The first stage of teaching your puppy to settle on a mat is to build a strong positive association with being on it. Stand at the front of the mat and place 3–5 pieces of food down one at a time, slowly, allowing your puppy to eat each piece before adding the next. Once they’ve finished, use your release cue to guide them off the mat and reset. As your puppy naturally turns back towards the mat, begin placing food down again. By repeating this, your puppy will start to choose the mat on their own and wait there, learning that staying on the mat is what brings rewards.
