No it isn't. Until the day I keel over I'll argue that one cannot teach relaxation. But one can set the conditions for a dog to authentically settle for a bit. Or for longer.
Here is how.
Settling doesn’t necessitate a mat. Most dogs are very capable of finding a cozy spot when they want to chill on their own. But incorporating a mat or bed has advantages:
It becomes a visual and tactile cue you can place in different rooms in your home, and bring with you when away from home to indicate where you’d like your dog to slouch.
For dogs who are nervous it serves as a secure anchor. Ditto for dogs who are agitated in the car, and in a training facility the mat can be a safe retreat when not actively working.
You can put a mat on the couch or bed to induce your dog to stay on her end, which means you and your guests clothes won’t be covered with hair and you might have a more restful sleep.
Both settle and “wait’ ought to be independent of the position. The dog decides whether she wants to sit, lie, or stand. Every animal other than the owned dog has that autonomy, and it’s high time that dogs are granted that too.
That, though, is the only commonality.
Although with “wait” the dog is also not moving, she is not relaxed but alert and attentive. The body is still but the mind active. The dog isn’t calm inside but working—there is a level of arousal. A dog asked to “wait” can expect a reinforcement.
In contrast, settling is passive. Although not stipulated, the natural position is lying. The dog is chilling and should not expect an external reinforcement. Nothing is coming from you, and the ought not to be disturbed. If we set the contingencies properly, resting and napping feels good in its own right. Only if a dog is not looking for a treat we know that he is authentically relaxed. Or “calm and relaxed” if you like that better. I don’t. I question our, as of late, human obsession that a dog must be statically calm.
Another difference is that with settle the dog is allowed to self-release, but not with “wait”.
As said, our only role in this is to set the contingencies for a dog to be able to authentically settle.
Meeting her mental and physical needs and providing a cozy and safe space to retreat to might be all you need. But you can also foster this. It’s not training per se, just helping.
Place a mat or bed beside you when you read, work on the computer, or watch TV. In the beginning a leash can set you up for success. I said that dogs should not expect being reinforced for settling, but what I am talking about are recurring small-sized treats. What you can do, and what helps a dog to self-regulate, is to provide your dog with something prolonged to chew or empty: a filled Kong or Toppl, a bone, a Lickimat. Often after that chilling simply continues.
With repetition the whole sequence: you settling, your dog settling, becomes a habit. A routine, and then you don’t need the leash or a food-thing any longer. But of course you can also give it.
Although authentically relaxing is not a training exercise, I recommend to name the behavior: We used “take a nap” for Bowie. As you can see he didn’t always make it onto his bed, but the chilling was authentic.
Naming it makes sense because you want to be able to prompt it; to guide your dog into chilling out when he can’t quite find the behavior on his own. Just don’t give him a treat for that. Do not! Or you will put your dog instantly back into active working mode. Initiated by you, he’ll then expect more treats. From his point of view, you just put him on the job, and if you mentally check out and the reinforcements are forthcoming, because in your mind you thought you reinforced settling, he becomes frustrated. Which tags along arousal, and that is the opposite of being relaxed.
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