How To Teach Your Dog To Settle

Want a dog who will settle down quietly when you're enjoying your refreshing cup of coffee in the local cafe? Here's how to teach your dog to chill wherever you are.

As the owner of a full of life Springer Spaniel I love their energy and joyfulness. But as much as I love his enthusiasm, for both mine and his sanity, it’s important that he can also settle down and relax.

Having a pooch that has learnt to relax is very important. And teaching them to do this on cue provides space for both of you. When you're busy doing things at home such as making dinner, cleaning, working or even entertaining guests the last thing you want is your best friend being under your feet.

And if like me, you love your animal to join you when you are out socialising, then it’s really important that they learn to settle and relax in any environment.

Any dog can be trained to settle on cue. The laid back ones will learn this very quickly whereas more exuberant or young animals may take a bit more time. As with any training don’t rush, take your time and remember consistency is key.

Your goal is to have a pet that will lie down in any environment, relax and not get distracted by what’s happening around them.

7 Steps To The Perfect Settle

1. Set yourself up for success

Start the training at home where there are no distractions for either of you. As they progress you can take the training up a notch by going outside the house where there’s more going on.

Starting on a leash, place their bed or mat next to where you are sitting. Start by dropping treats onto their bed so they associates the bed with a treat. This will encourage them to come to the bed. When he/she get’s on to the bed, say nothing and drop very small treats on to their bed. Do this without saying anything or making a fuss.

2. Build The Behaviour in Incremental Steps

Gradually start looking for more relaxed behaviour. For example if your pet is in a sitting position reward lying down. If they start in a down position, reward if they drop a hip to one side, put their head down on their paws, sigh or lie flat out. Depending on your animal they may go through all these positions or go straight to lying flat out. Reward whenever they demonstrate a more relaxed position.

3. Reward Little Steps

If your dog doesn’t come to the bed or just sits there staring at you, then reward even smaller moves towards what you want. For example if they are pulling on their lead reward them when they release the pressure, if they are staring at you reward them for looking towards their bed. Be patient and look for small responses to start with. Your dog will eventually get the idea.

4. Expect More

As your dog becomes more settled space the rewards out so they have to stay longer in the relaxed position to get the reward. Spacing should be built slowly by a few seconds at a time and over a number of training sessions. If you want to add a voice command to this behaviour wait until they are effectively giving you a relaxed position and then add your command such as "settle" as you are giving them the treat.

5. Add in Distractions

Once your dog can settle in a quiet environment consistently then start to add in distractions. You can start by changing the environment, so test in another room of your house or out in your garden.

Alternatively get a family member or friend to help by creating a distraction. Ask them to start by walking past your settled dog. Reward your dog for staying relaxed.

6. Reinforce the Positive, Ignore the Negative

When your dog stays relaxed with the person passing in walk increase the distraction by your helper doing more energetic movements as they go past. If your dog becomes unsettled or gets up stay quiet and ignore them until they have resettled and then reward.

If your dog struggles with the higher intensity then reduce the level of distraction and then build back up again slowly. Remember we are always aiming to set the dog up for success.

Always ignore any unsettled behaviour when training. If your dog becomes over-excited or fidgets don’t give them any eye contact, use your voice or touch them. If you’re able, turn your back until your dog settles down again and then reward.

7. Progress To The Great Outdoors

Once your dog is able to settle at home it’s time to progress to the great outdoors. On your walks find a reasonably quiet area to start where you can sit down and follow the same guidance as before.

Make sure at this stage your pet is on a short leash so that they are close to you and under control. If someone approaches your dog and they start to become unsettled then politely let the person know that you’re training your dog and not to interact with them until they have settled back down.

As the behaviour becomes more and more established your canine will learn to settle in any environment of their own accord.

Before you know it you will have a dog that will happily take a nap even in the noisiest, most exciting environments and you will be able to enjoy your social life without having to worry about hanging on to them.

Sally Hudson is a lifelong animal lover & pet owner. She has owned pets ranging from goldfish and hamsters, to cats, dogs and horses. Sally currently helps run a website selling heated pet beds.