The answer
Yes - that is exactly what 'easy' is for, and it turns up in nine dogs' footage between April and September 2026 (Bernie, Drago, Oscar, Max, Lucia, Peque, Murphy, Josephine and Whiskey). The method is the same every time it is explained on film: the trainer says 'easy' while slowly rubbing the dog down, often after activity, many times, until the word predicts the massage and the calm that goes with it. Then the word is used on its own. Max's trainer does it on day one after a burst of play: 'then you can get what's called conditioned relaxation where you have uh the relaxation more or less on command'. Bernie's trainer puts it in one breath in his second week: 'this is the command that we use when a dog is super hyperactive and we want them to calm down we use easy and then we massage them like this'. Peque's trainer gives the end point: 'when you say easy they go where's my massage' and 'they'll relax immediately'.
What it is used for, on film: settling a big young dog who has started biting the leash in play (Bernie); a calm word at a greeting with a large strange dog (Bernie, with Kelton); while a dog watches another dog or people walk past, without correcting her for looking (Lucia, Peque); while Drago is petted; and collar on and off, the vet, nail trimming and new places (Murphy, and - Kelton tells Oscar's owner - instead of a wrestle over the collar that winds both of you up).
It sits inside the four-windows vocabulary. At Drago's and Oscar's go-home lessons, 'enough' means stop and chill out (and is enforced), while 'easy' predicts 'oh, I'm gonna get a massage'; the family can use either to put the dog in the calm window. Drago's trainer adds the reason he values it: in some situations the relaxer can do the job the correction word 'nope' or the redirection 'let's go' used to do, which 'narrows' how often a correction is needed. Murphy's trainer names the pairing: 'just like a conditioned punisher you can have a conditioned relaxer' - 'nope' is one, 'easy' is the other.
Stated on film: the pairing, the uses above, the comparison with 'nope', and the claim it replaces some corrections. Not on film: how many pairings it takes, or a test showing the word working on a dog that had not just been rubbed. Bernie's footage shows the cue being introduced; it never shows it handed to his family at the go-home. The trainers' own accounts are the evidence. Inferred here, not stated: that this is classical conditioning of a relaxed state - the trainers' own term 'conditioned relaxer' points that way.
Angier K9 is a family-owned, play-based Board & Train serving Angier, Raleigh and the Triangle, with three full owner lessons.
What to do
Pair the word first: use 'easy' with a slow rub-down on a regular basis - Kelton recommends it to Oscar's family 'on a regular basis' (watch 56:05). Then say it before the jobs that turn into wrestling matches - collar on or off, nails, the vet, a new place (watch 00:09; watch 56:43) - and when he is getting hyper (watch 12:18). In the house, 'enough' or 'easy' with a rub-down are the two ways into calm (watch 12:53). If you are getting frustrated, stop: your frustration winds him up further (watch 56:50).
What the trainers say
rub down easy easy good boy easy good because then you can get what's called conditioned relaxation
where you have uh the relaxation more or less on command
easy cue and the purpose of it is a conditioned relaxer right so when you
have the dog come up to you and you massage the dog and you do a rub down
realized is that you can use in certain circumstances the conditioned relaxer
the conditioned relaxer easy i've learned can be used in place of as a substitute for in certain
circumstances or instead of the conditioned punisher or the redirection cue let's go so
or sorry, but easy predicts,
you can create calm by being like enough easy easy and then be like all right good boy everything's
two cues for that i use enough and i use easy okay right so enough means like stop doing whatever
yeah that is kind of like a massage is what i'm doing it's a rub down yeah and so then they're
gonna relax when you're saying easy and so then if you do that on a regular basis which i recommend
just use a conditioned relaxer every time they'll get better and better at it and then you can just
So we're starting also to use easy,
which is the conditioned relaxation cue.
baby. Good girl to see you. Easy. Easy. Easy. Do a little conditioning relaxation with the
And then establishing some lines of communication with let's go, when the recall come, and with
nope enough enough we gotta probably teach him the easy easy
Easy, easy, easy, that helps to calm a hyper dog down
easy good boy easy yes easy this is the command that we use when a dog is super hyperactive and
we want them to calm down we use easy and then we massage them like this so that they know that
it's just easy and then when they're all hyper and crazy we just use the word easy as a command
and um and they chill out
simple and it's what we call a conditioned relaxer so as a conditioned
pk is you just give them a massage and you say easy while you do it so if i say pk pk hey easy
enough times then when you say easy they go where's my massage and they will yeah
conversation with the easy cue good easy if you condition rub downs if you pair that with an easy
trimming nails you can use conditioned relaxation put it to a word easy good boy i love you murphy
relaxer right condition punisher would be nope right condition relaxer would be easy
that way. Um, the other one that I used with Murphy, um, that I don't think I actually did
How it looks, dog by dog
Max (Goldendoodle)
The pairing being built, on day one: after heavy play the trainer does a slow rub-down to cool Max off and attaches 'easy' to it, naming the goal as relaxation 'more or less on command'. On day two 'easy' is already being used to settle him during his first heel.
On film
bit right because that was a lot of activity oh boy easy and then i'm also attaching a cue to the
rub down easy easy good boy easy good because then you can get what's called conditioned relaxation
Drago
The fullest account of why. In two short narrated clips the trainer explains the pairing and says he added 'easy' because the correction word 'nope' was being asked to do too much: once a rub-down is on the word, 'easy' can replace 'nope' or the redirection 'let's go' in some situations - for example when Drago is very interested in something and just needs to chill out. He credits the window theory to Jay Jack of Next Level Dogs, another trainer, and says he is not certain Jay Jack uses 'easy' the same way. In the go-home video and the go-home lesson 'easy' is one of the two calm-window cues beside 'enough': 'enough' predicts stopping, 'easy' predicts a massage.
On film
when you would have used the conditioned Punisher before right so that can be
for us to do a rub down do a massage and that's on cue now and he likes it so instead of using nope
chill out if you need to and the cue for that is enough or you can use the condition relaxer
oh, I'm gonna get a massage, sick.
Oscar
At go-home, for a family: 'enough' (stop everything and chill) and 'easy' (relax, a massage is coming) are the two calm cues. The use Kelton sells it on is the collar: instead of a fight in which the owner's frustration amps the dog, say 'easy' and the dog settles - use it regularly and he gets better and better at relaxing on the word.
On film
two cues for that i use enough and i use easy okay right so enough means like stop doing whatever
easy good and then i could take a collar on or off and so that means that instead of having a
say easy easy oscar easy and he'll chill out and then you can do whatever you need to do right or
Lucia
A rescue dog on public walks and a trail. 'Easy' is introduced in her first days as 'the conditioned relaxation cue' and used while she watches another dog - looking is allowed - and is listed with let's go, the recall and the release as one of her lines of communication.
On film
which is the conditioned relaxation cue.
baby. Good girl to see you. Easy. Easy. Easy. Do a little conditioning relaxation with the
easy command. She sees that other dog, which is fine. You can look. She can look all she
conditioning and relaxation, which is easy, good girl, and teaching her a little bit about
Bernie
The cue being introduced to a very large, very friendly young dog who is hyper, not anxious. On the third day a trainer already says 'easy' while giving him scratches. In week two, on a property with chickens and ducks, Bernie rolls, grabs the leash and will not let go; the trainer says 'nope enough enough' and then decides 'we gotta probably teach him the easy'. She rubs him down repeating 'easy', explains the method to camera, and uses the word again a few minutes later when he starts to 'act crazy' near the chickens. At a later off-leash outing Kelton uses 'easy' at a greeting with a big strange dog, alongside 'be calm please'. A marketing edit in August reuses the week-two explanation. The go-home lessons on film do not mention the cue, so whether the family was given it is not shown. The session's title says 'Calming Anxiety'; nobody in it calls Bernie anxious - the word on film is 'hyperactive'.
On film
distinction between the two good boy good job bernie you want some scratchies easy easy
nope enough enough we gotta probably teach him the easy easy
we want them to calm down we use easy and then we massage them like this so that they know that
crazy. Easy. Easy. Look at you. Look at you. Easy. Easy. Easy. Easy. Easy. Easy. Good boy.
he's very strong ah hey be nice thank you be calm please easy his name's bernie
We're hyperactive and we want him to calm down we use easy and then we massage them like this
Peque (PK)
Teaching it in public, and teaching the team. Sitting with Peque where people walk past, the trainer explains the situation it solves: you do not want to correct a dog for looking at or moving toward people, and while you are stationary 'let's go' or 'come' would muddle those cues. So 'easy' with a massage, until the word alone makes her ease up.
On film
about the easy cue but we're teaching it to PK and Hema's learning more about how to teach the
easy cue because it's a little bit newer introduction to the rest of our team so the
people did and you don't want to correct the dog for looking or for walking over towards it you
pk is you just give them a massage and you say easy while you do it so if i say pk pk hey easy
literally and they'll relax immediately and so then when somebody comes through
Murphy
The handling uses and the name. In a short clip the trainer lists what it is for - collars on and off, the vet, places the dog does not know yet, trimming nails - and sets it beside 'nope': a conditioned punisher and a conditioned relaxer. At the go-home lesson Kelton tells the family 'easy' is the other cue he used with Murphy for calm, after explaining that a held position can induce calm but is not calm in itself.
On film
command easy then it's a quick way to get them to relax and calm down it's useful for things like
putting collars on or taking them off taking them to the vet taking them out
relaxer right condition punisher would be nope right condition relaxer would be easy
that way. Um, the other one that I used with Murphy, um, that I don't think I actually did
Josephine
The pairing in passing, with no explanation: a rub-down with 'easy' before setting off on a walk.
On film
easy do a nice rub down do an easy easy all right good job we're going for a walk
Whiskey
The pairing in passing, in a September session: rubs and massages with 'easy, easy' between downs. No explanation is given on this recording.
On film
Some rub it, some massages, easy, easy, good girl.
Why it works
Stated: the word is said while the dog is massaged or rubbed down, repeatedly, until it predicts the massage; the dog then relaxes to the word alone (watch 01:52; watch 00:59; watch 12:12; watch 59:14). Stated: it is the counterpart of the conditioned punisher - 'nope' predicts a consequence, 'easy' predicts relaxation (watch 00:54; Drago's trainer uses the same pair of terms, watch 02:11). Stated: having it narrows how often 'nope' or 'let's go' are needed, because some moments only need the dog to settle (watch 02:11; watch 00:05). Stated: in handling, the owner's frustration amps the dog, and the cue breaks that loop (watch 56:50). Inferred, not stated: that this is classical conditioning of a relaxed body state. Bernie's case file asked whether a pairing-built calm cue sits oddly beside the program's scepticism about treats; on the record it does not - the cue is paired with touch, not food, and the treats objection on film is about obedience reliability, not about calm.
Common owner mistakes
- Meeting a wriggling dog with frustration during handling - turning collar-on, collar-off into a fight - which amps him further, because the owner is amped.
On film
big confrontation where i'm like freaking stop it dude bam bam like stop chill like just let me take
Watch at 56:50 ↗ collar off and you're like you're getting frustrated and then he's like oh he gets more
Watch at 56:55 ↗
Questions owners ask
How do I teach it?
Say 'easy' while you give a slow massage or rub-down, especially after activity when he is already winding down, and do it regularly. Done enough times, the word itself predicts the massage and he starts to relax when he hears it.
On film
yeah that is kind of like a massage is what i'm doing it's a rub down yeah and so then they're
pk is you just give them a massage and you say easy while you do it so if i say pk pk hey easy
bit right because that was a lot of activity oh boy easy and then i'm also attaching a cue to the
gonna relax when you're saying easy and so then if you do that on a regular basis which i recommend
What's the difference between 'easy' and 'enough'?
Both lead into the calm state. 'Enough' means stop whatever you are doing and chill out, and is enforced if needed. 'Easy' predicts a massage and invites the dog to relax. Oscar's and Drago's families are given both.
On film
And then, but enough predicts,
or sorry, but easy predicts,
two cues for that i use enough and i use easy okay right so enough means like stop doing whatever
Does it replace 'nope'?
In some situations, yes. Drago's trainer says that once 'easy' is on cue, he can use it where he would have used 'nope' or 'let's go' - when the dog is not doing anything wrong but needs to settle. That shrinks the number of moments that need a correction. It does not replace 'nope' for a broken command; Bernie's trainer uses 'nope' and 'enough' first, and 'easy' after.
On film
circumstances or instead of the conditioned punisher or the redirection cue let's go so
very very useful because it narrows the kinds of things that you need to use the
nope enough enough we gotta probably teach him the easy easy
When is it most useful?
On film: a hyper dog, collars on and off, the vet, places the dog does not know yet, nail trimming, and sitting still while people or another dog pass.
On film
command easy then it's a quick way to get them to relax and calm down it's useful for things like
trimming nails you can use conditioned relaxation put it to a word easy good boy i love you murphy
literally and they'll relax immediately and so then when somebody comes through
Will it fix my dog's anxiety?
Nobody on film says so. The video of Bernie's session is titled 'Calming Anxiety', but in it the trainer talks about a hyperactive dog, and nobody calls Bernie anxious. On film the cue is for excitement and for handling.
On film
Easy, easy, easy, that helps to calm a hyper dog down
The lesson
The goal
Condition 'easy' to a rub-down so it settles the dog on its own, and use it for excitement and handling in place of some corrections.
Learn first
The drill
After activity, slow rub-down while saying 'easy'; repeat regularly (watch 13:42; watch 00:59); then say 'easy' before a collar change or other handling (watch 56:05) and when the dog starts to get hyper (watch 14:56).
Watch out for
- Using the word only when the dog is already wound up, before it has been paired (inferred from 'if you do that enough times', watch 01:37)
- Confusing it with 'enough'
- Meeting a struggling dog with frustration during handling (watch 56:55)
- Using it in place of 'nope' when a command has actually been broken (inferred from the 'certain circumstances' limit, watch 00:05)
Check yourself
What must happen many times before 'easy' will relax a dog on its own?