Adding Distance

Being able to send our dogs to their mats from across the room is a handy skill for them to have! Once they’ve developed attraction for their mat, and are seeking it out, sending them to their mat is fairly easy to add. 

Start a couple of steps back from your mat, and use a hand gesture to suggest they should consider moving forward and continue to their mat. I think about  bowling (I am not a very good bowler, so my form may look different from yours) my dog to the mat. If they can move past my outstretched fingers and go to their mat, I click and rush forward to deliver treats on the mat.