The blanket game has so many uses! We can use it to teach calm, relaxed behaviour and then use this in situations like when you are out for lunch, at a coffee shop, in a pub garden, visiting friends and family or when eating dinner. It is taught in progressive stages, over multiple sessions which could span multiple weeks…
You dont need a blanket, but it does help for the majority of dogs. Choose a blanket from your puppy’s bed, or put a towel/piece of bedding in their bed so you can use this rather than their whole dog bed.
Step 1 – starting the game (aka sausage island)
- Put a few treats on the the blanket – as the dog moves to the blanket and stands on it/ sniffs it/ look at it to find the treats, use your clicker or marker word and then deliver another treat to the blanket
- Repeat 3-5 times and then encourage the dog to come off the blanket
- Now start the sequence again
- Repeat this 3-5 times
This teaches the dog that the blanket (aka sausage island) is a great place to go to find food. You are adding value to the blanket at this stage in the game.
Step 2 – checking out what the dog has learnt…
- You put the blanket down and wait – does the dog go to it? If so, start marking (saying yes/good or clicking) and then drop a treat on the blanket
- Repeat 3-10 times, encouraging them off the blanket and then reinforcing when they go back to it
- If the dog doesn’t go to the blanket (or look at it, sniff it, randomly stand on it) – go back to teach more at step 1…
Step 3 – starting to name the behaviour
- So you put the blanket down and the dog goes straight to it… Now start to name it – something like ‘place’ or ‘chill’ can be used. Each time the dog goes to the blanket when you put it down, start to say the word you want associated with it
- Remember not to give the treat if the dog is staring at you (this is signs of frustration behaviour) – if the dog keeps staring and then woofing/huffing, try looking deliberately at the blanket, or poke it with your foot so they look down – then click/verbally mark and deliver the treat to the dog
Step 4 – changing locations
- Now the dog understands the blanket has value and moves to it when you put it down, you can start to change the locations….
- Put the blanket in another location – within 1-2 paces away from you and see if the dog goes to it and give your ‘place’ cue.
This change of location must be gradual – different room (with the blanket at your feet), or same room and move it a little further away in any direction.. If the dog stops showing understanding, you have made it took hard, too quickly
Step 5 – starting outside
- Repeat the step 4 actions, but start to use the blanket in quiet, outside locations – maybe your garden, at the front of the house, on a quiet dog walk – use your ‘place’ cue to indicate what the dog should do…
Spend time on every dog walk just putting the blanket down and stopping to let them watch the world go past. Watching stuff is very normal dog behaviour and helps to meet their needs.
Step 6 – increasing distractions
- Once your dog can go to the blanket, you can start to increase distractions – busier environments, dogs passing, sitting on a bench near a path, at a quiet coffee shop etc
What should the dog ‘do’ on the blanket?
Initially as you work through these steps, you dont have a particular criteria – the dog can stand, sit or lay on the blanket. Any of these work just fine. Over time, we will build up that the dog will offer to lay down, or take a relaxed posture on the blanket. This helps to support a calm and relaxed body and state of mind.
How long does this all take?
This can take a number of weeks of teaching as you slowly build the environments and distractions. It’s better to take repeated, small steps to make progress as this will build really quickly into success.
