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April 20, 2011

Am I screwing things up by leaving the 'place' mat out and then my dog going to her place and not getting rewards? Or does she know that rewards only come with the command?

Full Question:
I purchased your dog obedience video.



Question (re: Place) -- I leave her "place" mat out all the time for her to lay on (even when we are not working). On occasion, I've turned around (while not working the 'place' command) and see her down sniffing between her paws. She's a 7.5 month old Doberman and when she realizes I'm looking she gives me that tilted head Dobie velociraptor look ('hit me up bossman'). Ordinarily, I would view this as good (if we were working) and mark/reward her. But in this scenario (timing), I do not even know (1.5 seconds) how long she's been in that position.



Am I screwing things up by leaving the mat out and then her going to her place and not getting rewards? Or does she know that rewards only come with the command? I'm confused because Ed said that the rug should be given value.



Help.
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I would probably not leave the mat you use for training out unless you are ready to reward her each and every time she interacts with the mat in a timely fashion. Otherwise, she’s only getting rewarded sometimes and in the beginning of learning this can cause the dog to stop trying. Maybe have one specific mat for training and then a regular bed for other times?



Personally, I don’t allow a dog as young as yours the freedom to interact with the environment at all without me attached to the dog on a leash. This way I am controlling any interactions and reinforcement that may occur.



I hope this helps.



Cindy Rhodes

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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