One of the most common training inquiries we receive regard dog parents seeking help on teaching their dog to be calm in different situations. Whether they are struggling with their dog jumping on guests, counter surfing, frantic leash pulling, or inability to settle, we often implement the same foundation training exercises.
This blog post will share some of our training tips on teaching your dog how to relax, and showing them that there is incentive for calm behaviours! If you want a dog who can settle while you work from home or sit at a patio, greet others politely, and have better self control for impulsive behaviours then keep reading.
The Art of Doing Nothing
New dog or puppy owners are busy training different foundation skills & creating a schedule that works for them. A key skill that is often missed is teaching the art of doing nothing. Imagine this scenario - you are working from home and have an important Zoom meeting, and your dog is causing mayhem in the background - demand barking at you, asking for play, pacing around, getting into trouble.
When a dog doesn't know how to self entertain & be okay with boredom, they will often create fun for themselves - sometimes that could be garbage picking or chewing furniture!
Therefore, it is essential to teach them from an early age that there is an incentive for them to practice relaxation.
We can practice this by clipping our dog on leash inside and sitting down, and without prompting waiting for them to decide to settle. You can use a mat or dog bed to help encourage them. We love to use a towel or mat that is easy to fold & transport if you wish to practice settling in public environments. The mat should be used specifically for this exercise, so that the visual of it becomes the cue itself that it is time to relax. We tweak this exercise based on the dog. For example, if they are young and highly excitable we begin to reward for small signs of settling (being still, sitting down, sniffing).
We then calmly reinforce with a treat for each approximation of calm behaviours. If your dog offers a lie down, jackpot them with a couple of treats on the ground between their paws. Ultimately, f your dog rolls on their hip, that is a beautiful signal of relaxation that should be heavily rewarded, as they are likely intending to remain laid down rather than possibly popping back up as a Sphynx lie down position.
Practice this in short bursts of 5-10 minutes consistently, until your dog has developed an understanding and can gradually settle for longer periods of time.
Alongside this exercise, it is also beneficial to give your dog something to keep them busy on their mat such as a Bully Stick or frozen Kong. This is mentally enriching & tiring, allowing you to get things done around the house in peace. This is often a great quick management solution if you are busy & unable to train at the moment.
2. The Zen Game
This exercise is useful for teaching that calm behaviour earns reward, how to self soothe, and improve impulse control. We also use this to teach "Leave It" aka please ignore that thing you really want (ie. banana peel on the sidewalk). Essentially, when we teach our dog to be able to resist temptations, we are teaching the alternative skill of remaining calm in its presence rather than acting impulsively and displaying undesirable behaviours.
Here is a simple guide on this exercise :
Level 1
Hold a treat in a closed fist in front of your dog. Naturally, they will try to investigate your hand and get the treat. Quietly wait for a moment they disengage from your hand (ie. pull away, look at you, sniff the ground, offer a sit) mark that moment with a marker word like "Yes" or clicker, and let them have the treat.
Level 2
Once your dog is no longer trying to get the treat at Level 1, you can move to Level 2. Hold the treat between your fingers above your dog's head, and wait for that disengagement to mark and reward. This is more difficult since the treat is visible and more smelly, feel free to raise your hand higher if your dog is struggling.
Level 3
Once you are having success with Level 2, you may proceed to Level 3. This time. hold the treat on your open palm at about shoulder height and wait for disengagement to mark and reward. For this Level, we can reward mainly for the dog choosing to give eye contact instead of going for the treat in your palm. This is great practice for jumpy dogs!
Once you are consistently being offered eye contact, you may add a cue word such as "Leave It".
Tips
*For food obsessed dogs, you may find more success in introducing this exercise with less exciting food like their regular kibble.
*To progress, gradually lower your hand until you can reach ground level. We suggest transitioning to ground level by first covering the treat with your hand, and slowly removing it as your dog is understanding the concept.
*If at any point your dog becomes frustrated, take a break, try again another day, or go back a level. Training should always remain fun and attainable for your dog.
Video Demonstration of the Zen Game :
We hope you found this post useful & learned some exercises you can start implementing today with your dog. If you are seeking guidance from a professional trainer, don't hesitate to reach out to us for help!
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