When I first began mat work with my dog, I wasn't sure it would be effective. No matter what dog calming techniques I tried, they just didn't seem to work. Maybe my dog training approach was wrong or maybe the training method just didn't suit my collie's personality. Whatever the reason, I was just about at my wits end when a friend in my dog's nosework class recommended that I read, Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt, which outlines how to relieve stress and anxiety in dogs. I found one of the dog training tips discussed in the book very helpful for my reactive dog. It was the section on teaching your dog to go to its place. I used a mat for this exercise and adapted the training to fit my dog's excitability issues. You are the best judge of which training method suits your dog and how he will react to certain cues but the following steps worked wonders for my dog.
Ten Steps for Teaching Your Dog to "Go to Mat"
1) My collie works best when he is hungry, so that is when I started the mat training. If your dog is not food oriented, you can use a favorite toy as a reward.
2) Use a mat that your dog has never seen before. You want your dog to recognize the mat as a relaxation cue rather than a bed. When you are finished working with the mat, put it away where your dog cannot lie on it whenever he wants.
3) Carry the mat into the room where you are training your dog, making sure that he sees you. My dog is curious, so he immediately ran over to me to see what I was carrying.
4) When your dog seems interested in what you are doing, put the mat onto the floor. As soon as the dog even looks at the mat, click and treat him. If you don't use a clicker for training, just use a verbal "Yes" or "Good Dog". It doesn't take long before the dog knows that the mat is a positive thing.
5) My dog was placing both paws on the mat within minutes. At that point, I dropped the treat on the mat, so he had to lean over the mat to pick it up. Once again, if your dog is not interested in treats, give him verbal praise and drop the toy on the mat.
6) The first time your dog puts all four feet on the mat, give him a jackpot of treats, one after the other for about 15 seconds. After getting his jackpot, my dog was ready to stand on the mat all day to get his treats.
7) To get your dog off the mat, use your release word and toss a treat away from the mat. The release word can be anything that your dog knows as the end of his training. I use the word, "Okay" and my dog knows that this step of the training is over.
8) Eventually, your dog will get off the mat when you release him.
9) Start using the "Go to Mat" cue when you know your dog will go to the mat at least eight out of ten times. Practice "Go to Mat" two or three times every day for only a few minutes each time.
10) Once my dog was enthusiastic about going to the mat, I extended the time he had to stay there before I released him. He became very relaxed and lay down once he knew he had to stay there. To relax him even more, I petted him and gave him a short massage.
Now, I bring the mat everywhere we go where I need my dog to be calm. When I place the mat in the back of my car, my dog lays quietly on the mat until we reach our destination. I also bring the mat to his nosework class and when I put the mat down, he immediately lies on it, rather than reacting to the other dogs with barking, lunging, and whining.