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Dr Ian Dunbar
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 Learning how to 'turn the little critter OFF' is one of the most important tricks of the trade. Living with a dog on Duracell starts to wear thin once you realise your dog's speed and endurance are increasing with age.
It becomes bearable only if your puppy will settle down and be quiet for at least some of the time and especially at times of your choosing.
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Learning to 'Settle Down'
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Establish the status quo right from the outset. Several times a day, put your pup on a leash and have it settle down and be quiet for five minutes, half an hour or whatever. "Settle Down" means remain quietly in this spot, lying down comfortably. You may give your dog the option of stretching out, curling up, lying on its side or back or adopting the formal 'sphinx' down position.
Your pup must be taught early that we have to have 'little quiet moments'. To remember to do this on a regular basis, it is a good idea to coordinate the exercise with owner-activities. For example, each family member should have the pup settle down next to them several times a day - each time he/she reads the newspaper, works on the computer, watches television, makes dinner, eats dinner or goes to bed.
Your pup may be restless and vocal at first, but within only a few days, it will soon get the picture.
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The 'Go to...' command
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Initially, have your puppy settle down right next to you but later on practice with your pup at a distance or in a different room. A useful trick is to incorporate the settle down request with a "Go to..." command and to tell the puppy to go to its mat (dog bed, basket, crate, kennel etc.) and settle down.
Tell your pup to go to its mat, for example, and then lead it to the mat with a food treat, which the pup receives once it is lying down. Very young puppies learn place commands quickly and easily, and if the pup's basket, for example, is always kept in the same position, your puppy will learn the "Go to your basket" request in no time at all.
While the pup remains put, periodically praise, pet or offer occasional food treats. If your pup tries to move, simply repeat the "Go to your mat" and "Settle down" requests, and this time, stay closer to the pup to control it.
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Away from home
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Mats and crates are especially useful, since they are easily portable and can be a boon when travelling with the dog and staying at motels, relatives' or friends' houses. It is easy to throw down the dog's mat or set up its crate, and instruct the dog to settle down while unloading the car.
The settle down command renders even the most rambunctious little (or big) critter manageable at home. However, dogs are fine discriminators; they learn exactly what you teach them. If they have been taught to settle down at home, they will still act like maniacs at the park or in the vet's waiting room. Consequently, practice this exercise away from home.
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Walking as a reward
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When your puppy is old enough (completed it series of puppy vaccinations) to go outdoors, train it to settle down on walks. Take along a newspaper or a gripping novel. At the corner of each block, tell the pup to settle down, and read a couple of pages before proceeding. Interspersing little quiet moments in an exciting walk is one of the best ways of teaching your pup to settle down, no matter what the distraction.
Moreover, each little quiet moment is reinforced by resuming the walk, i.e., you may use the walk as a reward for good behaviour many times over. (Otherwise, owners tend to use the walk as a reward only once, for unintentionally reinforcing the dog's banana-like behaviour when it sees its owner put on a hat and coat, or reach for the leash in preparation for a walk.) Similarly, during play sessions at home or in the park, periodically instruct your dog to settle down for a short time-out before resuming play.
The goal is not to spoil the puppy's fun by forcing it to settle down for hours on end but to frequently practice calming your dog when it is excited, so that you learn how to 'turn your dog off', if and when necessary. If you can convince a distracted and playful puppy to settle down for just 30 seconds, you could easily keep the pup down for several minutes. The hard pup is getting the pup to settle initially, not keeping it settled.
Consequently, repeatedly ask your pup to settle down for many short periods within a single walk or play session. Integrating training is the secret to eager reliability.
A good "Settle Down" command is the foundation for teaching specific "Stay" commands, which we will look at next month. Whereas "Settle Down" means wait quietly in the designated spot in any position that is comfortable, "Stay" means remain in place in the specific position requested, usually for shorter periods.
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Article reprinted with permission from "How To Teach a New Dog Old Tricks" by Dr Ian Dunbar. Ian is a veterinarian and animal behaviourist as well as Director of the Center for Applied Animal Behaviour (Berkeley, California), founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (US) and host of the popular British TV series Dogs With Dunbar. Ian is the author of numerous books and videos on dog behaviour.
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