How To Get Your Puppy To Sit Still While in Public, From a Dog Trainer

One thing that most puppy owners worry about is how they'll get their fur children to stay calm and quiet in public. After all, the world can seem big, scary and excitable to a young dog who has not yet been trained to cope while out and about.

Certified canine behavior expert and trainer Alicia Bray believes that she has the answer. She took to social media to share her top tip, which comes in the form of rewarding pups at home when they're quietly "doing nothing", to teach them that this is a desired behavior.

"No dog is born with this ability or skill unless they have been shown what to do. This begins at home, in low levels of distraction, by creating a high incentive around being calm," Bray shared in the post.

The social media video, which has been liked by more than 68,000 users since it was first shared to TikTok on November 27, captured Bray feeding her golden retriever puppy Texas while he was sitting quietly on a rug. It is a known fact that dogs respond well to positive associations, and there's little more 'positive' to our four-legged friends than food.

"I'm certified in canine behavior and training through the Australian National Dog Federation Trainers and have been working professionally with dogs for over 10 years," Bray, who lives in Sydney, told Newsweek.

"It's definitely a goal for many people to help their dogs find these experiences enjoyable so my video was aimed at informing people that yes it is a possibility."

"My work centers around helping owners understand the value of communicating with dogs on how they must behave rather than just reacting to natural dog behaviors with punishment or frustration," she said.

Bray said that her viral video gave owners "actionable exercises" to introduce to their young puppies to set them up for staying calm in all environments successfully.

"Encouraging owners that through consistency, repetition and practice they can have a dog who can enjoy an afternoon at their local cafe and find value in this activity with them because their dogs are quite happy to just hang out," Bray said.

"It's very important for dog owners to understand that although dogs have been domesticated for a long time, they still possess primal instincts and desires."

"It's key to set our dogs up for success by showing incentive in exercises, reinforcing these wanted behaviors and working with your dog not against them," she said.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it was shared on the social media platform on November 27 by @dogtalktraining, the TikTok post has been commented on more than 100 times.

One user commented: "Treating my puppy whenever I noticed he had been sitting quietly for a while was a great technique for me!"

"I taught my dog to do this from a young age, she's two now and we've stopped bringing her to cafes [because] she just barks at me if I don't give her treats frequently enough," another user wrote.

Bray replied: "To counter condition this expectation. Reward should be given when the dog is calm and doing nothing instead of looking at you for food."

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