Learning to do nothing - Why it's good for you and your dog
This could be one of the most effective protocols to teach your dog; that when you do nothing, so do they!
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go places and relax with your dog while you enjoy a pint or afternoon tea, or watch a movie at home, prep a meal or do some work even just for a few minutes - let’s be real here, some dogs need more input from us, especially new adopted rescue dogs and puppies and adolescent dogs, oh and older dogs…so that’s dogs then!
Katie's dog mini Bull Terror extraordinaire Koda, practising his settle in the office while she works.
Teach your dog to settle and you can do all that, it's totally achievable.
Here's the rub. They can't do it unless you teach them and for this to be most effective, they need to learn this for themselves via your input. Sounds like a paradox, right! No cue or command is needed for this exercise. You doing nothing is the clue to them as to what is expected of them, in the beginning the settle mat is the clue, but ultimately, we will be teaching them that when you are sitting or even standing or relaxing somewhere is the clue that they relax too.
Sounds simple, right? Well it kind of is actually but there is a knack that could mean we change our behaviour a bit to help them learn this for themselves. It's sometimes called IGNORING attention seeking behaviours! This really helps your dog out, mentally speaking. But, it is not exactly about ignoring the unwanted behaviours, it's more about not rewarding them, not paying the dog for that behaviour in that context. Also, you are all your dog has, they can’t go Google how to get your attention or gain information so they learn this through associative learning. Nothing wrong with needing you.
Remember, dogs do what works at the time, that's the law of behaviour (if it works, do it again)! You will need to avoid frustration in your dog by rewarding more desirable attention seeking, if you find their current behaviour inappropriate.
THINK ZEN - Calmly praise your dog for choosing to relax or go off to bed without being asked. When you reward behaviour that is calm, they are more likely to notice this and choose to be calm with practice of this over time. The more YOU notice calm behaviour, the more you happen to notice other “good” behaviours too.
Why is this good for your dog?
Teaching them to switch off when you do can help your dog become calmer, reduce attention seeking behaviours and therefore frustration and even separation anxiety, because this exercise teaches them independence. It helps them learn this good skill for themselves, rather than us accidentally rewarding unwanted behaviours. And it’s good for you both because they can travel to all the wonderful dog friendly venues we have locally, it’s a transportable skill!
Here is the recipe for a successful settle:
Prepare a few treats cut into pieces no bigger than your smallest finger nail
Have a stuffed chew toy ready, something sticky inside for them to lick as licking aids relaxation
A tripe stick or similar chewy item can also be useful
Place a blanket or mat on the floor near your chosen seating area.
A quiet location works best first time to get the hang of the exercise
Have your dog on a lead initially and allow them to check out the settle area from your chair
No need to encourage them on the mat, wait them out until they choose to investigate the mat
Then show them the stuffed chew toy without saying a word
Place it on the settle mat, if using a chew toy that is likely to bounce around and they aren’t a food guarder, place the smaller end under your shoe so he can access the open end without it bouncing everywhere - being mindful of any frustration rising by doing this
Remember we are looking for relaxation not alertness, not begging and no using a clicker as it is too stimulating
While they work the chew toy, you chill out next to them ensuring you are relaxed, slowly breathing, slow eye blinks and occasionally sighing, be quiet and still in your own movements and avoid staring at the pupper
Here's the thing - no speaking to pupper, no cuing them to do anything, no saying their name to pay you attention, no asking for sit first. Nothing!
If your dog is relaxed but not looking at you, preferably still lying down and not trying to get more food from you, give them a treat
You are looking for:
soft expression, sleepy eyes, slow blinking
relaxed ears
head down
rolled onto the hip if sitting
lying down, ideally flat not expectantly waitng for something
deep sighs
no physical tension in the body
No commands needed, just wait for them to be on the mat if they get up to explore again or try to elicit food from you. Counter intuitive I know but trust me this works
Food should appear on the settle mat as if by magic, they shouldn't know they are coming from you so avoid tipping them off it’s coming so no bag crinkles, opening packets etc
When you're done, put away the mat and food and they can have all the attention they like!
Seems weird right? But what they are learning is that if they remain on the magic mat, and they then settle on the magic mat, nice stuff appears on it.
And still no need to cue or command it.
Next time practice without a chew toy, just using the treat
Then over the next few practice sessions, start stretching out the time treats being given when your dog remains relaxed
Practice in various locations, with varying degrees of distractions until you are achieving a good level of your dog being able relax with minimal interaction and treats
However be prepared to use stuffed chew toys or more food in places where the distractions are more likely to cause them disturbance
And if they still find this context too stimulating or overwhelming, don’t take them. I personally rarely take my dogs to a pub because that’s me time and one of them would be too worried by all the noises and smells.
In time you'll be able to do without the mat (unless your dog prefers not to have one in the first place) and go anywhere, sit down and relax, and your dog will too, because you've taught them to chill when you do without even saying a word to them!
And relax!
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