For young and very active dogs, a 鈥榖ed鈥 cue or command is a great way to divert their extra energy and gives them a brief 鈥榯ime-out鈥 to help them learn to calm themselves down when they get over-excited.
Before teaching your dog to go to bed it鈥檚 best if they already know a 鈥渄own.鈥 We鈥檝e got more information about teaching your dog a 鈥榙own鈥 in our advice section.
You can follow along with the steps to teaching your dog a 鈥榖ed鈥 command using this video, and the steps are also written out below.
Step 1
First, stand near your and use some to tempt them over to you.
Put the treats in the bed to encourage them inside. If your dog is reluctant to go all the way onto the bed, reward them for putting one or two paws on the bed. Gradually build this up until you鈥檙e rewarding your dog is rewarded for having all four paws on the bed.
Step 2
Once your dog is comfortable standing on the bed, encourage them into a down position using your hand signal. When they鈥檙e in a down on the bed, reward them with a treat between the front paws. If they stay down, give them a few more treats to encourage them to stay in that position. After a few seconds, say 鈥極K鈥 and throw them a treat away from the bed to let them know they can get up. Repeat this 5 times until your dog is reliably going to bed and lying down every time you ask.
Step 3
Next, stand next to the bed again, but don鈥檛 tempt your dog over. Instead, wait and see if they go into their bed on their own. If they do, give them a reward between their front paws to encourage them to lie down. Keep practicing this until they go to bed and lie down without being asked. When they do, give them a 鈥榡ackpot鈥 tasty treat, or multiple treats, as a reward. If they鈥檙e not quite there yet, go back a few steps and try tempting them over again. Once your dog is happy going to bed and lying down, you can add a cue word like 鈥渂ed鈥. Stand near the bed again, and as your dog starts to move towards it, say 鈥榖ed鈥 and reward them after they lie down.
Step 4
Now you can start to build the amount of time your dog stays in the bed. Do this by standing close to the bed again. When your dog goes to bed and stays lying down, reward them with a treat, gradually increasing the time between each reward. You may need to start by rewarding your dog every couple of seconds, but once they鈥檙e settled, try withholding the treat for a few more seconds before rewarding. Build this up until your dog is able to settle on the bed for 20 seconds or so and increase from there. Remember to give your dog frequent breaks by using your 鈥極K鈥 cue to give them a time-out. If at any stage your dog is struggling, reduce the time slightly between your rewards and then build it back up again.
Step 5
Next, it鈥檚 time to get your dog used to staying in bed when you鈥檙e not nearby. Once your dog is settled using the 鈥榖ed鈥 command, step one foot back, away from your dog. If they stay still, give them a reward. Repeat this five times, and then try taking two steps back. Keep increasing the distance gradually until you are able to walk away and sit down before going back and rewarding your dog.
If your dog gets up at any point, reduce the distance and build up again. Once they鈥檙e happy with you being further away you can start to introduce distractions like toys and people and build up in the same way again.
Remember, if your dog becomes frustrated or starts acting out, they may have had enough training for one day. It鈥檚 important to go at their pace and if necessary, stop the session and come back to it the following day when they鈥檙e feeling refreshed, focussed, and ready to learn.
Download this guidance as a handy advice sheet and use it to train regularly:
