08/30/2021
Teaching a dog to calm themselves down is by far the best trick you could ever teach. Why? Because it’s easy for dogs to be busy; to be constantly moving, playing, or pacing. It’s hard for dogs to be still. To have the ability to keep calm and neutral in an environment where there may be tons of new smells, new people and new dogs, takes a type of mental fortitude that some people don’t even have. A calm dog won’t become reactive or fearful in an uncertain situation. A calm dog won’t bark or lunge at other dogs on walks. A calm dog doesn’t have separation anxiety or constantly need to be with their owners.
That is why it is so important to reinforce calm behavior any chance we get. If your dog is off-the-wall hyper, the key isn’t to exercise them more. Even with the appropriate amount of exercise, more often than not, your dog needs to learn to relax and slow down. Here are some good examples on how you can get your dog to start slowing down:
-Instead of rushing through the door to go on a walk, have your dog sit at the door and wait until you have opened the door completely, and calmly walk out.
-Instead of rushing to open your dogs kennel as soon as you get home, calmly approach your dogs kennel, and wait until they are calm before you let them out.
-Instead of loving and petting your dog when they are showing signs of over excitement, wait until your dog is sitting and acting calm before giving them attention (reinforcing the behavior)
-If your dog or puppy has a hard time settling down, teaching a strong “Place” command will help reinforce that calm behavior we are looking for.
Remember, a calm dog is a happy dog. If you’re struggling to get your dog to remain calm, follow My Balanced Canine for more tips and tricks on how to help change your dog behavior today!