Honestly, I never fully understood the value of a ‘place’ command before bringing Nico to Upstate Canine Academy and watching Tom Davis’ videos. I understood the value in terms of being able to send a dog to a location, such as their bed. Nico had ‘on your bed’ down pretty good. But the beautiful thing about ‘place’ for a dog like Nico is it can help build confidence and trust. I’ve been working on having him place on random objects that he would normally be a little weary of jumping up on. By doing this I can see his confidence building and he’s learning to trust that if ask him to place on something nothing funny is going to happen. Most importantly, we’re having fun!

Want to help with this lifelong photography project? Donate below. Or check out our favorite dog gear.