Place
Basic Manners · 14 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to step all four feet up onto a platform and hold there until released, for a hand signal or the verbal cue 'Place', and to stay put while you handle them. Any position is fine, a confident stand is perfect. This is a workhorse foundation that unlocks the vet scale, grooming tables, and photos.
**Equipment:** A low, firm, stable platform with clear edges, such as a sturdy step stool, an upside-down solid bin, or a raised platform. The firm edge teaches Your Dog to place their feet deliberately. Avoid a squishy bed, which hides the edges, and anything that rocks or wobbles underfoot.
For this plan you will also need:
**- A Release Cue:** such as "Okay!" or "Break!" to tell Your Dog when they are free to step off. Always releasing them teaches Your Dog to hold Place until released.
**- A No Reward Marker:** such as "Oops," to mark the moment Your Dog steps off early and help them learn why they did not earn a treat for that rep.
**Split:** If Your Dog is unsure about stepping onto a raised surface, start on the first split step with the platform flat on the floor or very low.
Training steps
Front paws up
Setup: Your Dog is standing in front of a low, firm platform.
Hold a treat just past the near edge of the platform and lure Your Dog to step their front paws up onto it. Mark and reward the instant both front paws land, then release them off for the next rep. A platform that is low and very stable helps a hesitant dog feel safe.
Success: Your Dog puts both front paws on the platform.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure all four feet on
Setup: Your Dog is standing beside the platform.
Lure Your Dog all the way up so all four feet are on the platform. Mark and reward in position, then say your release word and lure them off for the next rep. Any position counts, a stand is perfect.
Success: Your Dog stands with all four feet on the platform.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Bury the lure
Setup: Your Dog is standing beside the platform.
Make the same motion toward the platform but with the treat hidden in your other hand. When all four feet land, mark and reward from the other hand. This fades the food lure while keeping the gesture.
Success: Your Dog steps all four feet onto the platform.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hand signal
Setup: Your Dog is standing a step from the platform.
From a step away, point at the platform and wait for Your Dog to step up by themselves. Reward in position, then release. No food in the pointing hand.
Success: Your Dog steps all four feet onto the platform.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add the verbal cue
Setup: Your Dog is standing a step from the platform.
Say 'Place', pause for 1 second, then point at the platform if needed. Reward in position when all four feet land, then release.
Success: Your Dog steps onto the platform for the verbal cue.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Only the verbal cue
Setup: Your Dog is standing a step from the platform.
Say 'Place' once and wait, with no point and no gesture at all. Give Your Dog a moment to head for the platform on their own. Reward in position when all four feet land, then release.
Success: Your Dog steps all four feet onto the platform for the cue alone.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Cue from 3 feet
Setup: Your Dog is standing about 3 feet from the platform.
Say 'Place' from about 3 feet away and wait for Your Dog to go to the platform and step on. Reward in position, then release.
Success: Your Dog goes to the platform and steps all four feet on.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Cue from 6 feet
Setup: Your Dog is standing about 6 feet from the platform.
Say 'Place' from about 6 feet away and wait for Your Dog to go to the platform and step on. Reward in position, then release.
Success: Your Dog goes to the platform and steps all four feet on.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Cue from across the room
Setup: Your Dog is standing across the room from the platform.
Say 'Place' from across the room and wait for Your Dog to go to the platform and step on. Reward in position, then release.
Success: Your Dog goes to the platform and steps all four feet on.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold for 5 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is on the platform.
Cue 'Place', then start the timer. Feed a treat every couple of seconds while all four feet stay on. At the buzzer, reward and release. If Your Dog steps off early, say 'Oops' and reset.
Success: Your Dog keeps all four feet on the platform for 5 seconds.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold for 10 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is on the platform.
Cue 'Place', start the timer, and feed every few seconds while all four feet stay on. Reward and release at the buzzer. If Your Dog steps off early, say 'Oops' and reset.
Success: Your Dog keeps all four feet on the platform for 10 seconds.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold for 20 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is on the platform.
Cue 'Place', start the timer, and follow the duration prompts. This step mixes shorter holds in among the 20 second targets to keep your rate of reinforcement strong and unpredictable, which is the fastest way to build a solid hold. Feed for every rep, even a 1 second one, but only the 20 second targets count toward the tally. Reward and release at the buzzer, and reset if a foot comes off early.
Success: Your Dog keeps all four feet on the platform for 20 seconds.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold while you touch shoulders and back
Setup: Your Dog is standing on the platform.
With Your Dog on the platform, calmly touch and stroke their shoulders and back, feeding as you go. Keep it brief and reward staying put. This is the foundation for grooming and gear while stationed.
Success: Your Dog keeps all four feet on the platform while you touch them.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Hold while you lift each paw
Setup: Your Dog is standing on the platform.
With Your Dog on the platform, gently lift and set down one paw at a time, feeding for each. Go slowly. This prepares Your Dog for nail care and harnessing while stationed.
Success: Your Dog stays on the platform while you lift and set down each paw.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lovely work. Your Dog can now step all four feet onto the platform and hold there until you release them, even while you handle them. That is a real foundation, and it unlocks the things that used to be a wrestle: the vet scale, the grooming table, and a steady spot for photos.
From here, Place is a daily habit, not a drill. Sprinkle it into ordinary life. Ask for Place while you make dinner, snap a photo, or wipe muddy paws, do one small thing, feed in position, then release with your release word. Always releasing Your Dog rather than letting them drift off is what keeps the hold honest.
Now generalize it. Practice on different surfaces and in new places, a low step at home, a bench at the park, eventually a real scale at the clinic, and reward generously the first few reps in each new spot. Rebuild duration and handling gradually whenever the platform or the location changes, since an unfamiliar surface is harder than the one they learned on.
If Your Dog pops off early in a new setting, that is information, not disobedience. Drop back to a shorter hold or an easier platform and build up again.