My dog won't settle down indoors. How do I teach her to relax?

Question

My dog is a 9 month old german shepherd husky mix. She still will not settle down in the house unless she is sitting on a chair, bed, couch. Otherwise she is on the go constantly. I walk her at least 2 miles daily and take her to the dog park about 3 times weekly. We also have a fenced in yard that she spends at least half of her day in. I just want her to come in and lay down. Thanks. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 9 months and 2 days old | 40 lbs

Bette Isacoff · Accepted Answer

It sounds as Ipo is calling the shots in your house! Did you allow or even encourage her to get up on furniture when she was a small puppy? If so, it is confusing to her as to why it is no longer allowed. EIther way, though, I agree that this behavior has to stop. Get her a dog mat (watch out for fabrics that attract and hold dog hair!) and put it in a spot that is out of everyone's way but where she can still feel like part of the family. Put a few treats in the middle of it and walk her over to it (have her ona leash) and say "Ipo, mat!" She will probably get on the mat for the treats. Ad soon as she puts even one toe on it, praise her. Keep encouraging her to go on the mat. Then, you can start to train her to go TO it instead of just on it by increasing the distance from the mat that you are when you start the exercise. Reward any progress. Your next step is to have her "down" on command. Once all of her is on the mat (oh yes, they will try to cheat and get only partly onto it), praise and reward. Your last training step is in three parts: getting her to obey the "stay" command, getting her to remain on the mat (again with the "stay" command) when guests are in the house, and getting her to stay when no one is in the room with her. If she is rusty on her commands, she needs to go to a beginner obedience class before you start this training. Finally, you can run strips of aluminum foil along the pieces of furniture that are forbidden. Most dogs do not like the feel of foil under their paws. If you need help with any of this, you can click on the prompt to start a consult, where we can discuss it at length. Good luck!

My dog won't settle down indoors. How do I teach her to relax?

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