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Diggin That Dog believes that its never too late to teach an old pup (and its owner) new behaviors.
🐾 Anxious Dogs & the “Sit on the Dog” Exercise 🐾
One of the biggest mistakes people make with anxious dogs is constantly trying to entertain them, reassure them, or keep them busy.
Anxiety isn’t always solved by more exercise.
Many anxious dogs need to learn how to simply be still and relax.
That’s where the Sit on the Dog exercise comes in.
Despite the name, you are not actually sitting on your dog. You are sitting in a chair with your dog’s leash secured under your foot while they remain beside you.
The goal is simple:
✔️ No commands
✔️ No petting
✔️ No treats
✔️ No talking
✔️ No corrections unless necessary for safety
Just quiet time together.
At first, many anxious dogs will pace, whine, bark, paw at you, or try to get your attention. Some will lay down and pop right back up. Others will constantly scan their environment looking for something to do.
This is because they’ve never learned how to shut their brain off.
The moment you stop providing constant stimulation, their anxiety becomes obvious.
Stay calm and wait.
Eventually, most dogs will sigh, lay down, relax their muscles, and settle. That’s the moment they’re learning that they don’t have to control everything around them.
For anxious dogs, this exercise can help:
🐾 Build confidence
🐾 Reduce clinginess
🐾 Teach emotional regulation
🐾 Lower arousal levels
🐾 Improve impulse control
🐾 Create a calmer state of mind
The key is consistency. Start with 10-15 minutes a day and gradually increase the duration as your dog improves.
Remember: confidence doesn’t come from constantly comforting an anxious dog. Confidence comes from helping them learn they can handle the world without needing reassurance every second.
Sometimes the best thing we can teach a dog is how to do absolutely nothing. 🖤🐾
Why Consistency in Dog Training Matters
One of the biggest mistakes I see isn’t a lack of training—it’s a lack of consistency.
Most dog owners know what they want their dog to do. The problem is that the expectations change from day to day, person to person, or even moment to moment.
The dog gets corrected for jumping on guests one day, but the next day Grandma comes over and encourages it because it’s “cute.”
The dog is expected to wait at the door most of the time, except when everyone is in a hurry.
The dog isn’t allowed on the furniture, until someone wants to cuddle on the couch.
To a human, these exceptions make sense. To a dog, they create confusion.
Dogs learn through repetition and consequences. They don’t understand that today is different because you’re tired, busy, running late, or feeling guilty. They simply learn that sometimes a behavior works and sometimes it doesn’t.
When a behavior is rewarded inconsistently, it often becomes stronger.
Think about a slot machine. People continue pulling the lever because they occasionally win. Dogs do the same thing. If jumping, barking, pulling on the leash, whining, or ignoring commands works even once in a while, many dogs will continue trying because there’s a chance it will pay off.
This is why inconsistent rules often create persistent behaviors.
A dog that has been told “off” a hundred times but allowed on the couch ten times has learned that persistence works.
A dog that is occasionally allowed to drag its owner down the street has learned that pulling sometimes gets them where they want to go.
A dog that receives attention for whining has learned that making noise can produce results.
Consistency provides something every dog needs: clarity.
When expectations remain the same every day, dogs stop guessing. They understand what behavior is expected, what behavior earns rewards, and what behavior causes access to things they want to be delayed or removed.
Clear expectations reduce stress because the dog knows how to be successful.
Consistency also builds confidence. Dogs become more relaxed when they understand the rules of their environment. Many behavioral issues that look like stubbornness, defiance, or anxiety are actually rooted in uncertainty and a lack of structure.
This applies to every aspect of training:
✔️ Obedience commands
✔️ House manners
✔️ Crate training
✔️ Greeting people
✔️ Doorway manners
✔️ Leash walking
✔️ Boundaries around furniture and beds
✔️ Interactions with other dogs
Just as important, consistency must come from everyone involved. If one family member enforces the rules and another ignores them, the dog receives mixed messages. The dog isn’t choosing who to listen to—they’re simply responding to the information they’ve been given.
Training doesn’t fail because dogs are incapable of learning.
Training usually fails because humans are inconsistent.
The dogs that make the fastest progress are rarely the smartest dogs. They’re the dogs whose owners provide clear expectations, follow through every time, and make the rules predictable.
Dogs thrive when life makes sense.
When the rules stay the same, communication becomes clear. When communication becomes clear, behavior improves. And when behavior improves, both the dog and owner become more confident in one another.
Consistency isn’t the most exciting part of dog training, but it is one of the most important. It’s what turns commands into habits, habits into reliability, and reliability into a dog you can trust anywhere. 🐾
A “wait” command is one of the most important impulse-control exercises you can teach a dog.
What it means:
The dog pauses and waits for permission before moving forward, but unlike a “stay,” the dog does not have to remain in a specific position. They can sit, stand, or lie down as long as they don’t move past the boundary you’ve set.
Examples of when to use “wait”:
* At doorways before going outside
* Before exiting a kennel or crate
* Before getting out of a vehicle
* At gates
* Before being released to eat
* Before greeting people or dogs
🐾 Teaching the Wait Command 🐾
Start with a handful of treats and your dog on a long leash.
1. Approach the doorway and open the door.
2. Step in front of your dog, creating a physical boundary.
3. Give a clear stop-sign hand signal and begin creating a little distance between yourself and your dog.
4. If your dog steps forward, calmly step into their space to apply pressure and stop the movement.
5. The moment your dog stops, yields, or takes a step back, immediately back up and release that pressure.
6. Reward the correct choice with praise or a treat.
7. Repeat the process until your dog understands that moving forward causes pressure, while waiting causes the pressure to disappear.
I often call this “dancing with your dog.” You’re constantly reading their movement and responding to it. If they move forward, you move into their space. If they yield and wait, you back away. Through this dance, the dog learns that patience and self-control are what earn access to the doorway, not pushing through it.
The goal is for your dog to learn that an open door is not an invitation. They should remain calm and wait for permission to move forward. Over time, you’ll be able to create more distance, add distractions, and build a reliable wait command that carries over to gates, kennels, vehicles, and everyday life. 🐾
Why it matters:
The wait command teaches a dog to think before acting, builds impulse control, improves safety, and helps establish clear leadership and boundaries. A dog that understands “wait” is less likely to bolt through doors, rush out of vehicles, or make poor decisions when excited.
For my training dogs, I want a dog to understand that closed doors are not invitations to move forward. They wait until they are given permission to proceed. This simple exercise carries over into many other areas of training and daily life. 🐾
06/15/2026
🇺🇸🐾 Happy Flag Day from Diggin That Dog! 🐾🇺🇸
Today we celebrate the American flag and the freedoms it represents. As we honor Old Glory, we’re also grateful for the incredible dogs who remind us every day about loyalty, courage, perseverance, and unconditional love.
From senior rescue dogs finding their second chance, to hardworking German Shepherds, playful puppies, and beloved family companions of every shape and size, we’re proud to help dogs and their owners build stronger relationships one paw at a time.
Wishing everyone a safe and happy Flag Day. Take a moment to appreciate the freedoms we enjoy, the heroes who protect them, and of course, the four-legged friends who make life a little better every day. ❤️🤍💙
🇺🇸 Happy Flag Day from all of us at Diggin That Dog! 🇺🇸
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