Teaching a Calm Dog: Why Teaching a Dog to Relax Is a Trainable Skill

Many dogs naturally become excited when stimulation appears. Learning to settle calmly is an important part of balanced dog training. This is another aspect that many people do not think to train or add value to. Instead, many think it should simply appear once they exhaust their dogs. But for many dogs, that is missing a crucial element of training. Actually shaping the expected behavior.

Teaching Dogs to Relax

Exercises that build calmness include:

• place training

• structured settling

• rewarding relaxed body language

• tethering

These exercises help dogs start to develop emotional control and SELF regulation. By allowing them time alone, but helping initially to shape the expectation, dogs begin to relax faster and for longer periods. But please remember that it is likely going to feel like training initially and may be confusing for your dog in the beginning, especially if you have never done this before.

Balancing Drive and Relaxation

Working breeds such as Belgian Malinois or German Shepherds often have intense drive as well as energy. Providing them outlets and also teaching them when to work and when to relax is essential. They will very likely challenge this in the beginning because these dogs are genetically designed to work. But they must be taught how to settle as well.

Without this balance, dogs may struggle to be calm indoors.