Why do dog trainers use a platform?

Platforms are raised surfaces that your dog can be trained to target with its paws.

Target training is used throughout many disciplines where complex interactions between animals and humans are required. Breaking behaviours down into steps allows dogs to rehearse doing the right behaviour, meaning it becomes reinforced. As your training progresses by adding new challenges or phasing out using the board, the dog recalls the successful repetitions from your foundational training meaning that they're more likely to succeed when asked to perform that particular behaviour in future.

The dog training platform can be anything elevated that the dog targets with its paws. You can buy platforms that dog trick trainers and professional dog trainers such as:

KLIMB dog training platform: 

Found on Amazon for £212.67 on 16^th March 2022.

FitPAWS

Found on eBay for £22.63 on 16^th March 2022.

Pawsonit 

Found on their website for £55 on 16^th March 2022.

Place Board

Available in our shop

Using a Place Board as a target in your training cuts out any confusion for the dog by allowing us to break down behaviours such as ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ as well as more complex exercises found in gundog and agility work, into smaller steps making it easier to communicate what you want to your dog.

Or if you make your own Dog Training Platform, the key principles are:

• Approximately Metric, 61cm x 38cm/ Imperial, 24” x 15”; the shape encourages careful paw placement and dictates the direction the dog faces, which can benefit exercises such as straight sits by your side in obedience and gundog training.
• Raised: Being raised off the ground helps dogs spot and target their board from a distance.
• Novel Surface: The texture of the mat on top provides a tactile contrast to the surrounding surface so there will be a perceptible difference to the dog having all four paws in the right place versus offering the wrong position.
• Sturdy & Non-Slip: The grass is a non-slip surface that encourages the dog to target the board with drive. If it did not have a suitable covering or sturdy base it may slip during training which could cause a dog to lose confidence.

Want to give “Place Board” training a go?

Check out our course & start a trial to try it for free!

Please share your questions and progress: 

We would love to see how you get on with your dog’s introduction to place boards. For tips from our trainer and to share success post your pictures and videos in the Anglian Dog Works Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/angliandogworks 

Disclaimer: The content of this article does not include personalised advice and is for information purposes only. If you need individual advice or other enquiries please click here to get in contact or if you're not local to Anglian Dog Works, you can find a trainer in your area by going to the IMDT website: https://www.imdt.uk.com/find-a-qualified-imdt-trainer