What to do with stressed, agitated dogs?
The good news: In most cases, you can bring your dog to more calmness with a lot of love, patience and practice. He must learn one thing from you: calm behavior pays off. The less stress and stimuli your dog has, the happier you make him.
The secret word is: wait. Only when he has laid down or sat down in front of the food bowl will you give him food. Only when he waits in front of the apartment door and does not run out of it, the door opens. Only when he sits in the dog run do you take him off the leash and send him off to play and sniff.
Comfort zones for your dog.
If your dog has trouble calming down, create special comfort zones for him. First of all, you should get your dog used to a blanket. Because this can be taken everywhere. When visiting friends, in the restaurant, etc.. If your dog has become fond of the blanket, you can also put it on the even more comfortable dog bed. Or put it in the transport box. Because some dogs especially like it when they are in a protected space and can press their body against the wall of the box.
Home office provides relaxation.
If you basically assume that while you're on the road or working all day, your dog can relax and sleep at home, that's wrong thinking in most cases. Since dogs are extremely social animals, they can often only really relax when all family members are there and thus the pack is complete. Home office therefore suits the dogs very well: Letting others work while you yourself lie chilled out on the blanket or sofa, knowing that your favorite human is nearby - it makes for a relaxing day.
Relieve everyday stress together.
Had a stressful day? Then there are two possibilities: Either go out into nature with your four-legged friend and relieve stress together while jogging and running around - or end the day with an intensive cuddle session on the sofa. Because it is the intimate body contact that makes man and dog more relaxed. This is mainly due to the "cuddle hormone" oxytocin. It strengthens the bond, has an anxiety-relieving effect and reduces the stress level. It is important to slowly and gently massage or stroke the parts of the body where your dog particularly enjoys it. You should avoid wild "fumbling around". Sometimes it is enough if your dog just lies with you and snuggles up to you during a cozy movie night.
Less action, more thinking tasks.
Especially if you have a dog that is naturally energetic (e.g. huskies or border collies), you shouldn't constantly hop from one agility training session to the next, but rather focus more often on concentration and nose work. This challenges dogs mentally and really tires them out. Extended sniffing walks or even small sniffing games in the apartment are usually more fun for the dogs than being constantly challenged.