How to help your dog stay calm, and settle
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
A dog who is able to settle in most environments is a dog guardian's dream. Congratulations if you have a cool-as-cucumber companion who settles wherever you stop.
For most dogs, this is not the case. Here's how to help your dog stay calm and settle.
Dogs become uncomfortable for many reasons: it might be busy and noisy, the environment may be new, with novel sights, sounds and smells. There may be unfamiliar dogs or people around, or the dog may simply be naturally cautious, shy, or fearful.
Before we discuss how to teach your dog to settle, remember that some dogs are not designed for a busy, on-the-go lifestyle. Think of the type-A personality border collie who wants to organise and manage all that chaos, especially that scooter, or the cautious guardian breed for whom strangers may feel like a problem that 'needs managing'. Now let's dive into how to help your dog stay calm and settle.
If you have one of these dogs, start by meeting your dog’s needs at home. Enrichment is a game-changer. When dogs regularly get opportunities to use their brains and natural behaviours, their stress levels often drop, and their resilience grows.
At home, add activities such as:
Use calm music at home and in the car
Offer choice in selecting a treat or more than one resting spot
Tug stop and go, with clear stop cues to build impulse control
Food puzzles and scatter feeding to satisfy natural foraging instincts
Settle on a mat to practise switching off
Threshold control at doors, gates and getting into and out of the car
Find-it games so your dog can experience independent success
Engagement games like hand targets or puppy press-ups to build focus and a familiar behaviour they know when stimulation increases
These activities help dogs practise thinking instead of reacting.
As Karen Overall explains:
“Dogs learn to relax by practising relaxation.”
And according to Kim Brophey, meeting a dog’s natural behavioural needs plays a huge role in emotional balance:
“When dogs’ needs are met appropriately, many behaviour problems diminish.”
Meeting your dog’s needs out and about
When you begin taking these skills into the real world, keep things simple and set your dog up for success.
Build up to it. Start in quieter environments and gradually introduce more activity.
Pay attention to body language. Signs of stress — lip licking, yawning, looking or lying away, scanning, freezing, panting, pacing, or inability to settle — tell you your dog may be struggling.
If they become overstimulated, create space by simply moving away. Distance is one of the most effective ways to help a dog relax.
A few simple strategies can help:
Allow plenty of sniffing so they can process the environment
Reward any calm behaviours, as per the video above
Make it comfortable with a familiar mat or bed
Bring a chew or lickmat to encourage calm, soothing behaviour
Use engagement games your dog already knows
The goal is never to force your dog to cope with everything at once. The goal is to gradually teach them that calm behaviour works in different places.
Over time, those small, thoughtful steps create the dog who can eventually relax beside you while the world carries on around them.
As always, I'm here to help if you are finding your dog's behaviour overwhelming. Book a consult or training session for easy to follow skills and tips to help your dog settle.
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