Lots of people assume their dog needs something to do when they have trouble settling. So we give them entertainment and brain games to occupy them. But most of the time, when the food in the snuffle mat or the kong runs out, we’re no closer to having a relaxed and quiet dog. If anything, you just bought yourself a few minutes of peace to end up with a dog who’s even more hyper and annoying than before. That’s because providing our dogs with constant enrichment this way is not teaching them how to do nothing.
Doing nothing is a skill and, like all skills, it takes practise. To teach your dog how to truly settle, you need to take away the activities and force them to get used to relaxing. Using a crate or place bed or even a tether is the bed way to do this – it keeps them in one place where they cannot get into any trouble and allows them to truly self-regulate and relax. You can give your dog something to lick/chew when they are first learning as a way to calm them, but you should not be relying on games or puzzles any more if you want a dog who actually knows how to “switch off”.
