How to calm a dog after playing?

Tristin Veum
2025-06-14 15:29:03
Count answers
: 22
When your dog can do this, then, with a leash on him, interrupt play and ask him to down and stay in one of the spots. After a few minutes, release him and let him play again. The play becomes a reward for holding still. I used gentle and slow petting to calm him. If, at some point during his play, he became over-stimulated, I stepped in and interrupted the play. I would give him a gentle massage, or just hold him, or I would put him in his crate for a time out. The time out isn’t punishment, but rather it’s a time for him to relax. The first step to calming your dog is to calm yourself. If you are excited, frustrated, or angry, your dog will react to that. So calm yourself, take some deep breaths or even walk away for a few minutes. During the day, when your dog is relaxed and calm on his own, reward him. Quietly tell him, “Good boy!” Drop a treat in front of him or reach down and rub his ears.

Carter Hahn
2025-06-09 01:38:33
Count answers
: 13
When your dog becomes overly excited and jumps on you, turn away and ask your dog to sit. Once they do it, praise them and reinforce what you want by rewarding them with something they love, like a treat or petting them. Ignore the behaviour: When your dog begins to jump up or become overexcited, turn away from them and ignore the behaviour. Ask your dog to sit and stay: For this to work, your dog should already be trained to understand the sit and stay cues. If your dog starts getting excited again: Toss treats: By tossing treats for your dog, you are giving them a chance to interrupt the behaviour. Your dog gets busy getting treats and stops jumping. Tossing treats also keeps the dog’s head and feet down, so they learn good things are on the ground. Tossing a treat interrupts behaviour and moves the dog away from the person. This gives them time to move away.

Macie Jenkins
2025-06-03 00:36:51
Count answers
: 17
If you are struggling with their behaviour, consider what an average day consists of for your dog. How much repetitive ball chasing is your dog doing? How much rough-housing and playing with other dogs is he doing? The answer isn’t to force downtime on your dog, but to consider how you can introduce some calming activities into their life so that they are less stimulated. Lowering your dog’s excitement levels can be achieved by reducing overstimulating activities for your dog. Reduce overstimulating activities for your dog Where possible, reduce activities that cause your dog to be overstimulated. Enrichment feeding: Make meal times last longer and more interesting by utilising enrichment feeding. Scent games: Hiding things for your dog to find provides wonderful focused mental stimulation, and is always tiring. Sniffing walks: Allowing your dog to stop and sniff when on walks provides them with an opportunity to know about other dogs in the area without getting them over-excited.

Veronica Reinger
2025-05-22 13:04:59
Count answers
: 11
To help your dog calm down after playing, reward relaxed behaviours. Sit quietly on a chair with your dog on the lead and a blanket on the floor. Drop tiny bite-size treats to your dog as a reward for settling down on the blanket. Gradually reward more relaxed behaviours. This will vary between dogs – some will automatically start lying down so you can quickly progress to rewarding your dog only for this behaviour. Then move on to reward specific signs of relaxing like sighing, weight shifting and head resting. Always make sure your dog is having a good time when settling, whether enjoying their toys, chews, or simply dozing and snoozing. Increase the time your dog must be settled before you reward them. Once your dog starts to get the hang of it and is shifting their weight so they’re comfortable and relaxed, you can start practising with them off lead.
Read also
- What is the 10 minute rule for puppies?
- How do I get my dog to stop playing too much?
- How to calm down a puppy after playtime?
- How to teach a dog to relax?
- What is the most hyperactive dog?
- What is the 3 day rule for puppies?
- Is 8pm too early for a puppy to go to bed?
- At what age do dogs stop playing as much?
- Can you teach a dog to play less rough?