Free Tips for Teaching a Dog to Calm Themselves Down

For this Omaha dog training session we teach a 2 year-old excited Goldendoodle Toodles to stay calm when people come to the door. We also offered her family some tips for teaching a dog to calm themselves down.

Tips for Teaching a Dog to Stay Calm

I arrived to this in-home training session before my apprentice Taylor. We decided to use her arrival to share some tips about teaching a dog to calm themselves down, especially when people come to the door.

Teaching a dog to stay calm when people come to the door is all about practice, patience and good timing. Taylor waited for Toodles to calm down before opening the door. This helped the young canine understand that being calm is the best way to get the humans to come inside.

Many people confuse excitement in their furry friends for happiness. An excited pup is more likely to make mistakes or get into trouble than a calm dog, just like people.

Practicing the process when the pooch calms down is a form of Operant Conditioning.

Operant conditioning is a method of learning that involves using rewards and punishments to influence voluntary behaviors. For instance, positive reinforcement might involve giving treats to encourage your dog to continue behaviors like sitting or staying.

Conversely, negative punishment could mean withholding attention when your dog jumps on you. Overall, behaviors that receive rewards are more likely to be repeated.

In this case, we stopped what we were doing the moment Toodles start to get excited again. This method is a great way to teach a dog to stay calm when guests arrive at the door.

When Do Goldendoodles Calm Down?

Excitable breeds like Goldendoodles are often very energetic when they are puppies. They usually start to calm down between 1 and 2 years old. As they grow up, they may still have bursts of playfulness and energy. However, they usually become calmer and more relaxed as adults.

I’d like to see Toodles guardians arrange to have friends or neighbors come by at least once a day for a week. This will help excited pups, like Toodles practice this exercise to teach dogs to stay calm and behave when people come to the door.

How to Teach a Puppy to Pose for Pictures

Later in the session, I noticed Toodles shying away when I tried to take her photo. I saw this as a chance to show her and her family how to teach a puppy to pose for pictures.

This tip also works for canines who are afraid of the camera. Many dogs are afraid of the camera and having their picture taken.

This fear often arises from a lack of exposure to it during puppyhood. Sometimes, humans feel frustrated when their furry friend moves away from the camera. If the guardians practice this exercise with 5 to 10 treats every day for a week, Toodles will start posing for the camera. She will do this when she hears the “Cheese” command.

To help the guardians remember all the dog psychology tips we shared in this in-home dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success video.