How do I teach my dog to settle down and relax on the cue?
To teach your dog to settle down and relax on the cue, you can use one of two methods. The first opt Read More
What is the command for a dog to relax?
Karine Stark
2025-06-30 00:29:13
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To teach a dog to settle, place a mat, blanket or a towel on the floor so the dog has somewhere comfortable to lie down. Allow the dog to go over to the blanket and investigate. Reward the dog whenever they investigate or go near the mat. Once the dog is comfortable to stand on the blanket, ask the dog to lie down and then reward them. Once your dog goes to lie down on the mat whenever you get it out, wait for them to rest their head on the mat before rewarding. This exercise should be calm and collected, practice at a time when your dog is already tired, encouraging calm behaviour from your dog.
Jaiden Lowe
2025-06-20 04:46:13
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A cue such as “bed” or “settle” can be introduced once your dog is offering the behavior frequently. This is the foundation to later send your dog to her bed to relax on cue. The goal is for your dog to follow along and, when you sit down, she should calmly lie down near your feet as a default behavior. Once she begins to check the floor quickly when you sit down, introduce lying at your feet as the way to turn on the treat machine. Avoid giving the cue to lie down – it will increase arousal/excitement. Stay calm when you deliver the reward and place it between her front paws. Soon, she will automatically settle at your feet when you sit down. Keep your enthusiasm calm to sustain calm in your dog as well.
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Neal Koepp
2025-06-10 23:14:41
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To help you and your dog learn basic training techniques, it might be worth enrolling in some dog training lessons.
Contact our free Behaviour Support Line for tailored advice.
Reward relaxed behaviours.
To begin with you may just need to reward your dog for any behaviour that doesn’t involve staring at you, pulling on the lead, or barking.
Sit quietly on a chair with your dog on the lead and a blanket on the floor.
Drop tiny bite-size treats to your dog as a reward for settling down on the blanket.
Try to resist telling your dog what to do during training, the aim is for them to learn for themselves to be calm and to relax.
This is a form of learning that requires your dog to learn to settle without needing to be asked.
Meda Tillman
2025-06-10 23:04:15
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When your dog shows signs of relaxing, quietly say Relax.
You will then prompt her to relax by saying relax just before she shows signs of settling.
Ideally, you'd say your cue during that "sweet spot" moment just as she's thinking of relaxing.
If you see signs of your dog relaxing, quietly praise her, saying something like That’s it or Good dog.
When you see the right time, or your best guess at the right time, say relax as you did in the above steps.
You can gently and slowly stroke her fur, as you did in the first steps.
Over time, which could be days or weeks, try asking your dog to relax in busier environments and situations, but only after you’ve practiced a great deal in quieter situations and you’ve seen your dog respond with calmer behaviors.
If you're in a busy environment, wait for a lull in the action before asking your dog to relax.
Practice in environments where your dog is comfortable, and not in environments your dog finds scary, such as at the vet.
You want to make sure the cue has a positive association and isn’t associated with something your dog fears.
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