with Tucker. Good Luck!


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## MyJaxson (Jan 5, 2010)

Phillyfisher said:


> Here you go:
> 
> http://www.ehow.com/how_2132517_teach-dog-bed.html
> 
> This is how we learned it in our 1st obedience class with Tucker. Good Luck!


 
Thanks for the link, this sounds great


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## californiagirl (Dec 11, 2009)

Good article! We are trying to teach Daisy to sleep in her bed so I will definetly be using some of those techniques!

My only thought, maybe give your puppy a visual (like pointing your hand towards the mat) so that she will eventually learn that pointing means to go to her mat! Probably a little less disruptive during dinner at a friends as well! =)


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

http://www.dragonflyllama.com/ DOGS/Levels/LevelBehaviours/TL9GoToMat.html

I would put her in another room with a food toy during meals --until-- you have done the training. Otherwise you're somewhat compromising the long term success of your training.

There are two parts to this exercise, the part where you're teaching her to go to the mat and the part where you teach her to stay on the mat. Every training session, only be working on one part. When each part is very good, then you can start putting them together. 

I've not found a good way to incorporate this into a training class due to people being hesitant about the cost, but there is a ---fabulous--- product for training this behavior that speeds up training, in my experience, at least 10x (...or more...depending on the team!). The "manners minder" is a remote controlled treat [kibble] dispenser. After several sessions, a good number of dogs will be able to remain at the station during a meal, with a bit of help from you...plus no need to get up to feed a treat each time. This machine is brilliant. I've used it for some pet training, but it's primary purpose for invention has been pet training and I really wish it wasn't quite so expensive... the product and the instruction booklet are just fabulous and esp. for those with less mobility or if you really can't get to a basic training class...this thing can solve many problems! 

(...and no, I don't work for the company...I just love this product!)


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Instead of physically taking her over to the mat, I would have a good treat in hand and say "on your mat", walk over to the mat and then give her the treat once she is on it. I'm not sure that I would use any extra command from there. I would want "on your mat" to mean go sit or lie down on your mat until I release you. I wouldn't try to have her stay on the mat for more than a few seconds to start. I would use the release "okay" or "release", whatever your release phrase is and then treat her again once she gets up from the mat after you release her.

It's funny, I had a lab/golden many years ago that I taught "on the rug" and I could take along a towel wherever I went with her and when it was time for us to eat, I would put the towel down and tell her "on the rug" and she would go lie down on it. But I have absolutely no memory of how I taught her that!


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## max935 (Jul 28, 2009)

Thanks for the tips guys. I don't use clicker training but will adapt the suggestions in the links. I think that I got slack and didn't practice with her anywhere near enough, and started the bar too high so she isn't really understanding what I want from her. Back to basics and lots of practice!!

Fostermom, it's funny you say that because when I was growing up we also had a lab (x kelpie) and he was great at this command. It was extremely useful at other people's houses - basically we just designated a "mat" and showed it to him then he would go and lie on it!!


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## Rigg Z (Jan 3, 2010)

I use a similar technique but use the word "rug". My wife has rugs at all the doors and when Riggz comes in the house with wet or muddy feet, we give the command rug, throw a treat on the rug, praise and make him stay there until either dry or we wipe his feet. He is learning that when we say "rug", there is a treat on the rug when he gets there. Like heel can mean sit, rug (or your word) can mean stay too. I like the reward system for puppies as they learn faster and Goldens are so food oriented. I try not to structure a sentence as a command, usually, a single word (in your case "mat") may be easier to train. Good luck.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

fostermom said:


> Instead of physically taking her over to the mat, I would have a good treat in hand and say "on your mat", walk over to the mat and then give her the treat once she is on it.


This is sage advice. She'll learn faster if you can get her to "volunteer" the behavior instead of being compelled to do it. If you start it as a simple "down" maneuver when you're right there, you can move further and further away from the mat for the command, walking to her with a reward each time. Eventually, she'll learn that being on the mat itself is what you want.

When you can show them what you want and reward them for doing it, you teach the skill faster, embed it more firmly, and often get a happier dog than when you have to compel them through the motion. It's just like teaching "sit" by luring the dog's head up (and therefore butt down) rather than pushing the butt down with your hand.


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