Why Calm Training Builds Better Dogs

One of the most common things I hear from owners is:

“They know what to do, but once anything happens they can’t think.”

If that sounds familiar, I want to reassure you straight away: this doesn’t mean your dog is naughty, stubborn, or “not listening”.

It usually means your dog isn’t calm enough to think.

At Byron Dog Training, one of the core things we work on — whether we’re training puppies, adolescent dogs, pet dogs or gundogs — is calmness. Not because we want dull dogs, but because calm dogs learn better, make better choices, and are far easier to live with.

Puppy sitting calmly and attentively in a chair

Calm Does Not Mean Quiet or Boring

Let’s clear something up early on.

A calm dog is not a shut-down dog. Calm does not mean slow, lazy or uninterested.

A calm dog is simply a dog who can:

• Pause

• Process information

• Make a choice

• Respond to their handler

• 
  

That dog might still love running, playing, hunting, retrieving or greeting people — but they can switch between excitement and calm without losing their head.

That ability to switch is a skill. And like any skill, it can be taught.

Why Excitement Gets in the Way of Learning

When dogs are over-excited, their brains aren’t in learning mode.

You might see this as:

• Pulling harder on the lead

• Ignoring cues they “know”

• Grabbing, jumping or mouthing

• Running off and not recalling

• Struggling to settle when nothing is happening

  
  

In those moments, the dog isn’t choosing to ignore you — they’re simply too stimulated to think clearly.

If training always happens at full speed, dogs don’t learn how to behave — they just repeat whatever behaviour relieves the excitement in that moment.

This is why calm training matters.

What Calm Training Actually Looks Like

Calm training isn’t complicated, but it is deliberate.

It often looks like:

• Rewarding a puppy for waiting instead of rushing

• Asking for a brief pause before going through a door

• Feeding rewards calmly rather than throwing them

• Practising short, focused repetitions instead of long, frantic sessions

• Teaching dogs how to settle while life carries on around them

In our classes, you’ll often see us slow things down on purpose. That’s not because the dog can’t do more — it’s because we want the dog to understand what earns reward and success.

Calmness gives clarity.

Gundogs waiting patiently between drives

Why Calm Training Gets Results Faster

This might sound counter-intuitive, but calmer training usually produces faster progress.

Here’s why:

• Calm dogs make fewer mistakes

• Owners feel more confident handling their dogs

• Training becomes repeatable at home

• Skills hold together when distractions increase

A dog who can pause and think is far more likely to:

• Recall reliably

• Walk nicely on the lead

• Ignore distractions

• Settle in new places

• Respond under pressure

Instead of constantly firefighting excitement, you’re building a foundation that supports everything else.

Calm Is a Skill — Not a Personality Trait

This is an important one.

Some dogs are naturally busy. Some puppies are wriggly and excitable. Some working breeds have huge drive and enthusiasm.

None of that means they can’t learn calmness.

Calmness isn’t about changing who your dog is — it’s about teaching them how to manage themselves. We don’t remove enthusiasm; we give it structure.

In fact, the higher the drive in the dog, the more important calm foundations become.

What You Can Start Practising at Home

You don’t need fancy equipment or long sessions to work on calmness.

Simple daily opportunities include:

• Asking for a sit and wait before opening doors

• Rewarding your dog for choosing to lie down on their bed

• Feeding part of a meal slowly for calm behaviour

• Pausing for a second before throwing a toy

• Practising short “do nothing” moments on walks

These small pauses add up quickly.

A Final Thought

If there’s one thing I’d encourage owners to reflect on, it’s this:

Don’t just ask what your dog can do —ask whether they’re calm enough to do it well.

Calmness isn’t about control for the sake of it. It’s about giving your dog the ability to cope, learn and succeed in the real world.

That’s something we work on in every class, with every dog, every week.