Teach your dog to be calm on the leash

Do you want your dog to lie down and relax when you're out in different environments like a café, park or beach? Then you can start teaching your dog this on your walks.

How to reward your dog for relaxing

Lassie's dog trainer Lina Lundin shows you how to teach your dog to relax on your walks. As soon as you find a park bench, you can simply sit there and wait for your dog to settle down. The good thing is that your dog will then be rewarded when you continue on your walk. This gives you plenty of opportunities to practice this out in different environments.

Tips for when things don't go your way

1. My dog won't relax and never lies down

Dogs are different and learn this at different rates. It can take a while for some dogs to settle in new places, so you can try helping your dog by giving it a good chew to relax. But remember to never move on until your dog is actually calm - which can look different for different individuals and stages in this process. Perhaps you'll settle for your dog standing and looking at you for a short while and then moving on. You can then expand your criteria of being calm to the level you are happy with.

2. My dog reacts to things in his environment

If your dog reacts easily to things in his environment, you can try doing this exercise, but as soon as you notice something coming up on the walk, you can move on to doing "look at that" training. For dogs that react to a lot in their environment, it is important to be able to switch strategies to help the dog in the best way. If you find that the dog can cope with the trigger that comes up with the "look at that" game, go straight to it, either remaining at the park bench or walking, depending on the level you and your dog are at. If you feel your dog will have a bad experience with the situation - get out of there as quickly and calmly as possible.