Useful Tips on How to Calm Down a Dog from Anxiety and Other Situations

A dog is a pure bundle of joy. Getting over-excited is normal for a fur parent, more so once the puppy starts making some of his adorable little moves. It can do a few clownish stuff that can make you laugh and even more adore your puppy. However, you must learn how not to spoil your new bundle of joy, lest it can grow undisciplined and uncontrollable.

As a fur parent, you should learn how to calm a puppy down in various occasions such as meeting a new person.

Also, if a puppy sees a new toy or perhaps goes to a new place like a public park, it can get too enthusiastic. In these instances, you should be able to calm your puppy down to avoid any unwanted problems.

Puppy behaviors such as jumping, biting, and excessive playing are part of growing up.

Dogs have tons of energy, and if this energy is not diverted correctly, they can become destructive. Unfortunately, some puppy owners would yell at their puppies with the hope that it would behave. But puppies think that yelling is a way of inviting them to play rough.

Your weapon to calm down a dog is to remain calm yourself or simply ignore the puppy. But mostly, you have to teach your puppy what the word calm is all about. Some fur parents use a clicker to train a puppy how to behave while some may use words to calm a puppy down.

The different kinds of reactions of puppy in new situations:

• Calm Behavior- some puppies may show calmness when introduced to something novel, like a new toy or a new person.
• Active Behavior- puppies may be getting too excited when introduced to an unfamiliar place or person. It can be difficult for the puppy to calm down
• Defensively- A puppy who is defensive may bark continuously, it can run or stay still. Normally, a defensive pup is a nervous pup who can bite with even the slightest provocation.

As a fur parent, you have no problem at all if your puppy shows a calm demeanor. However, if it shows active or defensive behavior, then you must learn how to calm it down for good manners.

Teaching a dog to calm down in different situations:

1. How to calm down your dog during crate training:

Each fur parent has its reason for crate-training. Some do this so that the pup will not soil inside the house. Some do it so the pup will be comfier while inside an automobile. But whatever the reason is, crate training may cause the pup to whine during the first few days.

Here are some tips on how to calm a puppy during crate training:

• Locate the crate in a place where most of you spend a lot of time as a family, such as the living room or the dining area. You can place a blanket inside the crate for more comfort.
• Feed your puppy near the crate. This is done so the puppy will learn to associate the crate with something pleasant.
• Later on, you can begin placing the food inside the crate and let your puppy eat there. Close the crate door for a while and open it once the puppy is done with the food.
• As the puppy gets comfortable eating inside the crate, you can close the crate for a much longer time.
• There may be times when the puppy will get anxious and will begin to whine. Do not let the puppy out. Once it stops crying, then that is the time to let it go out from the crate.
• Eventually, encourage your puppy to go and stay inside the crate by giving some treats.

Once the puppy learns that the crate is not a bad place to stay, it will stay calm inside it and may even sleep there at night time.

2. How to calm a puppy down at night time:

It is not unusual for a puppy to cry at night time. I know this can be very distracting, but there are ways on how you can calm down a nervous puppy at night time:

• Allow your puppy to sleep in your bedroom but not on your bed! The idea is to let the puppy feel that it is part of a pack, and you are the pack leader. And being a member of a pack, it can sleep on a comfy dog bed or inside a crate but not on the pack leader’s sleeping bed.
• Feed your puppy an hour before bedtime. This is to avoid the need to pee or poo in the middle of the night. Once your puppy settles without a full bladder or stomach in its sleeping area,it will sleep well throughout.
• Massage the ears of your puppy to calm it down at night time. The dog’s ears have numerous nerve endings, and when massaged, it would give them a calm and relaxing feeling.
• Rub the chest of your puppy. By gently stroking its chest, it will eventually calm down.

3. How to calm your dog down from separation anxiety:

This happens when a puppy gets too attached to its owner. It will show signs of distress like whining, howling, destructive behaviors, scratching doors and windows, just to name a few. But you need to teach your puppy how to calm down when you need to leave the house without him/her.

Here are some tips on how you can calm down your puppy to stop separation anxiety:

• Buy a special treat which you will only give when you are about to leave home
• Avoid greeting your puppy with exuberance once you get home. Stay calm and don’t greet your puppy for a couple of minutes once you get home if you can.
• You can leave a few of your things with your pet, such as a handkerchief. The dog has strong sense of smell, and by leaving something, it can help calm down your puppy while you are away.
• You can also try to go out for a couple of minutes and then return. Then go out at a much longer time until your puppy gets used to the idea that you’re going to be gone but be back soon.

4. How to calm down your dog when meeting new people:

An anxious puppy can get too excited when you have visitors or every time you take it out for a walk. But bad behaviors should be corrected, and your duty as a fur parent is to teach your puppy how to calm down when meeting new people:

• When greeting visitors, do not put-off that leash yet. Let your puppy meet and greet new people while on-leash. An anxious puppy may get too rowdy and can be a nuisance for some. Once your pup gets used to it, slowly allow it to move around but still with the leash on. And if it misbehaves, slowly pull it back to you.
• If your puppy gets too excited by meeting new people, you can always calm it down by giving a treat. Teach your puppy basic commands such as sit and stay.
• You can give distractions such as chew toys. This can make your puppy re-focus its attention to the chew toy. Once you knew it, your puppy has called down and will be able to have a pleasant interaction with your visitors.

Those are just some of the situations from which you have to teach your puppy on how to calm down in stressful situations.

General tips on how to calm down a puppy:

Apart from the situations listed above, allow me to teach you how to make your puppy calm down in many instances. It is very normal for a puppy to display hyperactive behaviors, but you have to learn how to clam these down before its too late. Here are what you can do:

• Always ignore that behavior of excitement that your puppy displays. You reinforce every time you respond to its excited behavior. Give praise once it calms down.
• Place a beautiful doggie bed near you where your puppy can stay calm beside you.
• Allow your puppy to redirect its excitement. You can do this by setting a training session with you, like teaching your puppy how to sit and stay. By doing so, you are redirecting the behavior and will curb the hyper behavior of your puppy.
• Go out and exercise. In most occasions, the reason why your puppy does not calm down is that it can no longer hold on to that energy. We all know that pups are packed with so much energy. But if you let it out to run and play, it will get tired and calm down.
• Crate training is another way to teach your puppy to calm down. Teach it how to enjoy its crate. Eventually, the crate will be a place for your pup’s relaxation.
• Nothing beats early training. Strengthen excellent conduct. Always be consistent with your training and stay calm all the time.

Conclusion:

Bringing home a puppy is an exciting event for you. Though your puppy is a real bundle of joy, there will be occasions when your pup stresses you out. As a fur parent, you have to stay calm as your pup can sense you. Let it realize that you are the leader of the pack, and any form of misbehavior will not be allowed.

By teaching your dog how to calm down at a young age will ensure that it will grow-up as a confident, loving, and well-mannered dog.