Settle: Teaching Your Dog to Relax During Everyday Activities

Video Tutorial Coming Soon: A video demonstration will be added to accompany this written guide.

“Settle” asks your dog to rest calmly near you or in a designated resting area. It is useful while you work, eat, talk with someone, or spend quiet time together.

Unlike a formal down, settle allows comfortable position changes. Your dog may rest on their chest, shift onto one hip, or lie on their side. The goal is relaxed behavior rather than a precise posture or continuous attention toward you.

You can reinforce behaviors that support relaxation, but you cannot require an emotional state. Build the exercise gradually and choose situations where your dog can comfortably rest.

Helpful Cues to Know Before Practicing

A reward marker, such as “yes”: This can identify useful behavior during introductory practice. If the marker makes your dog excited, quietly deliver rewards instead.

Down is helpful but optional: It can provide a starting position, but lying down does not necessarily mean your dog is relaxed.

Place is helpful but optional: A familiar mat or bed can provide a clear resting area.

A release cue: This helps you signal when a structured settling exercise is finished.

Your dog should also have opportunities to toilet, move, explore, and meet their daily needs before you ask for an extended rest.

What You Will Need

Choose a comfortable mat or bed in a quiet area near you. Have small treats ready, preferably ones your dog enjoys without becoming overly excited.

Begin when your dog is naturally ready for a break. Keep initial sessions approximately two to five minutes long.

Step 1: Notice Naturally Calm Behavior

Sit quietly near your dog and observe.

Look for behaviors such as lying comfortably, resting their head, shifting onto a hip, or disengaging from activity around them. Soft muscles and easy breathing can also suggest relaxation, although no single sign confirms it.

Quietly place a treat within easy reach when you notice these behaviors. Avoid asking your dog to get up or look at you to receive it.

If using “yes,” say it softly and reward promptly. If it interrupts their rest, omit the marker for this exercise.

Step 2: Make the Resting Area Worthwhile

Place the mat or bed nearby. Reward your dog for choosing to approach it, step onto it, or lie there.

If they already know place or down, you may use that cue to help them begin. Then reduce your talking and allow them time to become comfortable.

Deliver rewards low and close to their mouth or between their front paws. Keep your movements slow and unobtrusive.

Step 3: Reward Relaxation Beyond the Initial Down

Once your dog is lying down, avoid requiring them to stare at you for the next treat.

Reward small changes that support rest, such as lowering their head, looking away from your hands, or adopting a looser posture.

If they remain upright and intensely watch your treat pouch, keep food out of sight and make the exercise less interactive. You can also practice during a quieter time when they are more ready to rest.

Do not withhold rewards until they perform a particular “relaxed” pose. Observe the whole dog and reinforce comfortable behavior.

Step 4: Add the Word “Settle”

After several sessions in which your dog comfortably rests in the chosen setting, say “settle” softly as they begin doing so.

With repetition, begin using the word just before the familiar resting routine, such as when you sit beside their mat.

Say it once, then allow time for your dog to respond. Help with a familiar place or down cue if needed, while continuing to reinforce genuine signs of comfort.

Step 5: Gradually Space Out Rewards

Initially, reward frequently enough to support success without repeatedly interrupting your dog.

As they become comfortable, gradually increase the time between rewards. Vary the intervals rather than delivering food on a fixed schedule.

If your dog remains relaxed or falls asleep, let them rest. You do not need to wake them to provide another reward.

If they repeatedly get up or become increasingly restless, shorten the session and consider whether they need a break, toileting, activity, or a quieter environment.

Step 6: Introduce Quiet Everyday Activity

Practice while you read, work at a desk, or sit at the table.

Begin with small movements, such as reaching for a cup or shifting in your chair. Quietly reward your dog if they remain comfortable.

If they rise to follow you, reduce the amount of movement and return to an easier exercise. Remaining settled while you walk away is a separate challenge that needs gradual practice.

Step 7: Practice in New Locations

Move the familiar mat to another quiet room and reduce your expectations.

Later, practice in calm outdoor areas or suitable pet-friendly settings where your dog has enough space to rest comfortably. Keep the first visits brief.

Increase environmental difficulty gradually. If your dog scans constantly, pants without an obvious physical cause, or cannot become comfortable, create more distance or leave for an easier location.

Step 8: End Clearly

For a structured practice session, use your release cue when your dog may leave the resting area.

They may choose to continue resting after release. That is acceptable.

If you need them to move with you, follow with a familiar cue such as “let’s go.” Avoid expecting the release alone to produce a specific action.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Confusing stillness with relaxation: A motionless dog may still be tense or highly alert. Observe posture, breathing, and the surrounding situation.

Rewarding in a way that causes excitement: Keep your voice, movements, and food delivery calm.

Requiring constant eye contact: Settling should allow your dog to disengage from active training.

Expecting rest before meeting basic needs: Provide appropriate activity, toileting opportunities, and comfort first.

Increasing duration too quickly: Build through short, successful sessions.

Correcting restlessness without identifying its cause: Your dog may be uncomfortable, worried, or simply not ready to rest.

Expecting the skill to transfer immediately: Introduce each new environment with easier expectations.

When to Progress

Increase difficulty when your dog can comfortably rest during the current routine, accept ordinary small movements, and remain settled between occasional rewards.

Progress according to comfort rather than a fixed time target. If your dog consistently struggles to relax, contact your trainer to assess the environment, routine, and training approach.