Getting on the bed

GETTING ON THE BED

THE GOAL OF THIS EXERCISE

The goal of this exercise is to get your dog to go to his bed on cue. When your dog learns to offer the behavior of going on the bed without lures, you give your dog mental stimulation while teaching a strong behavior and a solid cue.

 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THIS EXERCISE

This exercise helps to get your dog to concentrate better, to teach him to offer behaviors all the while making your everyday life easier now that you can cue your dog to go to his bed. This can be handy for example when guests  come over. This exercise is suitable for all dogs and the training plan is divided into small steps so that you can find a suitable speed at which you and your dog can advance.

 

THE BED

It is important to remember that every time you train you should use the same bed, for example, the dog's bed or a blanket. If you change the bed between sessions, you might need to make the exercise easier for your dog by doing a couple of repetitions with an easier criterion. Your dog will be conditioned to the object, meaning that the bed in question will always mean the same behavior for your dog. So you might want to choose your bed or blanket with care because you can not constantly change it.

 

TAKE INDIVIDUALITY INTO CONSIDERATION

Every dog is its individual, so do not follow the plan to the extreme. But rather adapt the plan so that it suits your dog. Some dogs may immediately go to the bed, some may go and sit on it while others might just glance at it. Start with what your dog begins to offer.

If your dog by chance goes all the way to the bed the first time but does not do it again, make it easier. See what your dog is offering and start from there. This could, for example, be that your dog just looks at the bed. Start there and follow the plan and raise your criteria step by step.

 

BEGINNING THE EXERCISE

Take your clicker and have five piles, with five treats in each, easy at hand. Remember to take a little break after each pile. You have hopefully chosen a suitable bed, which you will always use from now on when doing this exercise. Sit down on the floor with your dog in front of you. Put the bed on the floor in a way that your dog immediately sees it. Do not in any way try to lure or show your dog what to do, just sit still and let your dog figure out how he can earn his treats.

1. Glancing at the bed
You have to be fast to click and reward as soon as your dog glances in the direction of the bed. The click has to come precisely at the moment your dog is looking towards the bed, so be careful with the timing. Do this criterion until your dog after every reward immediately looks towards the bed again. You can also raise the criteria if your dog starts to offer more.

2. Walking towards the bed

When your dog starts to walk towards his bed, click and give him his reward. The dog usually moves to criteria number 3 or 4 quite quickly after a few repetitions of this.

 

3. Sniffs the bed

When your dog goes all the way to the bed and sniffs on it, click and reward. The click and the reward should come at the precise moment when your dog is sniffing the bed. In other words, when your dog's nose is on the border of the bed. This way your dog associates the treat with his bed. Repeat this criterion until your dog chooses to offer the behavior in step number 4.

 

 

4. Steps on the bed

Click and reward when your dog steps on the bed with one paw. You should throw the treat onto the bed. Again you should be quick to click and reward when your dog has his paw on the bed. Try to avoid giving the treat from your hand. This can lead to your dog learning to go to his bed but immediately afterward run back to you to get his reward. Keep repeating this criterion until your dog deliberately puts his one paw in the bed. Usually, the dog accidentally starts to offer criteria number five.

 

 

 

5. Stepping with two paws on the bed

When your dog easily puts one front paw on the bed, just begin to wait for him to put his other front paw as well before clicking and rewarding quickly. In this stage, you can throw the treat in another direction to get him off the bed and ready for another repetition. Again, click and reward when your dog has both front paws on the bed. Repeat this criterion until your dog successfully a few times in a row puts his both front paws on the bed as soon as he gets the chance. Or when your dog starts to offer the behavior in criteria number six.

 

6. Three paws on the bed

You can move to this criterion when your dog, as soon as he has gotten his reward, goes and puts both his front paws on the bed. In this criterion, you are not going to reward two paws anymore, but rather wait for him to put one back paw as well. Be quick to click and reward when does that. At this stage, it is advisable to throw the treat away from the bed, so that your dog gets a new chance to perform the behavior. Again, be quick to click and reward when your dog is back with three paws on the bed. You can raise the criteria when your dog does this several times in a row or when he starts to offer the behavior in step number seven.

 

7. All paws on the bed

When your dog is standing on the bed with three paws, just stop and wait for him to put his fourth paw on the bed. There is also a possibility that your dog will offer to go on the bed with all fours while you are still at stage six. Either way, click and reward. You should still throw the treat away from the bed so that your dog has the chance to try again. By rewarding away from the bed, you also teach your dog to understand that being in the bed is what causes the click and reward. Repeat this until you have a dog that immediately after getting his reward goes back to his bed.

 

 

 

 

8. Adding duration

In this criteria, you are going to carefully build duration for staying in the bed. When your dog goes to the bed, count to two before clicking and rewarding him for being still. You can do a couple of repetitions of this stage before it is time to move on to criteria number nine.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Sniffs or sits on the bed

In this stage, you do not have to throw the treat away from the bed anymore. The idea is to make it more difficult while your dog learns to stays in his bed. It is not enough anymore that your dog just stands in the bed, he has to sniff the bed or sit down. Wait until your dog slightly lowers his gaze downwards towards the bed before clicking and giving a treat. When your dog starts to understand what he is getting reinforced for, he should start to lower his head down more and more until his nose touches the bed. If your dog even slightly lowers his back end, click and quickly give a treat. Repeat this. Start to wait for him to lower his back end more and more before clicking and rewarding. Repeat this until your dog sits down.

Problem-solving: Your dog does not sniff or sit In case your dog does not even try to sit or sniff the bed, you can help him out a couple of times by giving him his sit cue. As soon as your dog sits down, praise and throw the treat in front of him. Be sure to throw the treat so that he does not have to get up to get it. When your dog has his head down to get his treat, click and throw another one. After doing this multiple times, your dog will start to realize that lowering his head will earn him another reward. You can test to see if your dog has understood this by waiting for him to lower his head down, without you throwing the treat to him first. If he lowers his head, click, reward and praise him a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Sitting and sniffing the ground

When your dog is sitting on the bed, you can raise the criteria. While sitting, he should start to lower his head down, look at or sniff the bed. Be quick to click and reward any of these behaviors. Repeat this until your dog visibly sniffs the bed or starts to lie down.

 

 

  1. Lying down from a sit

Now that your dog knows to sit in the bed and lower his head down, you can raise the criteria. Start to click and reward when you see that he lowers his chest as well. Repeat until you see that he actively lowers his chest. After giving him his reward, wait for him to figure out where he got his treat from. Be quick to click and reward when he offers the behavior again. When your dog several times in a row lowers his chest to a certain point, start to demand that he lowers it even more. Do this until your dog lies down, click and quickly give him his treats.

 

  1. Onto the bed and lying down

Wait for your dog to go to the bed and either sit or lie down. Click and quickly give him a treat. You should throw the treat away from the bed so that your dog gets a chance to repeat the behavior after each successful repetition. Your dog might go and stand on the bed before he sits and lies down. He might also go to the bed and immediately sit before lying down. If however, he goes to the bed and right away lies down, you should continue to step 13. In case your dog goes to the bed and sits but does not offer a down, you should call him away from the bed and let him try again. Click and reward right away if your dog lies down, even after a small delay. You should continue on this stage until your dog immediately sits down when reaching the bed. When you have come this far, wait for him to lie down from a sit. Remember to click and give a treat. Again, throw a treat away from the bed so that the dog can approach the bed for another try.

Problem-solving: Your dog does not lie down

If your dog does not offer the behavior of lying down even once, you could use his down cue to help him. Praise your dog a lot when he lies down after you have given him the cue. Remember to throw a treat away from the bed after each repetition so that you give your dog a chance to approach his task again. After giving the cue to lie down about 3-5 times, give your dog a chance to perform the behavior without you asking him to. If he lies down without help from you, click and reward. In case this does not help your dog understand to lie down, you can also try to help him by rewarding him for sitting on the bed by throwing the treat in front of his front paws. When your dog lowers his chest to get his treat, click and throw another treat in front of his paws. By repeating this you can get your dog to understand to lower his chest to get his reward. After a while, your dog should understand to lie down.

If your dog still does not lie down, you can help him with his verbal cue for lying down. After asking your dog to lie down on cue several times, the behavior should be so reinforced that you do not have to ask your dog to lie down, he should offer the behavior by himself.

Repeat this until your dog goes to the bed, sits and then lies down. Make the task more difficult for your dog by only clicking and rewarding if the dog goes straight into a down. If your dog sits first, just throw a treat away from the bed so that he gets a chance to try again.

In case your dog goes straight to the bed and lies down without sitting in between, praise him a lot. If your dog does not succeed after a few repetitions, lower the criteria.

You can also set up criteria for how fast your dog should lie down after sitting. Step by step you can start to ask that the time between sitting and lying down decreases. At some point, when the time between sit and down is nonexistent, the dog will try to go straight into a down.

 

  1. Lying down right away

When your dog lies down right away when he gets to his bed, it is time to start to reinforce that he does it as quickly as possible. You should also start to reinforce him for being on a more specific spot on the bed. Start by clicking and rewarding only those attempts where your dog lies down right away when reaching his bed.

In case your dog hesitates and stands in the bed before lying down, you should not reinforce him anymore at this stage. Instead, call your dog away from the bed and let him try again.

You should remember, that you cannot expect your dog to lie down quickly if it is not something that he already offers a lot! At this stage, your dog should offer the behavior of quickly lying down as soon as he gets to his bed.

Choose a spot more in the middle of the bed and start reinforcing your dog for lying in that specific spot. Especially if your dog has been lying down on the edge of the bed.

Start by ignoring the repetitions where your dog is lying down on the edge. Just throw a treat away from the bed and let your dog have another try. If your dog lies down even a little bit closer to the middle, you should click, reward and praise him for the decision. Repeat this until your dog immediately goes to the middle of the bed and lies down.

 

 

 

 

  1. Adding a cue

Now you are at a point where the behavior is strong enough to add a verbal cue and, if you wish, a hand signal. Please note, if you want your dog to go to his bed when he hears the doorbell ring (next part of the training), you should use a hand signal instead of a verbal cue.

If you want to teach your dog to go to his bed on a verbal cue, follow the instructions in the next steps. Give the cue of your choice (if you want to use a verbal cue and a hand signal, use both) when your dog lies down on the bed, click and give him a treat. After several repetitions start to gradually give your cue earlier and earlier. For example, start by giving the cue when your dog lies in the bed, then when he starts to lie down in his bed and gradually move to give the cue when your dog approaches his bed. In case your dog gets distracted when you give him his cue, go back to a point where it does not stop him from doing the behavior all the way. Again, start saying the cue earlier and earlier, only this time in smaller steps and doing more repetitions in each phase. Do this until your dog does not get distracted by you saying or giving the cue.

 

 

  1. Adding duration to lying on the bed

Now you should be at a point where your dog approaches the bed, you give a verbal and/or a hand signal and your dog goes all the way to the bed and lies down. The next step is to add duration to teach your dog to stay in his bed. So this time when your dog has lied down in his bed, wait one second before clicking and rewarding. Slowly increase the time he has to lie on his bed before you click and give him a treat. Continue doing this until you have a dog that can lie still in his bed for 10 seconds. If your dog chooses to get up before you click and reward, you should make the exercise easier by shortening the time significantly. That the dog gets up in the middle of the exercise usually indicates that we have raised our criteria too fast. It might be that he does not understand the exercise, or you might be stuck rewarding the same criteria for way too long causing the dog to lose interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Sending to the bed from different angles

The next step is to generalize the behavior so that your dog goes to his bed on cue no matter what angle you send him from. Another way to generalize the behavior is to change where the bed is located. You can change the location inside the house or outside. This way your dog learns to perform the same behavior no matter where the bed is. The one thing you do not want to change is the bed itself, it should always be the same one.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Sending to the bed from a distance

Gradually start to be further away from the bed when sending your dog to it. Do this stage from different angles and in different places. When you do this exercise in a new location, make it easier for the dog by being e bit closer to the bed yourself.