5 Secrets to a Settled Dog

We don’t like to admit it, but I’m sure most of us have had moments where we want to scream at our dogs to JUST STOP IT! After a long day you want to sit down in front of the TV and relax, but in comes your dog … bouncing off the walls with energy. At another time, you might laugh and join in, but tonight you’re done in and over it.

A dog who can’t settle is often said to be bored or in need of more exercise, but this isn’t always the case.

1. Breed outlets

Does your idea of exercising your dog involve trying to make them run as much as possible? Whether you’re flinging a ball for them to fetch or letting them run wild through the woods, simply running around isn’t always a productively tiring activity.

Dogs benefit more from varied activities during walks which involve physical exercise but also tap into natural behaviours. Try switching out repetitive running for things which use more brainpower:

• Scatter treats in the grass for them to sniff, this uses their nose which is both a calming and tiring activity.

• Engage with your dog to keep them listening and thinking. Recall them frequently, reward for focus on you, teach tricks … not only will this improve their relationship with you, it will also use their brain.

• Take a toy on your walk, play tug or hide-and-seek for a couple of short durations throughout the walk.

• Give them time to sniff and explore, and don't rush them too much.

• Socialising is good, if your dog enjoys meeting other dogs then give them time to do this. If they are reactive or worried by dogs, watch from a distance and use it as a training opportunity.

Try changing up your walks and see if your dog comes home more tired and relaxed!

2. Routines

Humans sleep better if they maintain a consistent sleep routine, disruption to this with late nights or early mornings can lead to poor sleep. Our dogs also benefit from routines which allow undisrupted sleep and more predictability.

If your daily routine is always changing, try to establish some predictability to help your dog feel more settled and relaxed.

• Follow walks or activities with time to sleep, preferably in a quiet, undisturbed location.

• Keep playtimes and activities to similar times in the day. If you want your dog to relax in the evening, avoid making this an ‘activity time’, keep it as a clear ‘settle time’.

• If your dog has a burst of energy after their dinner, utilise this time for some calm training, an enrichment activity or relaxing chew. This will help them to wind down for the evening instead of hyping them up with zoomies and crazy behaviours.

Maintain a routine with clear ‘sleep times’ throughout the day, giving your dog time to nap and switch off from the world around them.

3. Stress

Stress can disrupt sleep and make it harder to relax, so dogs who are experiencing high levels of stress are likely to have less restorative sleep. It can be a vicious cycle: more stress = less sleep = even more stress.

Breaking the stress cycle involves managing your dog’s environment more closely and avoiding events which trigger high stress. For example, walking in locations which allow for more relaxed behaviours, minimal stress reactions, and time spent doing things your dog enjoys. For many dogs, sniffing is an excellent stress reliever.

• Walk in places where your dog can sniff and explore without stress (if they’re reactive, choose secure fields or quiet areas). Switch between walks where you work on their behaviour and walks where they can relax more.

• Use scentwork activities to encourage sniffing behaviours.

• Play with your dog – social interactions can be great stress relievers. Avoid long periods of repetitive high-stress games (like fetch or intense tugging) and mix in calmer games to reduce stress.

• Set up a safe place for your dog where they have less exposure to anything stressful at home (e.g. prevent looking out of windows, use background noise to muffle any triggering sounds, provide space away from busy areas of the house).

Sleep is an important part of stress reduction; dogs need to sleep in order to return to baseline levels of stress. If your dog isn’t sleeping enough then their stress will remain higher, so find ways to reduce their stress to improve their sleep!

4. Management

Not all dogs are good at regulating their rest time and some need more help than others. If you have a dog who wants to be on-the-go 24/7, you may need to set some boundaries. This might feel unfair but it’s for their own good!

The more time your dog spends in a relaxed mindset, the more they will enjoy this and return to this state with ease. On the other hand, a dog who spends more time alert and active, will default into this state more easily and unsettled behaviour will be their norm.

• Create a safe, calm place. This could be a crate, a pen, or a specific room in the house. Encourage your dog to practice calm behaviours in here, such as chewing and sleeping!

• Use this safe place several times a day for varying durations, such as after walks or playtimes, so your dog begins to see it as a place to rest.

• If your dog is restless despite having their needs met (e.g. exercise, food etc.) then put them into their safe place for a nap. They should come out of it calmer and more rested.

• Over time, you should find your dog takes themselves to the safe place to sleep.

As well as a safe place like this, it helps to remember your own behaviour will make a difference. If your dog is looking for an activity but they’ve already had sufficient exercise and attention from you, don’t give in and entertain them, this will only reinforce unsettled behaviours. Instead, ignore them and wait for them to relax, then calmly acknowledge this good choice from them. Or pop them in their safe place for a sleep to prevent bad behaviours being practiced.

5. Training

Teaching your dog to settle can be beneficial but it usually only works alongside other strategies listed above. Training itself can be exciting and increase stress levels, it doesn’t always promote a calm mindset, so remember this!

• Reward your dog for lying on a bed or mat, drip feed onto the bed to reinforce them staying there.

• Initially the training will excite your dog so keep sessions short and don’t expect them to relax.

• With each session, reduce the frequency of rewards and increase the duration they remain lying down on the bed/mat between rewards.

• Progress to rewarding increasingly settled behaviours (e.g. head rested on the floor).

• You may need to follow these training sessions with sleep time in your dog’s safe place.

If treats excite your dog, use the lowest value possible and add in verbal praise (e.g. ‘good’) from the start. Aim to reduce the treats and replace them with verbal praise.

Any time you see your dog making a good choice and settling around the house, remember to calmly acknowledge this with verbal praise. Avoid making a big deal because this will unsettle them!

Learning to settle is a gradual progression in many cases, and requires good management to avoid unwanted, unsettled behaviours being practiced. Lots of factors can influence a dog’s ability to settle so look at their daily routine and find ways to encourage more calmness.

At The Hound Spot, we have worked with countless dogs who struggle to settle and owners who have tried everything! We’ve met dogs who don’t sleep all day, dogs who have never fallen asleep outside of a crate, and dogs whose problem behaviours are all rooted in a lack of sleep. We’ve seen it all, so don’t hesitate to get in touch and find out how we can help you!