The holidays are here and that means visitors galore! For those who have high energy dogs, this can be a bit stressful. But not to worry! There are things you can do to help calm your high energy dogs. Whether you celebrate holidays, or invite friends over for football, this post can help you, and your guests, survive your dog's excitement!
The Struggle Is Real!
When I was in dog training school, I took a big golden retriever with me. His name was Louie, and those who are regulars on this blog probably know him from stories I have told in previous posts. In short, he was an adorable, furry, ball of excitement. In dog training class, excitable dogs obsessed with making friends with every human in existence are not always great for the learning environment. As a result, I had to work hard on crate training and a settle. His settle was the hardest, particularly when I wasn't actively petting him, and was a behavior I had to really work on during class. There is no teacher quite like necessity.
As I learned more about training the settle, I learned a few key ingredients to getting calm behavior out of a high energy dog. Over the next three weeks, I am going to share them with you! Some of these things you can use in daily life to help calm your dog, but if you want your dog to actually settle, full disclosure, it will take hard work and dedication. Here we go!
Too Much of a Good Thing is Not a Good Thing
Exercise is a must for high energy dogs. This tip is probably one you have already heard of, but I am here to help you make sure you are exercising your dog the right way. That's right! You can do this the wrong way, and it can actually make things worse! What people often forget, when their dogs are involved, is that exercise builds endurance and strength. This means, if you are taking your high energy dog on three walks a day, and playing Frisbee with it in the yard, and chasing it around the house in a fun game of chase, your dog is getting stronger each day, which in turn means that your dog will need MORE exercise!
An Example - The Enthusiastic Sheep Dog
Think of a Border Collie trained to herd sheep. It works for long periods of time and still manages to move fast and work with enthusiasm. It can do this because it builds stamina with each long day of work. It gets a ton of exercise! But it is also has a ton of energy! That is not only because of its breed. From a young age, those working dogs build strength from regularly getting exercise, eventually leading to a full day's work.
Tips from a Working Breed
So, are working Border Collies like this all the time? Some of them are, but many of them are quite capable of settling down when not working. Border Collies that are trained well, can shut off at the end of a long day. So how do their handlers get them to calm down? There is more than one way, but we will only cover two. First, the dogs are taught that something in their environment means they are about to work (e.g., the whistle, a transportation device that gets them to the sheep, the shepherd's staff, etc.). Once the dog sees this environmental cue, it is "on". But when that environmental cue is gone, the dog is "off". Second, these dogs get a lot of mental exercise in their daily job. Herding sheep takes a lot of focus and skill that they work very hard on with their handlers, both in training and in their daily job. By the end of the day, their brains are tired just as much as their bodies.
Applying What We Have Learned
So how can we take what we have learned from Border Collies and apply it to our non-working house pets? First, exercise your dog well, but not too much! You probably don't want your pet dog to have as much physical stamina as a working Border Collie! How much exercise your dog needs depends on the breed, your dog's diet, and other factors. You might need to try a few things with your dog to find what works best for you both. Second, make sure your dog has daily mental stimulation. Food puzzles, training new behaviors, and other activities can be great mental outlets. Third, manage environmental off switches. You can do this with a lot of stations and behaviors. For example, if your dog plays fetch with a specific ball, you can put that ball away when you need your dog to relax and give your dog a different toy, such as a chew toy, when you want it to calm down. Make sure your dog is comfortable with you removing the ball and if your dog expresses anxiety when the ball is taken away, please consult a dog trainer who specializes in training dogs who deal with anxiety.
Incoming Guests Checklist
So, what are some things you can take away from this discussion and put into play the next time guests arrive at the house? Take a look at the short list below to find two things you can do to help your dog calm down before guests arrive. Stay tuned for the next post to learn about how to help your dog remain calm when guests do arrive!
Exercise your dog.
Take your dog outside for a game of fetch or a walk, then come in and give your dog some mental stimulation with some training or a brain game.
Manage Environmental Off Switches.
Closing Thoughts
The information in this article can be applied both to life in general and specific situations, so remember to review it and build it into your daily interactions with your dog. These things will have a much better impact on your dog if you regularly work on them and build them into daily life. Remember to stay tuned for the next post to learn about how to help your dog remain calm when guests do arrive!
Photo Credit: Unsplash - Abigail Baines
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