WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT dog training, puppy training, and dog behavior
Calmness in Dogs: The Importance of Behavioral Relaxation
Many dog owners don’t realize that calmness is a learned skill. Puppies and dogs need to be taught how to relax — not just how to sit or stay. Including behavioral relaxation exercises in your dog’s training plan helps them develop impulse control, confidence, and emotional balance.
These simple, low-pressure exercises teach your dog to self-soothe and make better choices in stimulating environments. All you need is a leash and collar — no prior training required!
🧸 Relax for Exam (Puppies & Small Dogs)
This gentle exercise prepares puppies and small dogs for grooming, vet visits, and general handling. Practice calm touch and patience in short, 15-minute sessions. Over time, your dog learns that handling means relaxation rather than stress, making future appointments much easier.
🪑 Sit on the Dog (All Ages & Temperaments)
Created by trainer Margot Woods, this foundational exercise teaches your dog to relax quietly on leash while you ignore them. Sit in a sturdy chair with the leash under you, giving just enough slack for your dog to lie down.
Stay calm, read a book, or watch TV — and let your dog learn to settle independently. Practicing for about 30 minutes helps your dog develop calmness at home and in new places.
💤 Behavioral Down
From Training Between the Ears, this deeper relaxation exercise teaches deep relaxation and calm. The relaxation protocol for this exercise requires that your dog’s chin be on the ground. A dog’s body fully on the ground is a natural sign of calm. It’s especially effective for reactive or anxious dogs who overreact to sounds, movement, or people.
Over time, your dog learns to choose calm over reactivity.
🦮 K9 Lifeline Sidekick Leash
Designed by Heather Beck, the Sidekick Leash helps dogs stop pulling and stay relaxed on walks. Begin in quiet areas before adding distractions. Short, 15-minute training sessions build control and confidence without tension or frustration.
🏡 The Long Place Exercise
The long place teaches your dog to stay calmly on a cot or mat until released. It builds patience, impulse control, and the ability to relax even with everyday distractions. Over time, most dogs will settle so deeply. They may even take a nap. This is a sure sign of trust and calmness.
❤️ The Calm Dog Difference
Adding behavioral exercises to your puppy or dog training program helps create a calmer, more confident companion. With consistent practice, your dog will learn to choose relaxation over reactivity. This applies at home, on a walk, or when visiting the vet.
🐾 Ready to Raise a Calmer Dog?
At Mannerly Mutts Dog Training in York Beach, Maine, we help dogs build better behavior. We assist owners through structured training, confidence, and calm leadership.
💬 Contact us today to learn how our Board & Train, Daycare & Train, or Private Dog Lessons can help your dog relax, listen, and live peacefully with you.
Call 207-361-4395 or email mannerlymutts.rubin@gmail.com
Navigating Multi Dog Behavior: Tips for Peaceful Pack Coexistence
Are your dogs having problems getting along? We can help. Call us at 207-361-4395 or email mannerlymutts.rubin@gmail.com.
What Affects Canine Pack Behavior?
Some dog training behaviorists and professional dog trainers try to dispute canine pack theory as a hierarchy structure. This article is not about those pack theory arguments. Canine group dynamics are relevant when dogs and/or humans are around each other. I first became aware of how a group’s dynamic changes when I volunteered to train Dobermans at Doberman Rescue Unlimited. During group dog training sessions, a new dog entering the group would change the focus of most dogs. This can also happen in our domestic households. The introduction or loss of a dog can change behaviors and relationships in the group. Various other changes in environment or living circumstances can also affect the dog pack dynamic. These can be positive or negative changes. The following can affect or change the dynamic of canine pack:
Addition or loss of canine family member
Addition of or loss of human family member
Aging and geriatric changes in a canine member
Not compatible temperaments or personalities
Socialization history of canine members including any past trauma
Lack of training, rules, and boundaries
Lack of leadership and supervision
Dog owners not picking up on certain canine communications and finding solutions if needed
Environmental changes such as moving and change in environment
Hard wired genetics such as prey drive, herding, or guarding
Dogs communicate their approval or annoyance with each other in a foreign language, from our perspective. Their language includes body language, eye contact, mouth position, and tail movement. They use other various methods too. Also be aware that their communication can have different meanings per individual dog. Dog owners can be largely unaware of these unless they deal with groups of dogs regularly. When owners miss these communications, they may also miss problems brewing underneath the surface. Then unwanted interactions and behaviors can either start immediately or grow over time.
Some examples of unwanted behaviors that can show up are the following:
Resource guarding of food, toys, dog owner, another canine, or territory.
Personality changes like fear, timidity, or reactivity
Dog fights either mutual or one sided
Housebreaking accidents
Marking behaviors
Destructive behaviors
Dog owners can greatly influence their canine pack’s behavior. They can manage relationships to avoid pitfalls. These actions can prevent the above behaviors. Prevention of any negative incidents is the best tool for pack maintenance. When something negative happens especially early on, this erodes the trust between your dogs.
Tips for Maintaining a Peaceful Pack:
Ideally your current dog would be trained in basic obedience
Learn about dog communication with body language
Have a dog training or puppy training plan for your new dog and/or existing dog
Supervise your dog’s interactions together and get involved if you need to (ideally before a negative interaction)
Crate train your dogs and use the crate when the dogs are not supervised
Have a feeding, walking, and letting outside routine
Have some special alone time with each of your canine pack
Meet the special needs or your individual canine pack members (some may have more energy, and some may need quiet alone time)
Know, work on, and manage each individual dog’s triggers and personality quirks
Know what appropriate play and corrections look like
Don’t ignore signs trouble by being proactive and making a plan
Be aware, relationships can change within your dogs’ pack, and it doesn’t mean you need to throw in the towel. It may mean you need some help to evaluate exactly what is going on. Some are easy to solve, and some are more challenging. That is not to say that there are not sometimes really wrong matches in dog relationships. Dogs who have lived together for a long time are usually salvageable. Sometimes not getting another dog or re-homing the new dog may be the right decision. Not every individual dog personalities are going to get along. Some dogs are happier being an only dog and are not suited to a multi dog situation.
Whether you need puppy training, board & train, or private dog lessons, we’ll help your dog become calmer, happier, and more focused. You can talk to us for free at 207-361-4395 or email us at mannerlymutts.rubin@gmail.com
Effective Strategies for Advanced Dog Training
Your dog training program has come to an end or you have plateaued while dog training. Very few dog training packages or programs are designed to completely train dogs. If you want to maximize what dog training has taught, here are some suggestions.
- Work on increasing the three Ds. The three Ds represent duration, distance, and distraction. Often these are worked on one at a time to build upon what is familiar to the dog already. Just remember to be reasonable and judge your team’s ability so
that you don’t overload your dog unfairly. When distance is worked on outside, it is common to have a long line for safety. - Different environments can introduce challenging distractions. Pick a couple new environments each week that challenge your dog without overloading them. This could just start with different rooms in your house. Yards are usually the next distraction you would want to train in. Next habituate them to parks, roads, hardware stores that allow dogs, restaurant patios that allow dogs, and so on.
- Have structure to your day where you have made time for dog training. When you walk your dog, make sure you have structured walks. A structured walk involves practicing your dog training commands. These include commands like heel, sit, stay, and loose leash walking. This should become the regular walking routine which eventually becomes effortless and an easy team effort.
- Work on off leash training inside when your dog is ready and you have met your on-leash goals. You can start this by having your dog drag a leash inside at first.
- Never use a command that you have no intention of reinforcing. Doing this will erode your dog training instead of bringing it forward.
- Remember and use the details that you were taught or learned for successful dog training. Consistency and timing create very clear communication to your dog. Marker words are also important. Avoid tightening up on the leash and collar. Your body movements convey messages too. Keep this up as you maintain and advance your dog’s training.
- Always have the right mindset before training your dog. You always want to train them when you can be patient and calm.
Most professional trainers expect for you to reach out to them if you need help after the dog training program. If you encounter a problem in your dog training, don’t be afraid to ask your professional dog trainer about it.
© 2024 Robin Rubin DBA Mannerly Mutts
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Leave a Reply