How to teach your dog to settle down and relax on cue?
Jonathon Bartell
2025-06-28 09:55:18
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To help you and your dog learn basic training techniques, it might be worth enrolling in some dog training lessons. 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. Don’t say anything to your dog while doing this. Gradually reward more relaxed behaviours. Increase the time your dog must be settled before you reward them. When your dog is relaxed, start increasing the time they must be settled before you reward them. Add in distractions. Slowly start building up distractions by practising the ‘settle’ in increasingly busy areas or ask a helper to create a distraction by walking past, progressing to more exciting activities like sweeping or skipping.
Bethel Gleichner
2025-06-16 19:05:15
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To teach your dog to settle down and relax on cue, start by teaching the down. Ask your dog for a sit, then use a treat to lure the dog down into a lying position, moving the treat straight down and slightly towards the dog’s front paws. When he lies down, say ‘Good’ and give the treat. Repeat this until your dog readily follows the treat and lies down. You can add the word ‘Down’ in when you know your dog will lie down, so you are linking the word with the action. Stop luring as quickly as you can by first getting the treat out of your hand and then using a hand signal instead. Once your dog knows how to do the down, you are going to change the cue so that he lies down when you sit down, and reward your dog when he lies down. Practise this everywhere and in different positions. You can also use the ‘Choose to Settle’ method, where you attach your dog on a flat collar to a chair, give him a stuffed Kong or something to chew on, and settle down in front of the TV, allowing him to eventually settle down. Give him something comfortable to lie on, such as a Vetbed or a cosy bed, so your dog is as comfortable as you are. With time and practice, your dog will learn to settle down and relax on cue, allowing you to relax with him at the end of the day.
Maggie Casper
2025-06-16 16:38:41
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To begin, think about the situations in which your dog begins to relax on her own, such as when she lies down after a walk or play session. First, look for signs that your dog is starting to relax such as lying down, letting out a sigh after activity, resting her head, or crawling next to you for a nap or cuddle. When your dog shows signs of relaxing, quietly say "Relax." If touching your dog usually calms her down, you can gently and slowly stroke her fur. Keep your motions slow and your voice soft. Repeat this at various times of the day when you see her in that position and in a calm state. Repeat this over several days. After you’ve completed this, you will then prompt her to relax by saying "relax" just before she shows signs of settling. If you see signs of your dog relaxing, quietly praise her, saying something like "That’s it" or "Good dog." You can gently and slowly stroke her fur, as you did in the first steps. Over time, 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.
Dustin Schinner
2025-06-16 14:57:37
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Teaching a dog that won’t settle to lie down when asked on a mat or dog bed gives them and you time to switch off and chill out. Step one 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. Reward them by throwing treats on the mat instead of giving them from your hand to help build a strong association that the mat is a good place. Step two To progress, reward the dog when they have two paws on the mat and gradually build this up to them having all four paws on the mat. Step five Build up some duration for lying on the mat, do this by delaying reward for a couple of seconds initially and then increasing this at your dog’s pace. Step seven Gradually include distractions and practice in different locations, using your dog’s mat as a cue to settle.