Teaching stressed and anxious dogs to relax on cue with a relaxation protocol can be a great way to gently help them to feel more calm. Research has shown that actively helping your dog to relax helps them to feel less stressed and anxious in general, and is a first step towards solving behavioural problems.
The idea is simple. You use one specific mat (or blanket) as a relaxation cue. You work on teaching your dog that his mat means yummy food treats. In this way, your dog will want to go to the mat the moment it is available, because you’ve taught him it’s the best thing ever.
Important: Make sure that you always use the same mat as the cue, and always remove it immediately when you’re finished with the relaxation session. The mat should never be used in any other situation. This is very important!
Before you start:
- Choose a quiet place in the house, where you won’t be disturbed by other people/dogs/cats.
- It’s best to train your dog when they’re reasonably calm, for example, after a walk or training session.
- Start training in sessions of about 5 min at the time. You can increase this time as your dog progresses in the training.
- It’s better to practise often in short sessions, rather than train occasionally in long sessions.
- Note that you do not give any comments for relaxation. Don’t say ‘sit’ or ‘down’ when your dog is on the mat. The idea is that the mat itself is the cue for relaxation and your dog relaxes on it voluntarily.
Step 1.Teach your dog that the mat is a fun place to be!
- Place the mat on the floor, sit down next to it, and start scattering food treats on the mat. Keep adding treats so that your dog approaches the mat.
- Keep feeding treats very frequently, with short intervals (only 3-4 s)
- After about 30 seconds, call your dog off the mat, give a simple comment like ‘sit’ and reward him for it.
- Scatter more treats on the mat (keep up the frequency), and keep feeding while the dog is on the mat.
- Repeat step 2
- Repeat step 3
- Repeat step 2
- Repeat step 3
- Maybe your dog will start to lie down on the mat voluntarily now.
- But if not, that’s totally fine.
- If not, you can try to lure him in ‘down’ with a treat, but do not give a verbal cue or force anything!
- Keep feeding when the dog is lying down
- Repeat step 2
- Does your dog return to the mat voluntarily? Great, reward him and finish for today.
- Remove the mat.
Note: Keep feeding constantly, no matter what your dog is doing. There are no ‘wrong’ behaviours here. Only when your dog really doesn’t lie down voluntarily (as Vitus in the video after a few sessions) can you try to lure him in a ‘down’.
It’s also a good idea to take little breaks and call your dog off the mat, so that he knows that the mat is the place where all the food is. Once he’s off the mat, he only gets a little treat for responding to a specific verbal cue. So he doesn’t think: once I leave the mat I even get more food! No ‘free’ food off the mat!
If your dog doesn’t always come to the mat yet, that’s totally fine. Keep luring your dog to the mat until she does. You can deliberately try to avoid eye contact to encourage your dog to look away. But don’t wait too long to give food if your dog doesn’t look away.
If your dog gets off the mat after a while, don’t worry. Call him to you, give a verbal cue (eg ‘sit’), reward and start again. Take your time, and avoid using any kind of pressure. Don’t give verbal cues to get your dog to go to the mat. The mat itself is the cue!
Keep repeating step 1 daily until your dog understands the mat means food and is a great place to be!
Once your dog has learned to go to the mat by herself and lies down voluntarily, go to step 2.
Step 2. Strengthen the positive association.
If you want your dog to relax in a specific location, you can start training in this location now. If you’re working from home, for example, and you don’t want your dog on top of you while you work, you can choose a nice and quiet place in your office.
Bonus tip
For most dogs with fear or anxiety, it is also good to create one fixed place in the house where it’s always calm and safe. Many dogs like to be underneath or behind something, where they’ll feel more protected. Try to find out what works best for your dog.
Then teach your kids and others in your household that they’re not allowed to interact with the dog when she’s in her ‘safe’ space. This way your dog has more control over her environment and can choose to take a break whenever she feels like it.
- Place the mat on the floor in your chosen location and sit down next to it
- When your dog approaches the mat, start scattering food on the mat
- If your dog doesn’t approach the mat, repeat step 1 instead.
- Keep feeding treats very frequently, with short intervals (only 3-4 s)
- Separation anxiety dogs: try to time the feeding when your dog is not looking at you, so you reward attention away from you.
- Call your dog off the mat, give a simple verbal cue (eg ‘sit’) and a reward.
- Let the dog return to the mat voluntarily
- Repeat step 3, 4 and 5 for about 5 min, and always end the session when it is going well.
- Remove the mat.
Notes: Keep calling your dog off the mat regularly, so he learns that it’s better to be on the mat rather than somewhere else.
If you have a dog with separation anxiety, you can try to reward attention away from you by feeding when your dog is not looking at you. BUT make sure you keep feeding frequently, and don’t wait too long if they don’t look away from you just yet. Relax, it will happen!
If your dog quickly approaches the mat, lies down voluntarily and stays down while you’re feeding without any difficulties, you can slowly start to decrease the time between the treats, but not too much. When is it too much? When your dog loses interest and wants to walk away or actively tries to get more treats.
If this goes well, move on to step 3. There is no rush though, totally fine to keep repeating step 2 until both of you feel comfortable.
Step 3. Start moving (a little).
The goal of step 3 is for you to start moving a little, while your dog stays happily on the mat. It’s important to keep feeding frequently and keep feeding while you slowly get up and down again. You can also try to feed when your dog is looking away from you (especially if your dog has separation anxiety), but don’t wait too long in case this doesn’t happen. If your dog keeps looking at you and tries to get up, you’ve waited too long!
- Place the mat down in your chosen location and sit down next to it
- When your dog approaches the mat, start scattering food on the mat
- Slowly get up (or even just on your knees) while you keep feeding
- Slowly get down while you keep feeding
- Call your dog off the mat, give a simple verbal cue and a reward.
- Let the dog return to the mat voluntarily
- Repeat step 3 – 6 for about 5 min, and always end when it’s going well
- Remove the mat
Notes: If your dog doesn’t look away from you, no problem at all. Keep feeding frequently. In case your dog gets up, also not a problem at all. Simply call him to you, give a simple cue (e.g. sit), reward and see if he returns to the mat voluntarily. Don’t get upset, scold your dog or give any verbal cues to return to the mat. In case your dog doesn’t return to the mat, stop the training and try again at another time, and return to step 2.
Keep going slowly and at your dog’s pace. This exercise should always be fun and a good experience! If you can get up and down while your dog stays calmly on the mat, you’re ready for step 4.
Stap 4. Increase the distance.
The goal of step 4 is to be a little further away and add more movement. Only start step 4 if your dog doesn’t get up when you do, and is not constantly focused on you.
If you go too quickly, the mat loses value and the exercise won’t work! Slow and small steps are usually best and keep feeding frequently. If your dog is very focused on you, sometimes it helps to get another person to do the feeding, while you create a little distance.
- Place the mat down in your chosen location and sit down next to it
- When your dog approaches the mat, start scattering food on the mat
- Get up and move one step away while you keep feeding
- Come back and get down again while you keep feeding
- Call your dog off the mat, give a simple verbal cue and a reward.
- Repeat steps 3-6.
- If this goes well, repeat step 3, but increase the distance a little more.
- Keep repeating step 3 – 6 for about 5 min, and always end when it’s going well
- Remove the mat
Notes: If this goes well, you can start to increase the distance. You can also start to decrease the frequency of feeding. If your dog becomes restless, take a step back. You can also ask another person to help you feed the dog while you increase your distance.
If your dog gets up, no problem. Simply call him to you, give a simple cue (e.g. sit), reward and see if he returns to the mat voluntarily.
This step teaches your dog that she can be calm even if you’re not right next to her.
Step 5. Make it yours!
The goal of step 5 is to start decreasing the feeding frequency, increase your distance and even increase the durations of the sessions. But only start step 5 when you’ve mastered step 4. So only when your dog stays down calmly while you walk around the room.
Always go at your dog’s pace. The moment they become restless or get off the mat, you’ve gone too quickly. If this happens, simply take a step back and try again.
Once your dog is very comfortable, you only need to reward occasionally and your dog will stay happily on the mat.
You can also try to train your dog to stay on the mat while you enter another room, and she can’t see you.
Once you’re very happy with your dog’s relaxation, you also have the option to phase out the mat, although this is not necessary. You can simply start folding the mat so it becomes smaller with each session, until it can be removed completely and your dog has associated a particular location with relaxation (for example, a corner in your office). Just remember to keep giving the occasional treat to keep the positive association!
