Place is an underrated command that not many casual dog owners know about. It helps give dogs a clean boundary that can be applied to a multitude of scenarios.
Placing is when a dog sits on an elevated surface and is not allowed to move until freed by the trainer. This can keep an anxious dog from barking at new visitors entering your home, keeping overly excited dogs out of the way as you’re cleaning, or even help scared dogs feel safe in an unfamiliar area.
To place a dog first use a leash and collar to walk the dog up and over the elevated surface multiple times, or until the dog seems comfortable. Then go over the obstacle but stop when your dog has all four paws on the surface. From there you ask the dog to sit. As soon as the dog sits free them from the position and reward. Once the dog reliably sits on the surface we start replacing the word sit with place or another marker.
You walk the dog over, wait until all four paws are there and use the new marker. If the dog is already anticipating by sitting before you give them a cue walk right over the surface and try again. From there it is just a matter of repetition and experimenting with how long the dog will stay in that position without moving and what distractions the dog can ignore.