How to calm your dog down – 5 simple steps to help relieve your dog’s anxiety

We want to keep our canine companions happy and healthy at all times. So, when they’re nervous, stressed, or anxious, it’s only natural for us to do all we can to help them calm down. 

There are many reasons your dog may feel uneasy, such as being left alone, fireworks being let off near your home, or moving to a new house.

Explore the signs of stress and anxiety in dogs, then discover the steps you can take to calm your dog down…

Signs your dog may be feeling nervous, stressed, or anxious

To best support your dog to feel calm and content, you’ll need to be able to recognise the signs they’re feeling nervous, stressed, or anxious:

• Hiding.
• Barking.
• Drooling.
• Cowering.
• Trembling.
• Obsessive licking.
• Refusal to eat and/or drink.
• Changes to their toileting habits.
• Flattening their ears to their head.
• Tucking their tail between their legs.

Other behaviours that might surface when your dog is feeling nervous, stressed, or anxious include digging, destroying things, and sudden changes to their demeanour – e.g. becoming very quiet.

5 steps to calm your dog down

Taking steps to keep your dog calm could help them cope when they’re faced with stressors, like fireworks. So, here are some steps you can work through to support your dog to feel calmer, as they’re presented with situations they find stressful…

Step 1 – Reward calm behaviour

First, your dog should learn to associate calm behaviour with something positive. By developing a connection between calmness and reward, you’re teaching your dog to understand the benefits of staying calm.

It’s simple to reward your dog for calm behaviour – just drop a few of their favourite treats onto the floor while they’re acting calmly, e.g. relaxed lying down. There’s no need to say anything (e.g. verbal praise) at this point, so your dog can focus on connecting their behaviour with their reward. 

Then, as your dog begins to spend more time in a relaxed state, you can start to increase the time between rewards, so they learn to stay calmer for longer.

Top tip: Repeating this exercise helps your dog learn to settle themselves whenever they’re feeling nervous, stressed, or anxious!

Eventually, your dog won’t need a reward for calm behaviour, because they’ll naturally feel more relaxed thanks to the positive association with calmness that you’ve helped them develop.

If you want to take your dog’s ‘calmness’ training to the next level, visit our article all about rewarding calm behaviour.

Step 2 – Create a calm environment 

Ensuring your dog has somewhere safe and quiet to relax – like a cosy crate or basket full of blankets – can help them feel safer when dealing with stress or anxiety.

Creating a safe haven for your dog to relax in could give them confidence, through knowing they’ve got a comfortable place to hide if a situation becomes overwhelming.  

It’s important that your dog has their own comfortable place to escape to; since, for some dogs, sharing their space could become a source of anxiety or conflict.

Step 3 – Add distractions 

Should rewarding calm behaviour and creating a safe space for your dog be effective, it’s time to test their ability to stay calm when there are distractions!

So, to begin testing your dog’s ability to remain relaxed in situations that might make them feel nervous, stressed, or anxious, introduce a distraction while they’re calm, e.g. sweeping nearby. If your dog shows any sign they’re feeling unsettled (like getting up, pacing, or barking), ignore them and continue with the ‘distracting’ task. 

After a while, your dog is likely to find the distracting task (e.g. sweeping, hoovering, or dusting) less ‘exciting’. When your dog relaxes or settles into their safe space, reward them. 

Just the same as for rewarding calm behaviour, you’ll need to repeat this exercise with a variety of different ‘distractions’. By allowing your dog to practise staying calm before they’re faced with a ‘real life’ stressful situation, you’re building their confidence in their ability to settle on their own.  

Top tip: Although it’s tempting to ask your dog to “sit” or “lie down”, to encourage them to settle, it’s best not to direct them while they’re learning to calm themselves down. 

Step 4 – Go for a walk

As long as they’ve mastered the art of ignoring distractions, it’s time to take your dog’s new skills on a test drive (or rather, walk!). 

Support them to exercise more self-control, by rewarding calm behaviours such as:

• Not pulling on the lead.
• Not lunging at other dogs.
• Not barking.
• Keeping their attention on you.
• Sniffing around without getting over-excited.

The additional benefit of a walk is that your dog can ‘burn off’ some of that built-up energy, helping them to feel calmer once they return home.

Please note: Walking your dog when there are potential stressors, like fireworks, should be avoided if you know that’ll increase your dog’s anxiety levels.   

Step 5 – Consider speaking to your vet 

If, despite all your efforts, your dog continues to struggle with stress or anxiety, it’s time to talk to your vet. 

Alongside offering actionable advice, your vet could recommend calming products or connect you with a qualified canine behaviourist who can provide extra support.  

Don’t forget! You can speak to the vet experts over at Joii Pet Care at any time, from anywhere, for FREE as part of your Animal Friends dog or cat policy.