As we have mentioned in previous weeks, settling on a mat is a foundational skill to get your dog ready to join you on a brewery adventure. The next step to this is adding in human relaxation! You want to be able to sit back in your chair, talk with a friend, take a drink from your glass, all without your dog popping up out of their settle behavior.
We start this by encouraging our human students to first sit back in their chair, relax their shoulders, and take a deep breath in...and out. Reward your dog slowly and calmly. It can help if you avoid making direct eye contact with your dog so as to not accidentally cue them that their settle behavior is over. Now, chat with your friend for a minute, have a laugh, then again calmly deliver a treat to your dog so they continue the duration of relaxation on their mat. And repeat!
Always remember that your energy goes down the leash. If we can relax ourselves and enjoy our time (and reward our dogs for relaxing with us!), our dogs will also have a more relaxing experience when joining us at a brewery!
