Place Cots - Why Not a Dog Bed?
Barking at mailmen and knocking on the door. Jumping on guests when they enter the house. Potty accidents when your dog knows he or she should go to the bathroom outside. Sound familiar? I have something that can help: put them on place!
Place is a command that should mean your dog goes to a designated area (place cot) to lie down calmly and quietly; it can help you manage all of these behaviors and more. This command is primarily implemented to build confidence and provide you with an inherent off switch for your dog. The commands that I teach—including place—are called non-compatible behaviors. This means that all commands are not compatible with reactivity or self-release from the behavior. When a dog is consistently held accountable for maintaining place—no matter the surrounding distractions or environment—, the dog eventually builds a level of neutrality and confidence around said distractions. This neutrality will eventually induce comfort and therefore an off switch to assist you in establishing healthy boundaries. This is the basic idea at least…
Now, why do most dog trainers recommend place cots instead of dog beds when practicing place? The simple answer: cheating. A place cot is just a raised dog bed that provides a clear expectation of where the dog should be. A normal dog bed lies on the ground and allows for a dog to lie halfway on their bed and halfway on the floor. The more often you let your dog cheat, the more often you’re letting them push a boundary you’ve set. The more lax the rules get, the less your dog will adhere to your expectations. You will see that comfort to push your boundaries you’ve now instilled with place leak into other aspects of you training because your dog knows you won’t hold them accountable. This is why if you’ve ever spoken to any trainer—be it for an animal or a person—, you’ve most likely been told consistency is key. A clear expectation that is implemented consistently is the only way you can define a behavior, just like your place command.