29/10/2026
🐶 Training Tip Thursday… Why Teaching Your Dog to Relax is Important! 🐶
We spend so much time teaching our dogs to sit, stay, recall and walk nicely on the lead… but how often do we teach them to simply do nothing??
One of the most valuable life skills a dog can learn is the ability to switch off, settle and feel comfortable without constantly needing stimulation, entertainment or interaction.
Dogs aren’t born knowing how to relax in every situation. For some, particularly puppies, adolescents and easily excitable dogs, calmness is something that needs to be taught, encouraged and practiced.
Why is teaching relaxation so important?
🐾 Prevents overexcitement and frustration: Dogs who are constantly entertained or stimulated can struggle when nothing exciting is happening. Teaching them to relax helps them become more comfortable during quieter moments.
🐾 Encourages emotional regulation: Relaxation training helps dogs practise settling after exciting experiences and can support their ability to recover from everyday stimulation.
🐾 Builds independence: Dogs benefit from learning that they don’t always need attention or interaction from their owners. Being comfortable resting independently is an important life skill.
🐾 Supports better rest and wellbeing: Dogs need plenty of quality sleep and downtime. Without sufficient rest, some dogs may become more irritable, excitable or struggle to concentrate.
🐾 Helps in everyday environments: Whether you’re sitting in a cafe, visiting family, attending a training class or simply relaxing at home, being able to settle is an incredibly useful skill.
🐾 Reduces the expectation of constant activity: Not every walk needs to involve running, not every outing needs to involve meeting other dogs, and not every moment at home needs to involve play or training.
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Try This Simple Relaxation Exercise!
Step 1: Choose a quiet, familiar environment where your dog already feels comfortable. Sit down with them and simply do nothing.
Step 2: Allow your dog to make their own choices. Avoid repeatedly asking them to sit, lie down or stay.
Step 3: When your dog naturally chooses to settle, lie down or show relaxed behaviour, calmly place a treat beside them. Keep your movements and voice low-key.
Step 4: Continue quietly rewarding relaxed behaviour at intervals, without making the exercise exciting. If treats cause your dog to become more alert or demanding, increase the time between rewards or allow them to rest without interruption.
Step 5: Start with just 2–3 minutes and gradually increase the duration as your dog becomes comfortable. Once they can relax at home, practice in other quiet, familiar environments before introducing more distractions and reduce the amount of treats your are providing for being calm.
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Relaxation is different from obedience! a dog lying down because they’ve been told to stay isn’t necessarily relaxed. True relaxation is when your dog feels comfortable enough to switch off voluntarily, without needing constant instructions.
Look for signs such as a soft body, relaxed muscles, comfortable resting positions and slower breathing.
Equally, a dog who is lying completely still may actually be worried or tense, so it’s important to consider their overall body language.
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⭐️ A Calm Dog isnt Necessarily a Tired Dog! ⭐️
One of the biggest misconceptions is that dogs need to be physically exhausted to behave calmly.
While exercise, enrichment and mental stimulation are important, constantly trying to tire your dog out can sometimes create an expectation of continuous activity rather than teaching them how to settle.
The goal isn’t to have a dog who does nothing all day. It’s to have a dog who can enjoy activities, cope with excitement and then comfortably switch off afterwards.
Calmness is a skill, not just a personality trait. Give your dog opportunities to practice it, reward their calm choices and remember that doing nothing can sometimes be just as valuable as doing something.
Photo: Lokis fast asleep after the offlead socialisation 💙
