“Stay on Your Bed” is our favorite command!
Watch how dogs we train happily go to and stay on their dog beds. We also teach our training dogs that they must go straight to their bed as soon as they come back in the house. This is great for keeping your house clean and for good manners. When dogs first come inside they often feel like the inside should be a “party” just like the yard is a free-time party. Teaching your dog to head straight to the dog bed gets his mind on “work” and not “play”. It is also great for dogs who need to get toweled off before running around the house.
How to teach a dog “Stay on your Bed”. How to teach a dog the “place” command.
First. Have your dog go to a cot or dog bed. Encourage the dog to be on the object by placing food on the “bed”. You can also put him on the bed and give him verbal and petting reward.
Second. Name this behavior. We call it “go to bed”. We feed the dog meat for getting on the bed. We continue to feed the dog for staying calmly on the bed. We repeat “stay” or “stay on the bed”.
Third. We escort the dog back to the bed if he gets off. The dog does not decide when he gets off the bed. The person decided.
Fourth. Once we are done & decide the lesson is over, we tell the dog “Free” and he can get off the bed. In fact, we insist he get off the bed when told “free”. This will ensure he also learns the “free” command.
Fifth. “Go to Bed & Stay” is best learned when the dog has been properly exercised and stimulated first.