Helping Puppies to be Calmer

If a pup gets the idea that the minute it makes eye contact with you that you are going to reach down and play and pet it, it will get into the habit of jumping to your face each time it sees you.

Instead, make the norm of walking thru the house, and greeting the dog be one of calmess and your hands by your side. Walk around the house together and talk to the pup in a quiet voice. Sometimes, where you pet the dog and how you pet it make a difference also.

Reaching down when the pup is at your side or behaving as you want and quietly and calmly petting it is better for the dog then trying to get it to jump and wag it's tail and getting it all hyper.

One of the best things to do with a pup is to quietly hold your hand out and wait. Palm needs to be facing towards the puppy or dog. When the dog comes to within a little bit of your palm or touches it's nose to your palm, you can tell it "good" in a happy yet calm voice. This is called targeting. I watch how my dogs behave all the time, and they really like calmness rather than silliness.

Blessings,

Robyn