The Art of Doing Nothing: Using Mental Work to Create a Calm State of Impulse Control

SIT, STAY, BEHAVE...

WRITTEN BY AMANDA HALE, Activate Canine Dog Training

Picture this: It’s a beautiful spring day in Charleston. The sun is shining, the patio drinks are calling, and your dog is PANTING at the door ready to get out in the world. You grab the leash, and excitement appears. He’s pacing and jumping and smiling and wagging his tail and you haven’t even opened the front door yet! Visions of having a photo-worthy outing complete with busy sidewalks and patio bars dance in your head.

But, then dread begins to set.

The last time you did this, there was zero relaxation. The sun was still out and the vibes were up, but your dog had zero chill. You grabbed a table at an outdoor patio and every stroller, bicycle, or passing car made your dog hop-up, bark, and pull at the leash, just begging to engage with whatever was the next big distraction. You left the day exhausted, and a little embarrassed. You’ve stuck to dog parks and backyard play dates ever since.

We’re here to tell you that you don’t have to avoid all the distractions and fun environments! With some investment in learning to understand how your dog’s brain works, and then applying mental work to get them to relax in the moment, you’ll be out enjoying those high distraction environments together in no time.

It starts small, but with intention.

So many of our fellow dog owners rely on things like busy bowls, lick mats, bones, and chew

toys to engage their dog physically with the idea that this will help them relax and calm down. While these are fun tools, they don’t replace the engagement your dog gets from one-on-one attention from you. Utilizing games and some stationary commands will get you the behavior you want—and the calm your dog doesn’t know they need.

“Generally, humans don’t consider a dog to have a problem with self-control unless his impulses drive him to exhibit behaviors we don’t care for. It’s when dogs do things like help themselves to food on the coffee table or kitchen counter (counter surfing), jump up on people when greeting, dart out doors before invited to do so, or grab things from the hands of their humans that dogs tend to be labeled as lacking in impulse control. From the canine perspective, however, a dog who does these things is just helping himself to something he wants: food, contact with humans, freedom, or a desired toy or other item.” Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Whole Dog Journal 2021

In the same way that humans are often much more exhausted from a day of sitting in meetings than a day of their regular work routine, dogs that experience more mental engagement can also physically rest better. While training for impulse control will unlock the skill set that makes you more confident and excited to include your dog in social outings, this training will also translate into several aspects of your daily life that you probably haven’t even considered. Think: meal times, surprise visitors, or regular playtime interruptions.

Training for impulse control begins with commands such as sit, down, or place in low distraction environments. The key is to start in a very controlled environment and progress over time to more higher level distraction situations. Choose a location in your common living area and designate a mat or bed to call “place”. During a low distraction time, practice asking your dog to go to their “place”. Once they have settled on their “place”, positively reinforce their behavior with praise, recognition, or treats. Gradually increase the level of distraction while asking your dog to stay in “place”. Throw toys near them, let children play nearby, or have a friend enter the room. Each time your dog resists the temptation to move from their “place”, positively reinforce their impulse control with a variety of rewards i.e. verbal praise, physical pets, or treats to encourage your dog to connect positivity to their calm.

You can also practice this settling on cue by pausing games such as tug-of-war or fetch. To do so, begin a game that your dog regularly enjoys. Don’t get them TOO excited, but start with gentle play and give your dog a sit or down command to “end” the play. Once they have complied, restart the game as the reward. You could use the same verbal praise, physical pets, or treats as the reward, just be sure to reward the calm behavior WHENEVER you see it.

Another easy way to fit in some impulse control training in your regular day would be to ask them to wait for their food. If your dog is especially food motivated, this practice will help them see how their calm behavior can bring about the reward of their food. This will eventually transform your meal-time routine by reinforcing patience and calmness prior to receiving their food.

The learned impulse control through stationary command training, play pausing, and food waiting will absolutely translate to a better dayto-day calm and confidence in so many aspects of your life and your dogs.

“Our dog, Walker, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi made us want to give him back,” stated past client, Chris Harper. “We got him when he was 11 weeks old, and he made me cry for five months. He couldn’t sit still for five seconds, and he constantly had to be moving and doing something. He was destructive and obnoxious. We felt like he ran our lives, and it was 24/7. We were exhausted. I can’t emphasize the importance of training your dog to do nothing! It changed our lives and we’re so much more able to live happily together and include him in so many of our social outings.”

Investing the time to train and manage impulse control - or the art of doing nothing - makes all the difference in having the ability to actually do anything with your dog! Want to enjoy the sunshine, the busy sidewalks, and those patio drinks with your dog by your side? We can help.

Good Dog: activated! ■