Introducing a Settle Mat (The Magic Mat) Step 1 is all about making sure they love the mat at first without asking them to do anything except move towards it.
Often puppies and dogs can get really excited when they go to new places and they can find it very difficult to be calm.
It's possible to teach your dog how to relax anywhere and everywhere with The Magic Mat.
When your dog is watching, lay a mat on the floor and sprinkle a few treats Let your dog come over to check out the mat and enjoy the treats.
When your dog has eaten the treats, bring a treat to your dogs nose and roll the treat a short distance away to ‘reset’ them
Whilst the dog is away eating the treat you’ve thrown, reload another round of treats onto the mat.
Repeat this a few times before moving on.
You may need to pick up the mat everytime to help your dog stay interested in the mat. Th combination of yummy treats and puting down the mat will help build an amazing association with the mat.
After you’ve done a few repetition and you notice your dog is coming back to the mat reliably without you having to pick up the mat you are ready to move on.
This time when you toss a treat to reset them, do not reload the mat
As your dog returns to investigate the empty mat, mark (say your marker word or CLICK) ‘and sprinkle 2 or 3 treats on the mat.
Then Reset them again by rolling a treat to get them off the mat.
Repeat a couple more times - Marking every time your dog returns towards an empty mat, and reward by placing a few treats on the mat.
After a few repetitions, end your first session and be sure to pick up the mat.
Why Work with Canine Learning Academy? We want what’s best for your dog. We use scientifically-proven, positive reinforcement methods to train your dog. We are proud to never use fear, pain, or force. We believe that training should be fun, humane, and effective; that’s why we’re a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP).
