Imagine this scenario. Every time a visitor knocks or rings the doorbell, the dog is like quick-silver as he makes a dash for the door. The other day, your dog managed to shoot out past your ankles when the mailman called with a parcel. It was only a matter of luck that there was no passing traffic at the time, or he might easily have run into the road and had a dreadful accident.
You do your best to put the dog into a secure room before you open the front door, but sometimes this just isn't practical. For example, there's the time the delivery man went away in the time you took to make the dog safe - meaning you had an unwanted trip to the depot to collect your parcel.
A friend suggested the answer is to teach the dog to sit on a mat on command. That way he sits still and you know where he is when you answer the door. Sounds like a good idea, but how do you put this theory into practice?
Having a dog sit on a mat is exactly as it sounds, and yet so much more. The usefulness of this command is in what the dog can't do while he's sitting nicely in one spot. Being on the mat prevents him getting under your feet or running out the door. Indeed, it will even inhibit some dogs from barking, since concentrating on being on the mat makes them forget about woofing.
Teaching a small dog to sit on a mat requires him to understand what you want. If he seems slow to learn, then consider you are not sending out a clear message and re-assess the lesson. It's also helpful not to expect too much too soon from the dog. Be prepared to take things in baby steps, with the dog first learning to approach the mat, then step on, then sit, and then stay.
To do this requires little by way of equipment but a lot by way of patience and consistency.
As well as time and patience you'll need: