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My 2 labs patiently awaiting their next retrieve
Your Retriever paces from room to room, follows you everywhere, and can’t seem to relax, even after a long walk. If that sounds familiar, you are not alone, and it may not mean what you think it does.
But in many cases, this behaviour is not a sign of disobedience at all.
It is a reflection of instinct.
In over 45 years of helping people train their dogs, the question “How can I get my overexcited Labrador retriever to calm down?” has often featured as one of the first questions people ask, and my response would almost always be along the lines of “If you are trying to figure out how to calm down an overexcited Labrador retriever, the answer usually lies in mental fulfillment rather than just more physical exercise.” Just providing more exercise invariably leads to more excitement! The answer lies in………..
Understanding the Nature of the Retriever
Retrievers were developed to work closely with people in a structured and purposeful way. Their role was not simply to run and retrieve, but to do so with patience, control, and cooperation.
A well-trained retriever in the field is not constantly active. Quite the opposite. It spends long periods watching, waiting, and remaining steady, before being asked to act with precision and purpose.
This balance between activity and calmness is not accidental. It is part of the dog’s inherited design.
Towards the end of this article you’ll find a free exercise guide to download. You don’t even need to give your email address!
When Instinct Has No Direction
In the modern home, many retrievers live full and active lives, but without opportunities to use their natural abilities in a structured way.
Exercise is often provided in the form of walks, free running, or repeated ball throwing. While this may appear to meet the dog’s needs, it often stimulates the very instincts that are already active, without giving them any clear direction.
The result can be a dog that becomes more excitable over time, not less.
This is not because the dog has too much energy, but because its instincts have not yet been organised into purposeful activity.
The Misunderstanding of “Calmness”
Calmness is often thought of as something that can be taught directly — by asking the dog to lie down, remain still, or be quiet.
But for many retrievers, calmness is not something that can be imposed. It is something that develops when the dog begins to understand how to use its abilities.
A dog that has been given meaningful, structured tasks — even simple ones — often begins to settle more readily, both physically and mentally.
A Different Way of Looking at the Problem
Rather than asking:
“How do I stop my dog being so excitable?”
It can be more helpful to ask:
“How can I begin to give these instincts some direction?”
This shift in perspective changes the nature of training.
Instead of trying to reduce behaviour, we begin to guide it.
A Simple Starting Point
Even a small change can begin to make a difference.
Short, controlled retrieving exercises — where the dog is asked to wait, watch, and respond — can introduce the idea that activity is something that happens with guidance, not simply on impulse.
These early exercises are not about perfection. They are about beginning to create a pattern:
- Wait: This is the moment where the dog learns to pause and hold their position before any action begins. In practice, it looks like a quiet moment of stillness beside you, teaching them to handle the anticipation of the retrieve without automatically rushing forward.
- Watch: Here, the dog focuses their attention entirely on the object or the direction of the task, using their eyes rather than their paws. It is about building mental concentration as they track where the item has gone, remaining steady until they receive a cue.
- Act: This is the structured release where the dog is finally directed to move and retrieve the item. Instead of a chaotic chase, this step represents purposeful movement, where their physical energy is channeled cleanly into completing the specific task you have set.
- Return: Once the item is gathered, the dog brings it directly back to you to complete the loop of cooperation. This step reinforces the partnership between you, transforming a simple game of fetch into a collaborative, shared exercise.
- Settle: After the activity is finished, the dog transitions back into a relaxed, quiet state. This teaches them that once the structured task is over, the mind and body can fully switch off and rest.
Over time, this pattern becomes familiar, and with familiarity comes calmness.
Please note: While exploring these ideas can be highly beneficial for a restless dog, if your retriever’s restlessness has started suddenly or seems completely out of character, it is always sensible to schedule a visit to your vet to rule out any underlying medical causes.
Moving Forward
If your retriever struggles to settle, it is worth considering that this may not be a problem to suppress, but an instinct to understand.
When instinct is given structure, behaviour often changes in ways that feel natural, rather than forced.
Beyond a single training dummy, this approach needs no specialist equipment or advanced techniques.
Crucially, this dummy is kept specifically for these exercises. It should never be left with the dog as a casual toy to chew or play with, as keeping it separate helps maintain its value and associates it purely with structured focus. I use a standard canvas training dummy, with the weight chosen to suit the size and stage of your puppy or dog. Colour is not critical at this stage because the exercises are best performed on short grass—we are teaching steadiness and mental control right now, not asking the dog to use its nose to find things by scent.
There are many excellent makes of dummies on the market. The important thing is to choose a simple layout that is comfortable for the dog to pick up and carry smoothly.
- For a young puppy: I suggest a lightweight 100g/3.5oz canvas dummy, such as the
- Dog and Field Puppy Training Dummy
- As the dog develops: A ½lb canvas dummy provides a useful next step, such as the
- Dog & Field 1/2lb Dog Training Dummies
Ultimately, it begins with a simple idea:
Work with the dog you have, not against it.
A Next Step
A Next Step
If you would like to begin introducing simple, structured exercises that help develop this kind of understanding, you may find the following guide to 7 retrieving games that help calm excitable retrievers helpful.
This guide is entirely free to download. There are no sign-ups, no catches, and I do not ask for your email address—just practical games to help you and your dog find a better rhythm together.
Download your free guide here;
For further information there are other free to read Articles which may be of help to you at this stage include the following,
calmcaninecompanion why-ball-throwing-often-makes-things-worse
calmcaninecompanion.com a-simple-retrieving-exercise-that-begins-to-calm-your-dog
calmcaninecompanion.com why-retrievers-need-something-to-do-not-just-more-exercise
You may also be interested in 4 Book series, Calm Canine Companion. which you can get more information on at calmcaninecompanion.com/my-books
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