A different kind of "go to your mat" -behavior

[Eleonora]

My friend thought that she would teach Lotta to go on her mat on cue. She knows that many people teach the dog to lie on a mat in a certain position as can be seen in the following video:
[YOUTUBE]FJHpNu48vd4[/YOUTUBE]

However, my friend has a different kind of "go to your mat" -behavior in mind: My friend wouldn't care what Lotta would be doing on her mat as long as she would stay there. She could be lying down or sitting there. She might give Lotta a toy so that she could play with it and move around as long as she would stay on her mat.

So, my friend would like to know if it's possible to teach it that way. She knows that the easiest part is to teach Lotta go on a mat because it's hers and she likes to be there. She would like to know if the method in the following tutorials could be applied with this:
[YOUTUBE]OuTh47i3hOY[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]oNE_WJ1nMu4[/YOUTUBE]

So, how would you teach it and where would you begin?

 

[BostonBullMama]

We don't have a "Go to your mat" cue, but when I do training outside, I use the top of the picnic table as a "mat" essentially... I can send Toby to the table simply by pointing at it and he won't leave it until I tell him to.

I'm not sure how I ended up training this behavior but it's certainly useful. I guess it turned into a target spot when I was teaching his basic cue's back in puppy-hood... I'd get him up on the table so that we were more level with each other and then we'd run through sit/lay down and stay. He was rewarded a lot for being on the picnic table, and even at the dog park he'll target the various picnic tables if I point to them.

I guess the same principle could be applied. Get Lotta a mat, have her do basic training on the mat, practicing sits and stays and whatever to let her know that it's a working space and reward her for being there. If she goes to the mat on her own, reward her. Over time you should be able to teach a cue to put her on the mat, I guess Toby's only cue is for me to point to where I want him. He's pretty in sync with me.

 

[Greenmagick]

Yes, I have only used place commands as a cue to go to a marked spot and to stay in that spot but no certain position is required. Basically you just mark for being on/in the spot and building the time duration up.

 

[Eleonora]

So, both of you are saying that it is possible to teach it:

Yes, I have only used place commands as a cue to go to a marked spot and to stay in that spot but no certain position is required. Basically you just mark for being on/in the spot and building the time duration up.

We don't have a "Go to your mat" cue, but when I do training outside, I use the top of the picnic table as a "mat" essentially... I can send Toby to the table simply by pointing at it and he won't leave it until I tell him to.

I'm not sure how I ended up training this behavior but it's certainly useful. I guess it turned into a target spot when I was teaching his basic cue's back in puppy-hood... I'd get him up on the table so that we were more level with each other and then we'd run through sit/lay down and stay. He was rewarded a lot for being on the picnic table, and even at the dog park he'll target the various picnic tables if I point to them.

I guess the same principle could be applied. Get Lotta a mat, have her do basic training on the mat, practicing sits and stays and whatever to let her know that it's a working space and reward her for being there. If she goes to the mat on her own, reward her. Over time you should be able to teach a cue to put her on the mat, I guess Toby's only cue is for me to point to where I want him. He's pretty in sync with me.

My friend has some more questions:

Lotta already has a mat. Does it matter if it's the same one where she lies also otherwise?

How does Lotta know that she's supposed to go on the mat? Should my friend teach the verbal cue first since Lotta doesn't understand pointing?

My friend knows that the easiest thing would be to teach Lotta to do behaviors on the mat but what if she wants to give her a toy so that she could play with it? How would my friend teach Lotta to stay on the mat while she would be playing with that toy?

 

[BostonBullMama]

I find dogs learn easiest when there's a physical cue, but yes you could have your friend teach a verbal cue to achieve the same goal.

Yes, it is possible to teach a dog to go to a mat.

 

[Eleonora]

She told that:

I find dogs learn easiest when there's a physical cue, but yes you could have your friend teach a verbal cue to achieve the same goal.

Yes, it is possible to teach a dog to go to a mat.

and that:

Get Lotta a mat, have her do basic training on the mat, practicing sits and stays and whatever to let her know that it's a working space and reward her for being there...

My friend would now like to know which one she would teach first so that she would know where she should begin.

We told that my friend knows that the easiest thing would be to teach Lotta to do behaviors on the mat but what if she wants to give her a toy so that she could play with it? When we asked how could my friend teach Lotta to stay on the mat while she would be playing with that toy this is what she meant:
Lotta would know how to stay on her mat also while she would be playing with that toy. As you can see, that is not an actual behavior because Lotta would be only playing. So, could Lotta be teached to stay on her mat also then? How would Lotta know that she's not supposed to step outside of the mat until she is given a permission to do so?

 

[BostonBullMama]

1. Teach 'sit' on the mat.
2. Teach 'lie down' on the mat.
3. Teach 'Stay' on the mat.

- Reward behavior with toys stuffed with peanut butter or her kibble.
- Reward acceptable behaviors by putting treat/other reward on the mat.

 

[Eleonora]

1. Teach 'sit' on the mat.
2. Teach 'lie down' on the mat.
3. Teach 'Stay' on the mat.

- Reward behavior with toys stuffed with peanut butter or her kibble.
- Reward acceptable behaviors by putting treat/other reward on the mat.

My friend can try what you have suggested.