Training Tips: Calm Behavior at Home

Behavior is Functional!

Our pet’s behavior serves a purpose — usually it’s rewarding to them, or they are trying to communicate something. If your pup is getting into mischief, it could be because they are bored. If they jump on guests, it’s because they are excited and seeking attention. So how do we manage this?

The key is to reinforce, or reward, the behaviors you want. We can do this by:

• Managing the environment,
• Ignoring undesired behaviors, and
• Teaching the behaviors you want to see instead.

For example, if your dog jumps on guests, you can put your dog on leash or in a separate room before visitors enter the home. Additionally, you can teach your dog to sit before greeting someone. Ask guests to ignore your dog and move away when they jump — and reward them with attention when your dog isn't jumping. 

Keep in mind that any attention from you, even if it’s negative, can reinforce the behavior and make it more likely to recur. 

Imagine your dog is jumping on you for attention and you say "No!" while pushing them off. From your dog's perspective, the jumping was effective because it caused you to give them attention by looking at them, touching them and talking to them. Ignoring that behavior will start to teach them that jumping doesn’t lead to what they want (attention), but sitting calmly does.

Reward Calm

On the other hand, don’t ignore your dog when they are calm and quiet. Reward them for this behavior by sprinkling some treats under their nose as you walk by. Let them discover that being calm brings good things.

Now that you know why your dog may be performing behaviors you don’t like, here are a few ways to address those behaviors and encourage your dog to be calm: 

Exercise: Settle Down

The goal of this exercise is for your dog to learn to lie down quietly whenever you are relaxing or ignoring them. For a video example of a calm settle, check out: The Calm Settle!

1. Gather your supplies: You’ll need a leash, a harness and pea-sized treats. If you would like to teach your dog the “Go to your Mat” game (see below), you’ll also need a towel, mat or blanket for your dog to lie on.
2. Set the scene: You will need something for YOU to do — a book to read, TV to watch, computer work, etc. Keep the treats out of sight so that your dog doesn’t become excited by them. The idea is for your dog to be calm. If you're using a mat, lay it on the ground next to where you will be sitting.
3. Set up for success: If your dog likes to chew on the leash, use a chew-proof leash. If your dog is easily distracted, start in the quietest part of the home and close the windows and curtains. If your dog is easily excited by high-value treats, use lower-value treats to avoid hyperarousal. 
4. Bring your dog into the room where you are going to train. Go directly to your seat. Sit down with the leash (you may hold the leash in your hand, under your foot, or tie it to a table leg). The leash should be just loose enough that your dog can stand up or lie down with little room for exploring.
5. Start dropping treats on the mat for your dog to find. Drop a small handful of treats when you first begin. Be sure to reward the absence of behaviors you don’t like. For instance, if your dog typically barks at you for attention or chews on the leash and they aren't doing either of those things, reward that!
6. As you drop treats to reward your dog for being calm, just sit quietly near them. You should drop treats every 3-10 seconds, depending on your dog’s attention span. The shorter the attention span, the faster the treats should fall when you first start.
   
   During this process, don’t talk to, touch or make eye contact with your dog, even if they bark, whine or nuzzle you. If they jump on you, gently lean forward or stand up slowly without touching them with your hands or making eye contact. The moment they give up and stop trying to get your attention, reward with treats!
7. While pretending not to pay attention to your dog, carefully watch for any calming behaviors, such as sitting near you or lying down. If your dog lies down — perfect! Give them a “jackpot” (about four to six small treats), but don’t make eye contact or pet them.
   
   Pro tip: Sprinkle the treats between their front paws to encourage them to continue lying or sitting down and staying calm without having to stand up or move to reach the treats.
8. Change location: After about 5-10 minutes of successful calm behavior without any excitable behavior, move yourself and your dog to another location in the same room. Sit down without talking to your dog and wait for them to settle down in the new place. Reinforce with treats when they do. Gradually increase the time between treats.
9. Add a release word: When you want to end the exercise, tell your dog, "All Done" or "Free," in a matter-of-fact tone of voice and let them loose. If you are using a mat, pick up the mat and put it out of sight until next time.
   
   Pro tip: Always end a training session on a good note, before your dog loses interest or gets frustrated. 
10. Practice with and without a mat: Once you are successful with this exercise using a mat, you can start to practice without the mat. Your dog will learn that when you are busy, they should relax and lie down, wherever you might be. You can still use your mat when you would like your dog to have something comfortable to lie on or to give them a visual cue in more distracting environments.
11. Increase difficulty: After your dog is good at resting with you sitting down, practice while standing with your dog on leash. All your dog has to do is lie down and good things will happen (treats!).

“Go to Your Mat!”

Introduce the verbal cue, “Go to your mat,” if you would like your dog to settle away from you, such as when you are fixing a meal, when you are eating or answering the door.

As your dog starts to associate "Settle Down" with the mat, they should start going to their mat whenever it is placed on the floor. This is a great behavior to reward with lots of treats as long as they are on the mat. The rewards should stop if they get off the mat.

Once your dog is reliably offering this behavior, you may add the verbal cue, “Go to your mat,” when you are sure your dog will do the behavior the first time you ask. You will now be able to use the mat in different areas, as well as when you travel or want your dog to be able to relax quickly.

Mental Enrichment

Mental enrichment is anything that works your pet's brain and fulfills their natural needs. Adding enrichment activities will help tire your dog out and promote relaxation because they burn energy and relieve stress.

Food puzzles and Kong toys are great long-lasting options to keep pets engaged. After a food puzzle session, most dogs are tired — mentally and physically — and are more likely to remain calm for a little while longer.

But food puzzles are just one form of enrichment! Dig into our YouTube videos under our Enrichment Resources playlist, consider signing up for a training class and offer physical exercise followed by calming enrichment to help them decompress.

Management: Setting Your Pup Up for Success

Set yourself (and your dog) up for success. Think of practical ways you can prevent undesirable behaviors by managing the environment. 

For example, if your dog is chewing on your shoes, they are trying to satisfy their desire to chew, play and burn energy. You can address this by leaving your shoes in a closed closet and offering your dog alternatives (i.e. toys, bones and enrichment items, etc.) to make chewing on your shoes no longer necessary. 

Here are ways you can create a relaxing, stress-free environment to promote calmness for your dog:

• Success Stations: Create a success station for your dog —  a dog-proof area (play pen, crate or exercise pen) where they can decompress and only have the option to make desirable choices. If their only option for entertainment is the toys or chews you provide them, they will usually settle down for a nap.
• Create Calm and Quiet: Close the blinds, dim the lights, turn on calming music or sounds and encourage nap time!
• Time to Decompress: If your dog is jumping or mouthing, gently lead them to their success station to decompress. Don’t yell at them, say "No!" or forcefully put them in their success station. Make sure they have something to do (a food puzzle toy, a bone, etc.) while in their success station. Continue giving them these things outside of confinement, too — we don't want them to stop enjoying enrichment because they only get it in the crate or when left alone.
• Use a Leash Indoors: You can use a leash to lead them away from restricted areas, prevent them from jumping on guests, children or furniture, or keep them close to you. Just make sure to supervise them so they don’t get tangled.
• Manage Jumping: Step on the leash before they jump, not as they are jumping. This will prevent frightening or injuring your dog. Only do this if the leash is attached to a harness, not a collar or slip lead. If your dog is already jumping, turn your back to your dog and slowly move away. Wait for them to stop jumping, then reward with treats or affection.
• Prevent encouraging high-energy, inappropriate behaviors. Calmly pick up the end of the leash to prevent chase and "keep away" games, and don’t have a big reaction to undesired behaviors, as this can unintentionally reinforce them.

Ask For Help 

1. We understand that being a pet parent can be challenging, but San Diego Humane Society is here to help. If you adopted your pet from San Diego Humane Society, schedule a free Post Adoption Consultation over Zoom. One of our Community Animal Trainers will help troubleshoot and provide next steps.
2. Enroll in our live online or on-demand Reactive Rover: Mat Work class that focuses on addressing reactivity in the home or yard using mat work and the calm settle.
3. Book a Private Lesson for advice and training exercises. Find a positive reinforcement trainer who can come to your home to assess the situation.