Positions and sending your dog at a distance
Why your dog always comes back to you
When your dog edges forward between two cues or “creeps” in your direction, he isn't disobeying: he's following the trail of the reward, which has always ended up in your hand. Working at a distance means teaching him to inhibit that reflex, and that's exactly what makes this trick advanced even though the positions themselves are already known. A “velcro” dog, deeply attached to being near you, finds this emotionally hard: it isn't technique he lacks, it's confidence. Distance is earned in tiny steps.
Before you start: kit and prerequisites
Nothing exotic. The real prerequisite is positions that are already solid up close.
0 / 5Positions at a distance, step by step
We grow the distance in steps of a few dozen centimetres, never in leaps of several metres. Any forward move by your dog is information about the step (too big), not a fault.
La position s'exécute sans aucune avancée, récompense prise sur place.
- Stand facing your dog, just one step away
- Ask for a known position (sit, down or stand)
- Insist he does it without moving forward at all
- Mark with a “yes!” and place the treat right where he is
Move on when: 4 réussites sur 5, plusieurs séances, avant de reculer.
Stabilité complète à une distance avant de passer à la suivante.
- Step back only a few dozen centimetres
- Ask for the same position again, same standards: zero forward move
- Always pay at the spot where he is
- If your dog moves forward: go back to the previous step, succeed, then build up again
Move on when: Aucune avancée à la distance du jour avant d'allonger d'un cran.
Les trois positions répondent à 3-4 mètres sur un geste discret.
- At a distance the verbal cue carries less: pair a clear gesture with each position (arm raised for the sit, palm coming down for the down)
- Keep the gesture wide to begin with
- Refine it gradually into a subtle sign once the positions hold at several metres
Move on when: Réponses nettes au geste sobre, 4 fois sur 5.
Deux ou trois transitions de suite, au même point, sans avancer.
- Chain sit then down then stand without him gaining a single centimetre towards you
- Vary the order of the positions so he really listens to the signal
- Work in two calm settings before asking for more
Move on when: L'exercice-vérité : chaque changement de position est une tentation d'avancer, et il y résiste.
If your dog moves forward despite fine steps, put him on a low support (a firm cushion, a step, a small platform): the edge physically “tells” him not to move forward. You then fade it out by going back to the floor.
“Go to your place”: sending your dog to the mat from a distance
The mat is the final link, already over-learned: all we do is move the starting point further back. This is back-chaining, and it's simpler than it looks.
Reactivate the mat as a dispenser
Mat on the floor, mark each time he gets onto it and feed him on it: the treat lands on the mat, never in your hand. Set a clear release word (“free!”) that alone allows him to leave it.
Send from further and further away
Give the “go to your place” signal from 1 metre off the mat, then 2, 3, 5 metres. Aim for a clean, direct departure from each distance before you lengthen it.
One criterion at a time
When the sending distance goes up, the time on the mat stays short. Never distance AND duration together: that's the classic reason sends fall apart.
Vary the angles and settings
Send from another room in view, with your back to the mat, then in real life (the doorbell, mealtimes), shortening the distance for each new setting.
The traps that ruin it all (and how to avoid them)
Is it the right time for the two of you?
Go ahead with confidence if
- The positions already hold well one step away from you
- Your dog enjoys working and offers behaviours willingly
- You can do short, regular sessions without any pressure
- You have a non-slip surface underfoot
Move more gently if
- Your dog sticks to you and copes badly with moving away: keep the steps to a minimum
- He's a growing puppy or an older dog: precision rather than speed, no explosive starts or sharp stops on hard ground
- The positions up close are still shaky: solidify them first, distance will reveal their weak spots
What it's actually good for
In everyday life: sending your dog to his place when you open the door to guests, settling him at a distance for a photo, or stopping him with a “down” several metres away to back up your recall when the situation calls for it. It's also the gateway to freestyle and agility. The sourced principle behind all this stays simple: only one criterion goes up at a time, and one criterion is stable before the next (AVSAB, 2021).
To go further
- AVSAB — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
- Demant et al. — The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs (2011)
Frequently asked questions
How do I teach my dog to lie down at a distance?
Start from the down he already knows one step away from you, then step back in increments of a few dozen centimetres. At each distance, mark with a “yes!” and place the treat where he is, never by calling him back. If he moves forward, the step was too big: go back a notch.
My dog keeps coming back to me during the exercise, what should I do?
It isn't disobedience: his whole training tells him to move closer to the hand that pays. The solution comes down to one thing: pay him at the exact spot where he's standing, never near you. And go back to smaller steps: a “velcro” dog needs very tiny increments.
How do I send my dog to his bed or his place at a distance?
The mat must first be a spot he goes to happily and stays on until your release word (“free!”), with the reward given on the mat. Then you give “go to your place” at 1 metre, then 2, 3, 5. Never call your dog back off the mat to pay him: the reward comes to him.
How do I get a sit to hold at a distance without him moving forward?
Increase the distance in tiny steps and insist on zero forward move at each notch before stepping back further. Reward placed on the spot, never held out from your hand. A forward move isn't a fault to tell him off for: it's the sign that the step or the placement of the reward needs adjusting.
Do I need a clicker for distance work?
No, a simple marker word is enough: a short, crisp “yes!” tells your dog “that's it” at the right moment, even several metres away. What matters isn't the tool but the timing of the marker and the reward placed where he's working.
From what age can I work on positions at a distance?
Once the basic positions are reliable up close. With a growing puppy or an older dog, aim for precision rather than speed: no explosive starts or sharp stops on hard ground, and always a non-slip surface. At the slightest sudden refusal, think first of physical discomfort.
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