We spend a lot of time teaching our dogs what to do.
Sit. Stay. Come. Walk nicely. Leave it. Go to your bed.
But there is another skill that is just as important—and often overlooked:
Teaching our dogs how to switch off.
For some dogs, relaxing does not come naturally. They are constantly watching, listening, moving, anticipating and responding to what is happening around them. They may follow us from room to room, pace when nothing is happening, struggle to settle when visitors arrive, become highly aroused by movement or sounds, or find it difficult to simply lie down and do nothing.
The good news is that relaxation can be taught and practised.
One of the best-known structured approaches is Dr Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation.
Relaxation isn't the same as obedience
This is one of the most important concepts in the protocol.
The objective isn't really to teach a dog to sit or lie down and stay there. Sitting or lying down is simply the tool used to teach the underlying skill: relaxation.
Overall describes the protocol as a foundation for behaviour modification. The aim is to teach the dog to relax in increasingly varied circumstances, while developing a pattern of behaviour that can later support techniques such as desensitisation and counter-conditioning.
That's a very different goal from simply saying:
"Go to your bed and stay there."
A dog can physically remain in one position while being incredibly tense and alert.
True relaxation looks different.
Overall describes a relaxed dog as having a body that isn't stiff, relaxed jaws, ears that aren't rigid, a gently held head and calm eyes. The protocol is designed to reinforce those physical changes associated with relaxation.
In other words, we aren't just teaching stillness—we're teaching the nervous system what it feels like to settle.
Why do some dogs struggle to switch off?
Think about the difference between a dog who can happily lie down while you work and a dog who feels responsible for monitoring everything you do.
You sit down.
They get up.
You walk to the kitchen.
They follow.
You stand up.
They're immediately on their feet.
Someone walks past the house.
They're at the window.
You pick up your keys.
They're suddenly excited.
Nothing particularly important is happening, but your dog is constantly on.
For these dogs, the problem isn't necessarily a lack of exercise. In fact, simply adding more physical activity can sometimes create a dog who is extremely fit but still doesn't know how to relax.
We need to teach dogs that nothing happening is also an acceptable state of being.
That is a skill.
The Karen Overall Relaxation Protocol
The protocol consists of a series of structured exercises that gradually increase the amount of movement, activity and environmental stimulation occurring while the dog remains relaxed.
The exercises start relatively simply.
For example, the early tasks include asking the dog to remain down for short periods and then gradually introducing small movements by the handler—such as taking a step backwards, moving sideways or clapping softly.
As the days progress, the challenges become more varied.
The handler moves around the dog, walks towards entrances, claps, jogs, moves quickly and eventually leaves the dog's view.
Later exercises introduce things that can be particularly exciting for dogs:
movement around the dog
going towards the door
opening the door
disappearing from view
knocking
ringing the doorbell
saying "hello"
behaving as though a visitor has arrived
By Day 15, the exercises combine many of these elements, including leaving the room, knocking or ringing, talking and simulating interactions with visitors.
There is a very deliberate reason for this progression.
The dog learns that all of these things can happen without needing to become increasingly aroused.
It's about changing the emotional response, not suppressing behaviour
This is where relaxation training becomes particularly valuable.
We don't want a dog who is technically capable of staying still while internally becoming more and more frantic.
We want a dog who learns:
"I can notice that. I don't need to react to it."
The protocol therefore isn't simply about preventing movement. It is about reinforcing the physical and behavioural signs of relaxation.
And this is why the handler's behaviour matters too.
Overall specifically emphasises that the person working with the dog should remain calm. Excitable behaviour, unclear signals or waving treats around can make the dog more anxious rather than helping them settle.
Sometimes we inadvertently make our dogs more excited while trying to teach them to calm down!
Food isn't a bribe
The protocol uses food rewards, but Overall makes an important distinction:
the food is a salary, not a bribe.
This matters.
The goal isn't to wave a piece of chicken in front of an aroused dog and hope they'll stop reacting.
Instead, the reward is delivered for the behaviour we want to build.
The food should also be small enough that it doesn't become the main focus of the exercise. Overall recommends tiny treats and notes that the ideal reward is something motivating without being so exciting that it makes the dog more stimulated.
We're essentially saying:
"That calm behaviour you just offered? That's what earns reinforcement."
Start easy—and don't rush
One of the biggest mistakes people make with relaxation training is progressing too quickly.
If your dog can't relax while you take one step backwards, they're not ready for you to disappear through the front door.
The protocol is deliberately progressive.
Overall recommends working at the dog's pace and explains that exercises can be shaped into smaller components if necessary.
And importantly, more isn't necessarily better.
The recommended sessions are around 15–20 minutes once or twice a day, but Overall specifically says to work only for as long as both dog and person are enjoying and benefiting from the program. Shorter sessions are completely appropriate.
If your dog's concentration is deteriorating or their behaviour is becoming worse, finish with something easy and enjoyable rather than pushing through.
That is an important lesson for all training:
Training should build success, not repeatedly rehearse failure.
Watch the dog, not just the behaviour
One of the most valuable parts of the protocol is the emphasis on recognising the dog's emotional state.
A dog may technically still be lying down, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are relaxed.
Look at the whole dog.
Are they:
soft through the body?
breathing normally?
relaxed through the jaw?
able to look away?
holding their ears naturally?
able to remain settled when something changes?
showing calm, comfortable eyes?
Or are they:
stiff?
scanning?
staring?
holding their breath?
licking their lips?
lowering their head?
pulling their ears back?
trembling?
becoming increasingly vigilant?
The protocol specifically identifies signs of anxiety and advises returning to an easier exercise or breaking the challenging exercise into smaller steps when these appear.
Relaxation should never be forced.
If your dog is struggling, the answer isn't "make them stay there until they give up."
The answer is to make the exercise easier.
Generalising the skill
Another important principle is that dogs don't automatically generalise learning.
A dog might become brilliant at relaxing in the lounge but struggle completely when you take them somewhere new.
That's why the protocol doesn't stop after practising in one familiar location.
Once the exercises can be performed successfully in one location, Overall recommends repeating them in other rooms and circumstances, including places such as the backyard or park, and eventually with different household members.
This is particularly important for dogs who struggle with arousal in the real world.
We want the lesson to become:
"Relaxation is something I can do anywhere."
Not:
"I can relax only when I'm in my usual spot in the lounge."
Relaxation is a life skill
Teaching a dog to switch off isn't about creating a sleepy dog.
It's about giving them another behavioural option.
Instead of:
Something happens → I react.
we want to build:
Something happens → I notice it → I can remain calm → I can choose what to do next.
That can be enormously valuable for dogs who are easily aroused, environmentally sensitive, highly vigilant or simply haven't learned that they don't need to monitor every little thing happening around them.
And it isn't only useful for dogs with behavioural problems.
Every dog benefits from learning how to settle.
A dog who can happily relax while their person works, cooks dinner, watches television, has a conversation or moves around the house has an incredibly useful life skill.
The goal isn't a perfect "stay"
This is perhaps the biggest takeaway from Karen Overall's protocol.
The goal isn't obedience for obedience's sake.
The goal is a dog who can genuinely relax.
A dog who learns that they don't have to respond to every movement.
A dog who can watch something happen without immediately becoming involved.
A dog who can settle after excitement.
A dog who can tolerate their person moving around.
And eventually, a dog who can experience increasingly challenging situations while retaining the ability to come back to a calm state.
That's a skill worth teaching.
And like every skill, it gets better with practice, patience and appropriate reinforcement.
The Protocol for Relaxation was designed as a foundation for broader behaviour modification, rather than a quick fix. Its original 15-day program progressively introduces movement, sounds, departures and simulated visitor interactions, with future repetitions recommended in different locations, with different family members and with increasingly intermittent reinforcement.
So if your dog seems to be constantly "on", don't just ask yourself:
"How can I tire my dog out?"
Try asking:
"Have I actually taught my dog how to relax?"
Because sometimes the most valuable thing we can teach our dogs is that they don't have to do anything at all.
If you’d like to teach your dog to switch off then tell us about your dog and we’ll be in touch as soon as we can.
