You’re visiting your friend, and she left the door unlocked for when you arrive. You fully expect to be almost knocked over by her puppy in an enthusiastic greeting, but no puppy is to be seen. You find your friend in a quiet, dark back room, the sounds of classical music and the scent of lavender wafting from the cracked door. Her puppy is lying on his belly on her stretched-out legs, clearly in a state of bliss.
“Shhhh!” she softly whispers. “I finally got Fido to calm down! I’ve been working on this with him for a while, and today is the day we did our whole calm-down routine with no incidents!”
You quietly give some silent jazz hands in appreciation, and your friend successfully transfers her sleeping puppy to his crate. You’re impressed that she’s teaching her puppy how to self-regulate and relax, as you didn’t know puppies could stop moving that long!
Part of pet wellness for puppies is teaching them appropriate behavior in various settings. But what if you can’t get your Mini Australian Shepherd puppy to stop bouncing off the walls (sometimes literally)? It’s time to introduce puppy relaxation techniques to help them relax and unwind to take a break from being a wild pupper.
Getting your puppy to relax into a calm frame of mind can be quite a challenge when they are young and like to bounce around, but it is necessary for puppies to rest. The brain is in its optimal state to sort out the activities of the day. A puppy cannot learn new commands or interact with the world around them if they are over-excited, exhausted, stressed, agitated, or fearful. You want a puppy that is able to self-regulate, a quality that needs to be taught and positively reinforced.
Helping your puppy relax is a great way to work on bonding with your puppy. You’re interacting in positive ways that feel good to your puppy, creating happy associations that will increase your puppy’s trust in you. Touching your puppy all over will help get him used to being handled, a necessary skill for vet and groomer visits, pet sitters, and being around other people in his life. But how are you able to teach your puppy how to settle? Let’s explore proven ways to calm a puppy.
5 Tips For Puppy Relaxation
Every puppy loves to be pampered, and they’ll reap benefits without even realizing it because they’re so calm. Follow our tips on how to help your puppy relax and live his best life.
1. Let out those zoomies first
Before you begin trying to calm down your dog, make sure you have given them ample, focused attention to their exercise needs. You don’t want your puppy to keep trying to play while you’re actively attempting to get them to relax! Play hard with them to tire them out, and let them get out all the zoomies they have. A tired puppy who is well-fed and has gone potty recently is a great place to begin with your calming routine. If you’re not sure how to spice up your puppy’s activities, check out our ideas for 18 ways to exercise your dog.
2. A space to unwind
It’s hard to relax when there’s happy chaos around both humans and puppies. Our environment directly affects our ability to get into a calm state of mind. Take a look around your house to see if you can locate a place to create a calm corner. Create a space that’s just for your puppy away from the hustle and bustle of a busy household. Consider crate training your puppy to give them a safe, secure space that’s just for them to relax, sleep, and rest peacefully when you are away. It could include a cozy blanket with your scent or a favorite toy.
To create ambiance, consider low lighting. It’s hard to unwind when harsh lighting or broad daylight illuminate the space. You could even drape a blanket over the top and sides of the crate to block out light and other distractions. Take caution when using sprays, plug-ins, candles, or other scent-dispensing products, as there are scents toxic to dogs that you definitely don’t want to use incorrectly. Research calming scents that are safe for dogs to pick the right one, such as vanilla, lavender, or chamomile, and avoid eucalyptus, ylang ylang, or citrus. Lastly, play classical music on a low setting in your puppy’s calm corner. Why classical music, you may ask? Let’s find out.
3. Music to my ears…but which kind?
Music therapy techniques have proven to help assist humans in regulating emotions and providing stress relief, but does it have the same effect on dogs? Research studies seek to determine how music affects a dog’s behavior, and more specifically, what kinds of music dogs respond to the most favorably to achieve a calm state.
One 2020 study by Lindig et al. examined nine experiments exploring how different musical styles affect dogs’ moods. The results showed that in the majority of studies, classical music exposure has a calming effect on dogs in stressful environments. The dogs assessed were a mixture of age, sex, and living environments (shelter vs. home). The other auditory inputs in addition to classical music were reggae, hard rock/heavy metal, soft rock, rap, radio talk shows or audiobooks, specific dog relaxation music, pop, and even Motown. A close second for being the most serene type of music were pieces labeled “calm music for dogs” on playlists found on popular apps like YouTube and Spotify. Slow, rhythmic tempos around 50-60 beats per minute and soft musical notes seem to do the trick best, slowing down stress indicators and providing a more peaceful environment to rest.
Not surprisingly, dogs showed the most signs of stress through cortisol monitoring, heart rate, and other biometric and behavioral signs to the hard rock/heavy metal music. To help your puppy relax, reach for Mozart and Beethoven over your favorite podcast, and avoid playing the most recent live show from Slipknot.
4. Breathe in, breathe out
“In four counts through the nose and deep into your lungs, hold for four counts, and breathe out through the mouth for eight counts.” You may have attended a yoga class or worked with a therapist on deep breathing techniques to slow down your breathing and get it under control in response to something stressing you out in the moment.
A normal breathing rate for dogs is between 15-40 breaths every minute. Anything below or above that range should warrant a call to your veterinarian to see if anything is amiss. Watching your puppy breathe will help you get an idea of his normal breathing habits to know when to seek help.
Did you know you can teach your puppy to settle using breathing techniques? You’ll need a high-value treat and some patience. Teaching your puppy slow breathing techniques will calm them down since they can’t regulate themselves when riled up. According to Karen Overall, VMD, PhD, here’s how to encourage deep breathing in your puppy:
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Ask your puppy to sit and focus on you. Give a treat when they calmly look at you.
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Watch for your dog’s nostrils flaring as he sniffs the treat with his mouth closed. Your puppy cannot pant and smell a treat at the same time. Say “breathe” and reward when you see his nostrils flaring.
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Repeat this until there is more time and focus between rewarding the treats and nostrils flaring.
5. At-home spa day
The ultimate relaxation for a puppy is to give your puppy a DIY doggy spa day. You may have seen adorable, well-behaved, relaxed puppies on social media that love getting pampered, and you can work your way up to achieving the same calm puppy. You don’t have to wait for a special day for a puppy spa day because every day is special!
Start by setting the scene as we’ve mentioned, and gather supplies. You may want to use a massaging rubber curry brush, face wipes for dogs, soft, fluffy towels, soothing, pet-friendly shampoo and conditioner, or calming treats cleared for use by your veterinarian containing natural calming agents like CBD or others.
Chill With A Pawrade Puppy
Do you dream of cozy movie marathons with a puppy snoring on your lap? How about experiencing the feeling when a puppy looks into your eyes while you stroke his little round belly? Pawrade offers puppies of all breeds and sizes waiting for loving homes like yours to be your canine companion. All you’ll need to do is browse our puppies for sale. Once you’ve picked out the perfect one, contact our Puppy Concierge team to get started. You don’t have to take time to screen and vet breeders because we already have done that for you. Each trustworthy breeder partner passes a rigorous selection process so we offer you puppies from breeders who truly care about and understand their breeds. We can’t wait to hear from you!
