Why I’m Obsessed with Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol

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I love mat training – and specifically Dr. Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol. It’s one of the first things I recommend in many online training cases.

“Why?” you may ask. How does teaching a dog to lie on a towel help with anything at all? Isn’t exercising your dog a faster way to get good behavior?

I think of mat training as the ultimate way to teach a dog to calm down. On its face, mat training is pretty simple. You just teach your dog to lie down on a towel/mat/blanket. Pretty simple.

This tool is incredible. Using a specific protocol, you’ll be able to teach your dog to stay lying down on the mat through increasingly difficult and distracting environments.


Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol Can Help With:

  • Excited greeters. They’ll learn to stay on their mat when someone knocks on the door. (buy our e-book on that topic here).
  • Dogs with low frustration tolerance and impulse control. They learn to calm down and turn off.
  • High-energy dogs. They learn how to lie down and watch the world go by – in exchange for tasty treats.
  • Pushy dogs. If your dog is on his mat, he’s not drooling on Auntie Muriel’s leg at Thanksgiving.
  • Reactive dogs. At a high level of reactive dog training, mat training can help dogs relax around other dogs.
  • Competitive dogs. Use a mat to teach your competition dog to chill out at events.
  • The vet. On a whim, I told Barley to “go to your mat” at the vet’s. He ran right over to their scale and flopped down on it. The vet’s jaw was on the floor.
  • Public transit. I put Barley’s mat on the floor of the bus or light rail, and he flops right down.
  • Bar and Brewery Visits. Mat training helps dogs learn how to lie down and ignore the hubbub of public outings.



 What Exactly is a Relaxation Protocol?

Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol is a structured introduction to mat training.

Mat training is a simple concept. You teach your dog to lie down on a specific mat/towel/blanket.

You want to use a new-to-your-dog towel or blanket for this. The “mat” has to be something that is not normally on the floor. Ideally, it’s something you can roll up and bring with you for “field practice.”

It’s really important that the “mat” used for training isn’t normally on the ground. We want the dog to learn that if the mat is on the ground, I lie on the mat. No matter what.

The rule of the game for your dog is simple: Fido stays lying down on the mat. No matter what. If Fido gets up, the mat goes away for a 10-second timeout. As long as Fido stays on the mat, Fido gets paid in chicken.

If Fido gets up 2 times in a row, just end the training session with some playtime or cuddles and try again later.

Sounds easy enough, right? Watch this video to see some mat training in action. You’ll be here in 15 days!

Teaching your dog to lie down and chill out is an imperative skill for almost every dog – but it will take practice. Never forget about the importance of practicing in dog training!


Shall We Begin?

Mat training is a simple concept, but it takes patience and consistency to get right. Think of this protocol as a structured 15-day training plan to get started on mat training. Her program is well-used by dog trainers of all types – for good reason.

This step-by-step program starts out easy and gets progressively harder. Follow it step by step, and your dog will be a mat training addict in no time.

These 18 pages are your new best friend.

We will use treats for this training, so be sure to have them handy.

Start out by shaking the towel out. Look at it, talk about it, make your dog intrigued.

You now have two options:

  1. Put the mat on the ground and tell your dog to lie down on it (easier and faster).
  2. Shape your dog onto the mat (see below). This is more challenging for you and your dog, but I also think it’s more fun (and effective).

To shape your dog onto his mat:

  1. Put the mat on the ground after making a fuss about it.
    Use tasty treats to make your dog really focus on you – and love the mat.
  2. Click and treat for looking at the mat. Toss treats onto the mat.
  3. Click and treat for any movement towards the mat.
  4. Reward him for putting his paws on the mat.
  5. Click and treat for staying on the mat.
  6. Reinforce him for sitting on the mat.
  7. Click and JACKPOT for lying on the mat.
  8. Continue to reward your dog for staying on the mat for ~10 seconds.
  9. Toss a treat away from the mat.
  10. Repeat steps above. Save your best treats for when he lies down on the mat!
    • Gradually start only clicking and treating when your dog goes over to the mat and lies down on it. Don’t make it too hard to fast, though!

You can see why telling your dog to lie down on the mat is faster. I personally find that dogs that are shaped onto the mat learn the association between the mat and the reward more quickly. Do what works for you.

Check out our different remote and online training options. We offer subscription-based instant email/text Q&As as well as hourly video chat training. 


Trainer’s Tip: I downloaded the protocol to my phone and do mat training with my dog whenever I can. For days 1-15, I fed Barley his dinner via mat training. There were days where we didn’t finish, and days we had to repeat. That’s ok.


Barley demonstrates his mat training at the vet while waiting to get staples put in his foot.

Once Barley and I finished day 15, we took the mat training game on the road. We went into the back yard. Then the front yard. Then the park. We made it harder by having other people around. I made it really hard by picking up a stick and rewarding him for ignoring it.

I use mat training to teach Barley how to lie calmly under a table at outdoor bars. He lies on his mat on the light rail. We bring the mat to the vet, and he happily flops down onto it to wait for his checkups.

In short, the mat is Barley’s happy place. He knows that if he stays on the mat, good things happen – even if people are knocking on the door. And it all started with Day 1 of the relaxation protocol.


how to train your dog to lay on a mat and relax | journeydogtraining.com

62 thoughts on “Why I’m Obsessed with Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol”

  1. This might be a silly question but I’ve noticed this in my own border collie and I am wondering about it. In the first video on the page when you are demonstrating the mat, I notice that the dog licks his lip/nose after a treat is given. I’ve been told licking the lips or nose is a sign of stress and I should do something to reduce stress. It’s weird though after a treat. What do you think? Is lip licking I’m this case a sign of stress?

    Reply
    • I don’t think that’s a silly question at all! Great observational skills. Lip licking right after a treat seems, to me, to be normal behavior. I always was taught that (and now therefore teach others that) signs of stress are normal behaviors that are showing up in an abnormal way. So licking your lips before (or after) eating probably isn’t a weird time to lick your lips. I also learned in our scentwork classes that licking over the nose helps strengthen the nose’s capability to capture scent. Therefore, that might be a way for your dog to gather more info if his tongue is flicking over his nose.

      Finally, it could be that he’s stressed, but not all stress is inherently bad. Do I get stressed out during a tempo run? Yes! Do I get stressed when I’m learning a new skill? Absolutely. Your dog might be a bit stressed because he’s focusing and being challenged, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

      Reply
  2. Lots of dog owners talk about their dog’s crate as his “happy place”. Should the mat be treated as a separate place, or can it be put inside the kennel?

    Reply
    • Great question, Kara! I’ve had clients put the mat inside the crate for training (or even modify the protocol for crate training use). Personally, I think the beauty of mat training is that I can take the mat anywhere, so I don’t pair it with the crate. If your dog already has bad feelings about the crate, you might also poison the mat by pairing the two. So… it depends!

      Reply
  3. Great content! I have a question, a couple really…

    I started mat training with my boy yesterday. Should I leave the mat on the ground and reward him when he lies on it randomly throughout the day? Or should I get excited about it and reintroduce it every time we’re going to train?

    Also we’ve only been able to get to step two of the protocol: lying down for 10 seconds. As soon as I take a step back, he gets up. I’ve been starting over or ending the training session there. Is that the best thing to do?

    Thanks for the great content! Cheers!

    Reply
    • Great questions, Gena! I pick up the mat between training sessions so that it stays extra-exciting and always makes your dog feel good. If you’re getting stuck with taking a step back over and over, try just rocking back on your heels or picking up a foot. But in general, I re-start the session up to 2x. If we fail 3x, we end the session and play a game instead. Ending training doesn’t have to be sad – we don’t want our dogs scared to try and fail 🙂

      Reply
    • Gotcha. Are you giving treats quickly enough? Chewing and shredding is usually a sign of boredom or need for exercise – you might need to exercise your puppy more or give treats more quickly to keep her interested.

      Reply
  4. Wonderful wonderful resource and techniques!! I was wondering if it would be acceptable to teach a cue such as go to your mat/place in the beginning just in the event that the mat/place needs to be a different item because you forgot to bring the specific mat somewhere or you want to change the item out entirely. Also do you use the same release cue that you use for a stay (I avoid the use of OK for a release word except for if i ask for a simple wait)instead Iuse break. Thank you in advance.

    Reply
    • That’s a great question, Cathie! I thought it without a cue initially and usually instruct people to do the same, but I don’t see why it would be a problem. I know my dog is now magnetized to small pieces of fabric and I can’t leave them out while we’re training! He generalized the concept almost too well. I also taught a release cue early because Barley didn’t get up otherwise. I just used our hand targets to get him up and off.

      Reply
      • Thank you for the reply, my idea is to combine the go lie down/go to your bed/or mat with this protocol rather than having 2 different things to teach. Essentially my end goal is to have the same outcome which is to simply go to a place and settle/relax no matter what is going on and not to leave until given permission to do so and I figured it would be much simpler to teach all in one 🙂

        Reply
  5. Really interesting! I read through the 15 day steps. If you are working in a small room (like a kitchen), how do you move 20 steps in any direction? If you are working outdoors, how do you do the doorway tasks, or doorbell, or knocking on walls, etc.?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ah, yes. That’s a challenge! I go as far as I can while indoors. And later outdoors, I just cut out the door stuff and do something else (ringing a bell, tapping a tree, etc). It takes a bit of creativity!

      Reply
  6. I’m excited to try this out on my dog because I love the idea of it being portable. However, she has a bed in our kitchen on which she hangs out most of the day. We call this her “mat,” since she sleeps in her crate at night. We are crate training for day time, so I don’t want to mix the two. Should I introduce a new item to be her mat- the one that we take places, or can I somehow combine her current mat with one that is portable? If so, should I give it another name, ie “place” or is that confusing? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Yes, I’d introduce a new item that’s more portable, and rename it. You can call it “place” or “towel” or “bed” or “timbuktu” if you want! You nailed it!

      Reply
  7. Your videos and explanations are super clear and helpful! I see that it can be any mat / towel / blanket, but do you have one that you suggest for purchasing? Something that can be easily wrapped up or rolled out when you go places?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Dumb question. Do you release your dog from the mat at each step or run one into another, rewarding at each step? Eg. Down for 5 seconds, reward, release, return to mat; Down for 10 seconds, reward, release, return to mat OR Down for 5 seconds, reward. Down for 10 seconds reward; One step away reward etc.

    Reply
  9. If your dog is super advanced at this, and you’re using the mat to get them to chill while you do something else that will occupy your attention (like host a bbq as in your video), how frequently do you expect to treat? Or do you try to phase the treats out completely when they get advanced enough? My dog is pretty good at staying on his mat, but it’s clear that he is eagerly anticipating the next treat (shifting, licking lips, drooling). Ideally I would want him to actually FEEL calm, not just stay still.

    Reply
    • Great question! I fade out treats once the dog is pretty advanced unless we’re in a new/extra distracting environment. I find it actually easier to fade treats out a bit, then eventually just stop them cold-turkey. Trying to build duration here can really create more anticipation, so eventually cutting them out is actually best.

      Reply
  10. I hope you see this. I know it has been a while since you wrote this post.
    We started trying this protocol. Our dog is doing well with the training. But we are having a problem.
    The protocol said to use a treat like chicken etc. So we used chicken.
    It is our 3rd day in and now our dog won’t eat her food. At any time. SHe trains well, but if we trying to reward her with anything else she just won’t take it or will spit it out.
    I don’t want to stop her training progress, but I worry giving her more of the treat she is Loving is reinforcing her desire to now only eat this treat.
    Even when not training she wants nothing to do with her food. She won’t take it from her bowl or from our hands or anything.
    Should we stop training for a bit and try to get her back eating her food?
    Should we keep training but only reward with her food or biscuits? She won’t take it, but maybe if that is the only option she will eventually accept it?
    Or should we keep training with chicken and then when she gets hungry enough she will eat her food as it’s the only option?
    I don’t know how to handle this best. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Hi Connie – I would stop with the chicken and start using her main kibble for the training instead. It may take a day or two, but she’ll be hungry enough to eat the kibble soon enough. Is she healthy and in-shape? This can be worse with toy breeds or overweight dogs, who fill up easier!

      Reply
  11. Hello! Do you have any recommendations on how early to start this protocol? I.e. should I expect the same results when working with a 10 week old?

    Reply
    • Hi Anna – I definitely wouldn’t expect the same results! My puppy is 18 weeks old and I haven’t even started yet. I’m thinking maybe when he’s 20 weeks old or so, but his attention span is still SO sort.

      Reply
  12. Hi I’ve Just completed the protocol in the house and will start in the garden next weekend. My dog is staying on the mat but is very focused on me and the next treat, how can I move him into starting the relax on the Mat. Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi Helen! I have found that eventually I just need to sit down, start reading a book, and stop feeding the dog – and most dogs will fall asleep eventually. You can space out the treats further, find less-exciting treats, and eventually move towards “boredom therapy” more than active training.

      Reply
  13. Hi! So in the protocol, is your dog meant to hold the “down” through the entirety of the tasks? Or do you ask for a down for each task?

    Reply
  14. This is such a great technique. I am just beginning on it… But I know that my dog does not easily like to go “Down”. She does a great “Sit” but “Down” takes so much more effort.

    I feel she has a dominant personality and is excitable and too playful. So I am hoping the mat training will be helpful.

    Any words of advice?

    Reply
    • Hi – sometimes a dog who struggles to lie down is actually in pain, but in many cases they just need practice. Being playful and excitable is really common and isn’t related to dominance. Just take it slow and practice a lot; if you need help we can do 1 on 1 training support!

      Reply
  15. Hi I’m just trying to understand how often to do the training. I started with task one yesterday, my dog has done a bit of this sort of training before so she could do it easily. Could I have moved straight to the next task or do I repeat same task on same day. Can I string several tasks groups together in one session or should they be done in separate sessions. How many sessions in. Day? As you can see I’ve got myself a bit confused! Thanks for any advice.

    Reply
  16. Hi Kayla! Just wanted to leave a comment to say THANK YOU. Your whole site has been SO helpful – we got our dog Jet from a rescue just over a month ago, and he’s a a super active and driven lab mix. Your impulse control games, the “excited greeters” e-book, and the mat training have been really key in keeping Jet happily worn out and helping me (a first time dog owner) feel confident that we’re providing a good structure for him. We just started mat training a few days ago, and he’s doing great – thank you so much for all of the great info.

    Reply
  17. Any suggestions with a deaf dog? Clickers obviously won’t work, and he knows signs but likes to turn his head so he can’t see them!

    Reply
    • Hand signals are usually my go-to. I have a friend who also teaches a tactile marker (tapping the dog gently with her finger), but that can startle many dogs and requires you to be close by. In some cases a vibration collar, VERY carefully trained, can help – but that’s tricky.

      Reply
  18. Hello! Thanks so much for all your clear training help. I am about half way through this training (on leash) outside in the park. She struggles (1 1/2 yr golden doodle) but we make it. I put a long leash on her. She is SO overexcited with other people though, my goal is to bring her to a busy, loud work place but she would absolutely get up, especially without a leash. 1 – When do you KNOW she’s ready for somewhere like work? 2 -Do you just do the protocol all the way through (1x home, 1x park) then try work? 3 – how do you practice “off leash” mat without risk of running off in public?

    Reply
    • Hey Morgan! A few ideas for you — first, regarding when she is ready for work, I think a great method might be to bring your dog in for just 30 minutes to start, run through the relaxation protocol while there, and then head home. Give her a chance to practice in the work environment but make it an easy win by not overwhelming her. Do that a few times, then try an hour, then eventually do some half days.

      For testing off-leash mat training in public, you could try utilizing a large x-pen to keep her contained. But for safety sake, it might make more sense to always have her on leash in areas with cars or a lot of action, just in case.

      Reply

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