Doing Nothing is Something

The hardest thing to teach a dog is the skill of doing nothing at all.

This topic comes up a lot in our consultations. It applies to all dogs, but can be especially salient if you have a dog who is busy in nature. This can be a personality trait that comes from their breed genetics, or simply because they are ready to take on the world and want things to do. 

It is an aspect of the busy human world that we cannot provide something for our dogs to do at every moment. We are very lucky with how we can keep ourselves entertained, whether that be through books, scrolling through our phones, or having the ability to stay home with them while we work remotely, but that busyness doesn’t exactly translate over to our furry friends. 

So while we sit and laugh at the latest comedy, our pups are left to stare at a wall. While we work from home and have a very long to-do list, our dogs are watching the clouds roll past wondering when they can go out and explore… And that can lead to your dog letting you know that they want entertainment too. This can show itself as behaviours such as attention seeking (which can range from dropping toys in your lap, to barking at you), or finding their own jobs, like fly chasing, wrecking your things, and if left unchecked, can escalate to more intense forms of these behaviours.

So, what is the solution? How do we help our dogs know how to switch off rather than bustle around every moment we are home (or not home, for that matter)?

It’s all about being able to recognise when your dog is offering calm, relaxed behaviour, and reinforcing that. In the absence of being calm, we can help our dogs by setting up training sessions where we deliberately practise doing nothing at all. Because in reality, doing nothing is still SOMETHING.

​It’s not really nothing to be sitting calmly on the floor, they are sitting calmly on the floor. And if they are doing that - they are not pacing. If your dog is sitting nicely on a mat and watching you, they are not watching a dog walk past, and they are not pulling you over there to say hello.

Keep in mind that behaviour that is reinforced happens more often, and behaviour that is rehearsed becomes habit.

There are a few simple tips to ensure your dog starts practising the act of doing nothing:

• Have a clear list in your mind of desirable behaviours you want to encourage - this could be settling at your feet, resting on their mat, sitting and simply watching out the window as the world goes by.
• Have treat containers around the house with some kibble in so that you can deliver it as a reinforcer when you see the exact moment your dog is doing something calm (if you have to walk to the cupboard to get the treat, you may miss the mark)
• Set up a comfortable space for your dog to be calm in. This could be a crate, or a squishy bed. Don’t expect your dog to be happy on a cold concrete floor if his whole family is up on the couch being snuggly!

It has to be mentioned that your dog needs to have their basic needs met before we can ask them to do nothing. If you leave for the whole day to work and then come home and expect your dog to continue resting, it is unrealistic, and frankly, quite unfair. Adding enrichment to their daily lives while you’re away, and making sure they have the appropriate outlets to be a dog is the balance that is needed when teaching them also to switch off. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day - and a puppy doesn’t know automatically how to stop wriggling. So let’s help them learn how to do ‘nothing’, at all.

Authored by Sarah Endres
Dog Trainer and Behaviour Advisor