When we think of a well-trained dog, we often think of a dog who knows dozens of tricks, walks on a loose leash, and gets along with everyone, but we don’t always think about dogs who are good at simply doing nothing! One of the most fun parts of having a dog is being able to bring them with you when you go to a coffee shop, a restaurant patio, or one of Denver’s favorite summer pastimes City Park Jazz! However, many dogs struggle in these situations because it requires being calm while in the presence of other people, dogs, kids, loud music, and food. One of the best ways to teach your dog to be neutral to these stimuli in public is to play The Do Nothing Game. This is an excellent game to work on with dogs who are either unsure about their environment, reactive when they see other dogs and people, or have trouble relaxing on their own. It is also one of the best ways to socialize dogs and new puppies!

The Do Nothing Game is very straightforward.  This game can- and should!- be done in many different environments.  If your dog struggles to relax by themselves, start this game at home!

To Begin:

• Put your dog on a 4-6 foot leash, and sit on a chair or the floor. Try to do this in a place where they cannot reach anything that they would like to grab or interact with, which may mean you have to shorten how much leash your dog has or sit in a non-distracting room, such as the bathroom. 
• Start by ignoring your dog. The goal is that they eventually get bored with you and lay down. When they do, reward them with several treats, as a jackpot reward! The key here is not to prompt your dog to lay down, or do any other cue. Your dog may bark or whine a bit, or try to offer you cues they know to figure out how to get treats, but keep ignoring them. 
• It may take a while for your dog to relax, but when they do, stay calm, and reward with a jackpot reward. It is very likely that if this is their first time doing this, they will get up after you reward them, so start the game over again when they do that. Wait them out to relax on their own before rewarding.

Once your dog has gotten the hang of the game inside, you can move to your yard, front porch, or outside of your apartment. Again, It may take them a while to relax in this new environment, but the same rules apply; ignore your dog, let them relax on their own, and reward them for calm behavior! This is a great game to practice in the middle of walks as well, and can serve as a fantastic reset button if your dog is having a tough day. 

As your dog becomes more relaxed in these non-distracting environments, you can move to environments with more activity, such as at a park with other dogs and people. Start far enough away that your dog will not get overwhelmed or overstimulated by the environment and will be able to be successful in the game. Progressively move closer to distractions, such as a bench by a playground, or outside of a dog park. Eventually, you will find that your dog is able to watch and listen to what is happening around them and remain neutral and calm in these different environments!

The Do Nothing Game is also one of the best ways to socialize a dog or puppy. Often, we will think of socialization as meeting new people, new dogs, and going to as many places as possible. But one of the biggest parts of socialization is learning to just be, and not needing to interact with everything! Watching and listening to the world around will also help build confidence in your dog, and sights and sounds are not so scary. 

Practicing the Do Nothing Game often will help create a neutral and calm dog in many environments, and is a great confidence-building exercise. It is a great way to socialize your dog, and will allow your dog the opportunity to do more things in public with you! If you have any further questions, please reach out to any of the Trainers at Good Dog, DYNO. And as always, thank you for choosing Good Dog, DYNO for your dog training needs!