Dog won't settle in the house? Try this...

One of the common issues we work with is dogs misbehaving in the house: pacing, whining, counter surfing, grabbing their people’s items and playing keep away, barking out the window, and generally not settling.

While crating, using place, puzzle feeders, treat searches, telling your dog to sit or lie down, all might help manage the issue, and can be beneficial parts of a dog’s routine; ultimately, the goal for most dog owners is for their dog to just make the choice to settle and relax (after adequate exercise/fulfillment).

Here is what I do with every dog who has trouble settling in my house, or any dog who doesn’t always listen to me in my house, or any dog that is new to my home and I’m developing a relationship with.

Every dog who falls under the above categories is ALWAYS wearing a 15-25 foot long line in the house. I either hold the end of the line, stand on it, or if we’re in a contained area (a room that the dog can’t simply walk out of), I will let it drag.

This way, I allow the dog to make choices and have agency and freedom, while also maintaining control of them with the long line. If the dog does anything I disapprove of, I can easily use the line to stop them and discourage that behaviour. In this way, I can shape a dog to make more polite choices in the house including choosing to settle.

If I can’t keep my eyes on a dog, they’re ideally comfortable in a crate and the crate will manage them when I am not doing so. At no point do I let them leave the room and be unsupervised with the long line on. Most dogs start making better choices in the home after a week. However, I usually only recommend people phase out the long line after several weeks at minimum. And if a dog ever regresses, or some environmental factor comes up, like a new person in the house, I can always go back to using the long line.