Calm sessions, what are they?
They are quiet moments integrated in your walk and your daily routines. They are moments of peace and quiet for you and your dog together.
They can happen in any environment: the park, the forest, walks through fields or even at home.
Heidi´s calm session in nature
What are they for?
They are special moments that help your dog learn to be calm. Because they are integrated into your daily life they teach the dog an invaluable lesson: "no matter where I am or what is happening around me, I can remain calm because I am calm."
They teach and help dogs be calm around other dogs.
They show dogs that it is OK to be calm when things are happening around them.
They are a great way of introducing worrying things from a safe distance.
Rufus enjoys a calm session in the country side near a road
Steps to achieve a calm session
If at first your dog doesn't calm down, do not worry. Some dogs need a little time to understand the calm sessions because they have never had them before.
Choose a quiet place for your first session. As the dog gets better at being calm, you can choose busier places.
Sit down on a chair or a bench rather than on the floor and hold your smiling leash gently without interfering with it, or put it on the ground. Hold the leash at a fixed length of about 1,5 meters.
Do not talk or interact with the dog, remain very calm and take this time to observe your dog and the surroundings. Wait until your dog relaxes. This can take many forms. Some dogs lie down, some might sit or even stand and calmly observe their surroundings. There are no commands here, it is the dog's choice. You might see your dog only stand or sit in the beginning, and after she is more used to calm sessions, she might lie down.
When a few minutes have passed, and the dog has remained calm, you can finish the session. The next calm sessions can be longer.
Make sure that leaving the area is as calm as the session itself.
We hope that you find this advice useful, and if you choose to try it we would love to hear about your experiences.
Yoko during a calm session in his home town
