How should I calm my dog down?
This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!
4 Answers
Expending their energy! A nice long walk or interactive game such as fetch or frisbee will help. Giving them a "job" like hiding treats for them to "hunt". Dogs feed off of your energy so if you are nervous or excited they will be too. If a dog is panicking from loud stimulus (fireworks) there are remedies your vet can reccommend but a good OTC is Adaptil spray or Rescue Remedy.
Exercising is definitely one of the best ways to help doggy anxiety. I would recommend researching the recommended amount of exercise for the specific breed. If your dog struggles with excessive anxiety, particularly with instances such as fireworks or thunderstorms, there are all natural dog treats that you can purchase at your local pet store with herbal ingredients to calm your dog.
Hope this helps!
Calming pheromones such as Adaptil room plug ins can help. They are over the counter. Smart toys can help
A good trick to calm your dog down is to sit your pup on your lap not facing you and pet your pup from head to butt. Make sure to put one hand in your pups collar so that it can't run away! Your pup will slowly being to lay down and will fall asleep
Your dog is watching you. They will often copy your temperament. If you get excited, they will get excited; if you calm down and relax, they will calm down. Sometimes dogs just have energy, take them for a walk or play fetch. Just something to get a little exercise.