How to Train Your Dog to Lay on His Bed

The aim is to start at the end by training the dog to lie on his mat. Once he under knows how to do this, you direct him to go the mat and reward him when he does as commanded.

It is helpful if the dog is familiar with staying in one spot. To do this, teach either the "Down" or "Stay" command as a general action you expect him to obey

Place the bed or mat in a convenient location where the dog is out of the main thoroughfare but can see what's going on around him.

Practice the "Stay" with the dog sitting or lying on the bed. Introduce a specific cue command such as "Stay Bed", so the dog starts to link the action to the place. It's also helpful to introduce a hand cue, such as holding the palm towards the bed to indicate where he is to stay.

Now try giving the "Stay Bed" command when the dog happens to be walking toward the bed. If he continues to the bed praise and reward him, and reinforce the action with your cue command "Go bed".

If he's a little slow understanding that he's required to move to the bed, place a treat on the mat when he's not looking. Then, give your cue command and gently lead him to the mat to discover the scrummy reward waiting for him.

Keep treats in a bag on your belt. When the dog is in the same room as the bed, practice. Repeating the command several times a day is a highly effective way of getting him to learn.

By hiding treats on the mat, the dog is motivated to approach the bed for himself. You then label this action so that he associates going to the bed with a reward, and obeys willingly.

Hide treats in the bed to make it an interesting place for the dog to investigate. When the dog pops over to check out if a new treat has appeared, he gets the self-reward of eating the treat. Pretty soon, he'll be going over regularly to check things out.

As the dog wanders over to sniff for treat-treasure, say "Yes" in an excited voice and then label the action "Go Bed". The idea is to give the action a name so the dog understands what's required of him.

Also, get the dog's attention and direct him to the bed. For example, toss a treat onto the mat and give the cue "Go Bed". As the dog heads for the mat, say "Yes" in an excited voice, to reinforce that he's doing the right thing.

Once you notice the dog starting to anticipate what's expected, you can delay giving him the treat. For example, when you say "Go bed" and he rushes over to sniff out the treat, don't always leave a treat on the mat. Instead, keep it in your hand and expect the dog to reach the mat and sit, before you walk over and reward him.

Once the dog is going to the mat on command in anticipation of a treat, make him wait for the reward. Pause for a second or two between him going to the mat and giving a reward. Gradually extend the gap so he learns to stay on the mat in anticipation of good things happening.

Sometimes things don't go smoothly and the dog plain doesn't do what you want. Never punish the dog. Remember, the most likely reason is he doesn't understand what he's being asked to do or he's bored. Instead, think through what the problem might be and take steps to make things clearer.

If the dog freezes and refuses to comply, be alert for signs of stress. These indicate the dog is confused or conflicted, and you need to ease back in order to progress at a later date. Signs of stress include lip licking, stopping to scratch, or genital washing. If you see these signs, the dog feels under pressure, so takes things back a step or two and be sure to praise the dog when he gets a step right.

Training is a whole lot easier if the dog likes the mat or bed. Try feeding him on the mat so he links it to good things. Likewise, if he happens to lie on the bed, be sure to quietly praise him. This helps him understand that lying on the mat is a good thing.

Things were going well but have stalled. The dog had started walking toward the bed, but stops and ignores it. Sometimes familiarity is the problem, so try picking the bed up and putting it in a new location to make it more interesting.

If relocating the mat doesn't do the trick, then be ready to reward any attention he does give the bed. For example, move the bed again and when he looks over at the bed say "Yes" in an excited voice, and reward him. This helps him understand nice things happen when the mat is concerned. Similarly, when he happens to stroll toward the bed, say "Yes" and reward him.

The simplest way to teach him is to make the mat irresistible. Place the bed in a corner of the kitchen. When you're preparing a meal, entice him onto the bed and feed him scraps when he stays there. Give all his meals on the bed, leave treats on it at random times, and be sure to actively praise him when he goes to bed.