Raising a puppy is not a job, but it is definitely a lot of work! The zoomies, the biting, the barking, the whining, the biting, the trash picking, the jumping, oh and did I mention the Biting?! If you’re one of those pet parents who are waiting for their puppies to calm down, I’d like to welcome you to the Wait list. We have some pet parents waiting here for over 2 years. Just kidding… Or am I?! “How to calm a puppy down” is one of the most commonly asked questions I get from pet parents. So I took some time out to answer this and Voila…. Read on, for I gotcha covered!
Before we begin, here’s a quick tip to get your puppy to be more gentle around the human hand. Do this exercise everytime your puppy gets mouthy when you try to pet him –
An over-excited puppy isn’t necessarily a happy puppy
It’s common for pet parents to mistake overexcitement for happiness. It’s hard to not feel happy when you see your little ball of fluff jumping around, being out of control.
But we need to stop anthropomorphizing (assigning human emotions) our dogs and learn to look beyond that. Because humanizing them is usually the start of puppy behavioral problems stemming from confusion.
Dogs express happiness and excitement with a wagging tail – everyone knows that. However, there is a fine line between excitement and over excitement. While we link excitement with happiness and delight, over-excitement is usually linked with a plethora of unwanted behaviors like jumping, biting, barking, whining and so on. A puppy can cross this line in a matter of seconds.
This is exactly the reason why your puppy starts barking and whining within seconds of expressing excitement over something. A classic example of this is when your dog sees another dog on walks and goes into bat-crap-crazy mode trying to get closer to him to say Hi. We see it as excitement and over-friendly behaviour, whereas, in reality, it is a behavioural issue stemming from arousal and over-excitement.
Signs that your puppy’s overexcitement needs attention
It’s normal for a puppy to be excessively playful and demanding. Most of the time, giving him an outlet to get his pent-up energy out is the best solution. When you have a high-energy pup, 2 walks a day just don’t cut it. This is where Brain games for dogs come in handy.
However, in every pet parent’s life, there comes a point where they’ve maxed out their energies trying to tire their pup out, yet he’s running around like a madman. This is when your dog needs to learn to chill the F out. Following are some signs that your puppy’s over-excitement needs attention –
- Excessive nipping that results in humans and/or other animals in the house getting hurt repeatedly
- Tugging of clothes (especially trousers) that result in growling
- Chasing games that end with the puppy grabbing on to the human skin and biting
- Barking that won’t stop
- Puppy trying to snatch everything from your hands
- Reluctance to follow cues and vocalization to express overexcitement
- Pulling, barking at and lunging towards other people and dogs on walks to get closer
- Constant attention-seeking behavior inside the house
- Extremely short attention span towards toys
How to calm a puppy down when hyper and/or over-stimulated
When you make sure that you’re providing ample physical and mental stimulation to your dog throughout the day and still end up with an over-excited puppy at the end of the day, it’s time to up your game.
1. Train your dog to “Settle”
Sometimes, when dogs have constant access to fun things, activities and people, they won’t settle down until their body physically gives up and they’re too tired to move. In such cases, it’s our job as pet parents to teach our pups to settle down on command. If not, they will end up over-stimulated, thereby resulting in behavioral issues.
Follow these steps to teach your dog to settle –
- Start with a placemat, a few treats and a somewhat tired dog
- Direct your dog to go on the placemat and add a command (‘Settle’ or ‘place’) every time he does.
- Never call your dog out of the “Place.” Always walk up to him to release him. This will teach him to stay put no matter what the distractions are
- Correct consistently if your dog moves out of the placemat without a release cue
- Reward anytime your dog gives you signs of settling down on his own, like going down, sleeping on it, putting head down, closing eyes, etc. These are signs of calmness and MUST be rewarded heavily
- Start with a few minutes, multiple times a day in low distractions
- Eventually add distance, duration and distractions
- Try practicing in different locations to teach your dog to settle down in the presence of triggers
2. Giving an appropriate outlet for your puppy’s natural drive
In the olden days, every breed had a purpose. Border Collies were bred to herd and work sheep, Golden retrievers were bred to retrieve shot waterfowl, Beagles were bred to hunt hare and so on. Read up a little more on your pup’s breed purpose and accordingly provide an outlet to redirect that instinct.
Eg – Play herding and agility games like Treibball with Border Collies and retrieving and fetching games with Golden Retrievers to optimally harness their natural breed instincts.
Engaging dogs in structured activities helps them to utilize their cognitive skills and greatly fulfills them.
3. Exercise, don’t over-stimulate
Over-stimulation is known to repeatedly happen in places like doggy daycares and dog parks. The dogs are together the whole day playing and rough-housing with each other, sometimes, with no break whatsoever. While it may help tire your dog out for the day, it’s taking your dog’s exercise and stimulation needs to a whole new level.
If your dog has spent nearly the whole day from Monday – Thursday in doggy daycare with other dogs, he is going to demand the same level of stimulation at home on Friday, Saturday, Sunday too. Imagine the kind of problems you’re going to face when you have a pup demanding that from you.
Get your dog used to an exercise routine that you will be able to keep up in the long run.
4. Use life rewards as a way to reinforce calm behavior
“My dog only listens when there is a treat in my hand.” Do you find yourself repeating these words every now and then? It’s probably because you’ve made yourself and your pup so treat dependent, that you both don’t know how to function without it.
Walks, human attention, playtime, mealtime, saying Hi to a person or another animal, out-of-crate freedom are all life rewards for your dog. Apart from treats, these activities are what keep your dog driven and happy throughout the day.
Use these activities as rewards in exchange for calm behaviour. Eg – When your puppy walks up to you and jumps up for attention, instead of petting him back, ask him to “settle down” first and then give him attention.
5. NEVER reward over-excitement in any way
When you’re on your walk with your dog and he goes insanely out of control when sees another dog approaching just to say Hi, and you let him interact in that state of mind, you have successfully taught him an undesirable behavior. I hope you’re ready to deal with it for a long… LONG time.
6. DO reward calm behavior
Ignoring undesirable behaviors like barking and whining for attention is important and appropriate. But do you know what’s more important? Rewarding your dog when he’s actually calm and Not vocalizing for attention.
If you’re ignoring your dog’s bad behavior and good behavior both, how is he supposed to know what he should continue to do?
The easiest way to do this is to have a jar of treats present in every room of the house. Whatever room you’re sitting in, if you find your dog engaged in his own toys or staying calm in his crate or not being a troublemaker, just toss him a treat and yell out “Good boy/ girl.”
Repeat this multiple times a day. In a few days you’ll notice your dog will choose to stay calm rather than be crazy all the time.
7. Beat over-arousal with calmness
It’s natural to get exasperated when your dog is over-excited and barking, jumping etc. But trust me when I say this, yelling back at your dog is NOT the solution.
If your dog barks and you scold him back, all your dog is thinking is, “Hey, hooman is barking too! Let’s bark together!!!”
Our dogs respond to our body language better than they do to our words because that is exactly how they communicate back with us. So when you want your dog to calm down, You have to calm down first so he can replicate that energy and state of body and mind.
How to calm a puppy down while he’s biting?
Let me start with giving you a reality check – Your puppy is not going to STOP biting anytime soon… whatever you do! So do not start training with an expectation to 100% eliminate the biting; you will be setting both of you up for failure.
Now, having said the above, it IS possible to work around with your puppy’s teething and nipping phase and get to a point that both you and your dog would be comfortable with.
1.Bite inhibition
Bite inhibition means teaching your puppy the extent of jaw pressure that is allowed on human skin along with introducing the concepts of ‘start’ and ‘stop’. If your dog knows bite inhibition, that lesson will carry over even if he’s later in a position where he feels forced to bite.
Bite inhibition works by shaping natural play behaviour. It should begin during your first, spontaneous interactions with your puppy and continue in more structured play/training sessions as he grows.
Remember these pointers when teaching bite inhibition to your pup –
- No painful nipping
- Applying the right amount of pressure
- STOP when said so
- A puppy can open his mouth on a human hand only on cue, not as per his whims and fancies
Verbally correcting a puppy by yelling out “Ouch” or a high-frequency pitch while teaching bite inhibition can have 2 possible outcomes – Either the puppy will stop mid-bite for a few seconds and start again softly OR get excited and start applying severe jaw pressure. The former is the outcome we’re aiming for.
If a bite inhibition session results in severe bites, put an end to the game and give your puppy a time out (NOT IN THE CRATE).
Make sure you practice bite inhibition when your puppy is in a calmer state of mind to ensure success faster.
2. Redirection
Redirection is one of the best ways to tackle over-excitement due to biting. A teething puppy NEEDS to sink his teeth into something or the other every now and then, especially when he’s in a playful mood.
Solution – ALWAYS have something in your hand to redirect a bite when you’re playing with your pup.
Also Read : 6 Easy steps to STOP puppy nipping behavior.
3. Nip it in the bud
If you’ve ever observed your pup for a while, you would notice that the bites are softer when your puppy is calm, whereas when he’s excited and playful, his bites are a lot more intense and painful.
The next time your puppy approaches you for play, keep the physical interaction as a reward for having all four paws on the ground. As soon as the paws take off and excitement begins, physical interaction stops.
Excessive nipping usually stems from over-excitement, which is the result of an uncontrolled display of excitement. Here’s a quick graph of your dog’s excitement levels
Remember this when you interact with your excited pup the next time. If you prevent excitement escalation beyond level 1, the instances of painful nips and bites should also reduce.
Further reads : What experts want you to know about raising a puppy
4. Play a game that requires cognitive skills
A dog’s main sensory stimulation comes from smell, followed by mouth. The best way to tire a dog is to engage him in activities that help him make use of all his sensory organs – nose, mouth, ears and eyes.
When your dog is actively looking for things to do, he will most likely find stuff that will help him release his pent-up energies through sniffing and chewing. Since there are no new smells available at all times at home, your puppy keeps trying to find new surfaces to chew on.
This is why, a bored dog chews up walls, rips apart furniture and constantly looks for reason to nip and bite you.
Try and provide your dog with appropriate mental and physical stimulation outlets like puzzle toys, agility games, training commands etc that will help him utilize his sensory organs and cognitive skills.
THESE BRAIN PUZZLES WILL HELP KEEP YOUR DOG CALM AND HELP DEVELOP HIS THINKING SKILLS.
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5. Feed through feeders and chew toys
Feeding your dog through feeder toys like a stuffed Kong is one of the best ways to give his ever-active jaw an outlet. Feeding through a bowl is easy and doesn’t make a puppy value his food. Moreover, you’re missing out on a fabulous training opportunity.
When a pup eats his meal through a kong toy, he has to make use of his teeth, jaw, tongue, nose and paw to get all the food out of the toy. Time spent by your pup on a Kong toy ensures tiredness.
If you schedule a quick bite inhibition training session after your puppy has eaten his meals from a Kong toy, you will notice that his bite pressure is a lot softer than usual. Multiple instances of this will ensure bite inhibition success.
HERE’S A KIT OF MY FAVORITE DOG FEEDERS –
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How to calm an anxious puppy down?
Anxiety can be caused by a plethora of triggers and can manifest itself in multiple behaviors – from whining and barking to shivering and whimpering. Some of the most common causes of anxiety are thunderstorms, anxiety due to being alone, fear of humans, other animals, traveling, cars, etc.
To understand how to calm a puppy down when anxious, it is important to understand the root cause and act accordingly. Here are some tips that might help –
1. Licki mat
A licki mat is an enrichment toy, mostly a rubber mat with different textures on it, that is designed for pets to lick stuff off of it. The crevices on the mat helps in holding paste-like food well which the dog will need to lick. Peanut butter, wet pate food, mashed bananas, yogurt etc are examples of food that are typically spread out on a licki mat.
It will take a few minutes for a puppy to lick of everything off of the licki mat depending on the quantity of food laid out on the mat. The activity of licking in turn alleviate the pup’s stress levels, ease anxiety, soothe them and also help in promoting better oral health.
The licki mat can be used during car rides, vet’s clinic, at the groomers and in multiple other situations where the puppy needs to calm down for an extended period of time.
2. Play
Playing with a puppy with his favorite toys is known to release oxytocin, a hormone linked to positive mental and emotional state. Playing with a pup is an important step in getting him comfortable in an unfamiliar environment. It helps boost the dog’s confidence helps calm a puppy down faster by getting him out of his shell.
Playing with a puppy with his favorite toys is known to release oxytocin, a hormone linked to positive mental and emotional state.
3. Isolation from trigger
Given any stressful situation, a dog will choose to respond with either the Flight response or the Fight response. A dog chooses to fight (growl, bite, attack) only when the Flight response is not available to him.
By removing him from the stressful situation, you’re letting your dog choose the Flight option and preventing the fight from taking place.
A simple example – If your dog is fearful of people and barks at visitors, make him leave the room or put him inside the crate when you’re expecting visitors.
4. Medication
Personally, medication would be my last resort to calming a dog down. However, when the anxiety starts affecting a dog’s mental and physical wellbeing, medication is not the worst option. Speak to your dog’s vet to understand his physiological needs and allergies if any. Medication that is suitable to one dog may not be suitable to the other. Keep your dog under strict observation for 24-48 hours of administering any medication.
https://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/10-medications-dog-anxiety
5. Desensitization
Most of the solutions mentioned above are temporary redirections and quick fixes. To gain a permanent solution, you have to understand the root cause of the problem and spend time training and desensitizing your dog towards his triggers.
However, it’s imperative to start with the right expectations. A dog fearful of other dogs is not going to end up being best friends with them. However, you can get him to a point where he might start tolerating other dogs’ presence on walks or at a distance.
6. Pheromones
The dog-appeasing pheromone contains a version of the hormone that nursing mothers produce to calm their puppies. Calming pheromone products like diffusers, calming collars, chews etc are widely available and can be safely administered over anxious puppies and dogs.
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7. Thunder shirts and jackets
Thunder shirts and jackets work on the same concept of swaddling an infant. They apply gentle pressure on the torso, thereby enabling the release of calming hormones like oxytocin or endorphin.
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They work wonderfully well during thunderstorms, car rides, vet’s clinic etc.
8. Essential oils
Aromatherapy is a widely known to soothe the nerves in animals and humans alike. However, not every fragrance that is suited to humans is suited to dogs. Laveder and Ylang Ylang are two of the most commonly used essential oil fragrances that are known to calm down anxious dogs.
Read here to know learn more on how to calm an anxious puppy down using aromatherapy.
How to calm a puppy down in a crate
Crate training can make or break a dog. If your puppy has learnt to settle down in the crate and self-stimulate, a crate can be a boon. However, if you have a pup that constantly keeps vocalizing in the crate for attention and to be let out, crate can become a bane.
Read here on how to effectively and efficiently crate train a dog.
Crate vocalization is one of the most common problems faced by puppy parents. It is imperative to keep a puppy engaged and happy inside the crate if you are going to be using it in the long run. Here are some tips that can help –
1. Ignore attention-seeking vocalization
It is common for dogs to express displeasure through behaviors like barking and whining, especially when they’re confined and they see exciting things happening around them. How you deal with this vocalization will decide how your dog will eventually deal with the crate.
While ignoring the attention-seeking barking and whining is important, rewarding and actually giving attention to calm behaviour inside the crate is equally important to ensure positive association with the crate.
2. Exercise and potty before
Sometimes, it can be confusing to say why a puppy is whining. It’s okay to ignore the attention-seeking barking, but, cruel to ignore potty signs. To rule out vocalization for a pee break, it’s necessary to take your puppy out to relieve himself before putting him inside the crate.
Furthermore, your puppy will learn to naturally settle down inside the crate of he is put inside after a good play session. Crating him during his most active hours wouldn’t make a lot of sense as he is bound to be over-excited and anxious inside the crate due to all the pent-up energy.
3. Leave him with something to keep him engaged
A puppy can be crated for several hours spread out optimally throughout the day. However, we cannot expect him to magically settle down inside the crate every time we put him in. Sometimes, it’s wise to leave him with a toy to keep him engaged inside the crate.
I love recommending the Kong toy as it keeps a pup engaged for several minutes at a time when stuffed appropriately. The licki mat is also a great toy to keep a puppy busy and reduce anxiety inside the crate.
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Read here on how to properly stuff a Kong toy
4. Canine auditory enrichment
Auditory stimulation is an important part of canine enrichment. It is not very widely known or spoken about. These music tracks are available on Youtube, Spotify and many other platforms and usually include hours of acoustic compilation to promote calming effects of dogs.
The Journal of Veterinary Behavior had published a study performed to understand the effect of auditory stimulation on kennelled dogs. The study investigated the impact of music (classical, heavy metal, and specifically designed/altered classical) on activity level, vocalization, and body shaking of 117 kennelled dogs.
The results suggest that classical music leads to kenneled dogs spending more time sleeping and less time vocalizing than when exposed to other music types or no music at all.
Next time when you have to leave your anxious dog in the crate for an extended period of time, try playing some calming music for him.
How do I get my dog to calm down around other people?
A confident, friendly puppy is hyper and jumpy around other people because he wants attention from them and wants to interact. If he gets the same result eventually from them while being calm, he won’t have a reason to get over-excited.
1. No interaction when over-excited
When inculcating calmness and obedience in a puppy, interaction with other people and dogs must be a reward for desirable behaviour. If your puppy is all over the place while trying to say Hi to another person and you let him engage with someone in that state of mind, you have invariably rewarded that behaviour.
If your dog desires a certain reward, in this case – saying Hi to someone, make sure you decide the behaviour that gets rewarded.
2. Use a leash at home when visitors are over
The training that you impart to your dog makes no sense if you’re not correcting your dog when he goes wrong. To ensure consistency, it is important to have full control of your dog in your hands, failing which, you will keep rewarding his over-excitement over and over again.
Use the leash to your advantage and teach your dog the behaviour you desire.
3. Keep putting breaks in the interaction as you see the puppy getting hyperactive and over-excited
It is normal for your puppy’s behaviour to quickly escalate from excitement to hyperactivity while interacting with a dog lover. But, you cannot expect him to stop on his own in that state of mind. Neither can you expect the dog lover to back off because your pup is out of control.
It is YOUR job to intervene and train your dog the right way to continue the interaction for a longer time.
Tip – Create distance and give a 10 second time-out every time your pup gets nippy or jumpy around someone. This will break his over-excitement down further and help him calm down faster.
4. Consistent reaction from family members and visitors
Consistently correcting your puppy while he’s interacting with visitors, but letting him jump all over you at home is a classic recipe for disaster. Charity begins at home.
Set some guidelines with every member of the family in terms of your dog’s training. For eg – Undesirable behaviors like begging, counter surfing, jumping, barking etc must not be encouraged by anyone in the house, under any circumstances. This is a prerequisite while establishing boundaries for the pup at home.
A puppy will always be a handful to deal with, especially when they’re getting to know the ways of the household. How we communicate with them during this time is, kind of, the deciding factor on the sort of dog they’ll grow up to be. Raising a calm dog starts at puppyhood and I hope the tips mentioned above will help you deal with their crazy antics.
Living with a puppy can be challenging and overwhelming at times, especially for first time dog owners. But at the end of the day, their wet kisses can wipe every tear away… am I right or am I right?!