How to Help a Puppy or Dog Relax and Calm Down

Name: How to Help a Puppy or Dog Relax and Calm Down
Creator: Dr. Zubair Khalid

By Dr. Zubair Khalid, DVM, MS, PhD · 2026-10-02

How to get my dog to calm down starts with understanding why they are aroused in the first place. Most dogs are not being stubborn or dominant. They are either excited, anxious, bored, or dealing with an underlying medical issue that makes settling hard. Once you know the cause, you can choose the right technique instead of guessing.

This article is educational and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment.

Quick Answer

Give your dog a predictable daily routine with set times for meals, walks, play, and rest. Consistency helps anxious dogs feel safer [1].
Use physical exercise matched to your dog's age and health, then add mental work like puzzle feeders, sniffing games, or short training sessions.
Teach a settle cue on a mat, and reward calm behavior before your dog gets wound up.
Create a quiet space with a bed, dim light, and white noise for nighttime settling.
See a veterinarian if restlessness, pacing, or panting happens mainly at night, comes on suddenly, or does not improve with training.

Why Dogs Get Wound Up (Normal Reasons First)

Puppies and adolescent dogs have a lot of energy and very little practice at self-control. Their brains are still developing impulse control, so they may zoom around the house, mouth everything, and struggle to lie still even when tired. This is normal development, not a behavior problem.

Adult dogs get aroused for predictable reasons too. Visitors at the door, other dogs on a walk, squirrels, the sound of a leash, or the smell of food can all trigger excitement. Anticipation itself causes physiological changes. In one study of dogs during agility training, cortisol was significantly higher before and after training sessions compared with baseline, which shows that simply expecting an activity can activate a dog's stress response [2].

Anxiety is another common driver. Anxious dogs often pace, pant, cling, or startle easily, and their behavior can look like overexcitement when it is actually distress [1]. Anxiety in dogs is rarely a simple diagnosis, and the right plan depends on what is causing it [1].

Boredom matters as well. A dog with no outlet for energy or problem-solving will often create their own entertainment, which usually looks like barking, chewing, or racing around.

Medical Causes to Rule Out First

Before you build a training plan, have your veterinarian check for health problems that can look like behavior problems.

Pain is a frequent culprit. A dog with an aching hip, sore neck, or dental disease may pace, pant, or refuse to settle because lying down hurts. Senior dogs can develop cognitive dysfunction, which often shows up as pacing and panting at night, restlessness, and sometimes disorientation [1]. That pattern is different from ordinary evening energy and needs a veterinary workup.

Other medical issues that can cause restlessness include hormonal disease, heart or lung problems, gastrointestinal discomfort, and skin conditions that cause constant itching. If your dog's inability to relax started suddenly in an adult dog with no prior history, a medical cause moves to the top of the list.

Your veterinarian will decide what testing is needed. Do not give any sedative, antihistamine, or supplement to calm your dog without veterinary guidance, because the dose depends on your dog's weight and health status.

When Calming Down Becomes a Real Problem

Some arousal is normal. It becomes a problem when it interferes with daily life. Signs that you need more than a training tweak include:

Your dog cannot settle at all, even after exercise and a calm environment.
Nighttime restlessness is disrupting your sleep or your dog's sleep.
Your dog growls, snaps, or guards food, toys, or resting spots when approached [1].
Your dog cannot focus around other dogs, lunges, or panics on walks.
Your dog injures themselves or destroys property during episodes.

Resource guarding deserves special attention because it can be genetic or learned, often after a dog has had to defend scarce resources from other dogs [1]. If your dog guards items or people, do not try to fix it by taking things away. That approach increases risk. Get professional help.

How to Get My Dog to Calm Down: Step by Step

Build a Predictable Routine

Anxious dogs do better when life is consistent and predictable [1]. Feed, walk, train, and rest at roughly the same times each day. Predictability lowers the number of surprises your dog has to cope with, and it gives them a reliable signal that nothing bad is about to happen.

Teach a Settle Cue

Pick a mat or bed. Toss a treat onto it, and reward your dog for standing on it. Over several short sessions, reward lying down, then reward staying down for a few seconds, then longer. Keep sessions to a few minutes and end before your dog gets frustrated. The goal is a dog who hears "settle" and lies down on the mat on their own.

For puppies, this pairs well with basic manners work. Our guide on Dog Training Tips Puppy covers foundation skills that make settling easier.

Use Exercise and Enrichment Together

Physical exercise burns energy, but mental work tires dogs in a different way. Sniffing walks, food puzzles, scatter feeding, and chew items all give your dog a job. A tired dog is easier to settle, but an over-tired dog is often worse. Watch for the point where your dog gets frantic instead of calmer, and stop there.

If your dog barks during play or when left alone, our article on How To Get My Dog To Stop Barking explains how to separate excitement barking from distress barking.

Practice Calm Around Other Dogs

This is one of the hardest skills, and it needs distance. Start far enough away that your dog can see another dog and still take treats and respond to you. Reward any moment your dog looks at the other dog and then back at you. Move closer only when your dog stays relaxed. If your dog stops eating or starts staring hard, you are too close. Back up.

Group classes can help, but only if the instructor keeps dogs at a working distance. A dog who is over threshold is not learning.

Set Up the Environment for Rest

Create a sleeping area that is dark, quiet, and away from foot traffic. White noise or a fan can mask outside sounds. Some dogs settle better with a crate or pen, and others do better with an open bed. Choose based on what your dog actually relaxes in.

For nighttime specifically, keep the hour before bed low key. Dim the lights, skip rough play, and take a final quiet walk. If your dog still paces and pants at night, especially if they seem disoriented, talk to your veterinarian about cognitive dysfunction and other medical causes [1].

Consider Trained Animal Interaction

Contact with a calm, trained animal has been linked to lower stress measures in people, including reduced anxiety and lower cortisol after brief interactions [3][4]. If your household already includes a steady, well-socialized dog, your puppy may learn settling behavior by watching them. This is not a substitute for training, but a calm companion can help set the emotional tone of the home.

What Not to Do

Do not punish growling, pacing, or barking. Punishment can suppress the warning signs of anxiety without addressing the cause, and it raises the risk of bites. If your dog growls over a resource, that growl is information, and removing it makes your dog more dangerous, not safer [1].

Do not use crates as punishment. A crate should be a place your dog chooses to rest.

Do not rely on "tiring them out" alone. A dog with anxiety can exercise all day and still not settle. In the agility study, beginner dogs showed more stress-related behaviors like licking and panting even during a structured activity, which shows that activity alone does not equal calm [2].

Do not assume a dog who cannot settle is being defiant. That framing leads to harsher handling and worse outcomes.

Do not give human medications or over-the-counter sedatives without veterinary direction.

When to Involve a Veterinarian or Certified Behavior Professional

Call your veterinarian if your dog's restlessness is new, if it happens mostly at night, or if it comes with disorientation, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, or limping [1]. These signs point toward a medical workup before behavior work.

Ask for a referral to a veterinary behaviorist or a certified behavior consultant if your dog has bitten, guards resources, or cannot function around other dogs. Behavioral modification is critical to managing anxiety, and the exact strategy depends on the cause and any other behavior issues present [1]. A qualified professional can build that plan safely.

For general manners and puppy foundation work, our guides on Dog Training Tips For Puppies and Dog Training Tips And Tricks can support the plan your veterinarian or trainer gives you.

Limitations and When to Contact a Veterinarian

This article gives general guidance. Individual cases need a veterinarian who can examine your dog, ask about the full history, and decide what testing or treatment is appropriate.

Contact your veterinarian the same day if your dog:

Paces and pants at night with no clear trigger, especially if they seem disoriented [1]
Stops eating or drinking
Shows sudden behavior change in an adult dog with no prior history
Cannot settle for more than a day despite your best efforts

Go to an emergency clinic now if your dog:

Collapses, has a seizure, or has trouble breathing
Shows severe pain, a bloated abdomen, or repeated unproductive vomiting
Bites a person or another animal and causes injury
Is exposed to a toxin

For poison emergencies in the United States, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661.

Schedule a routine visit if your dog's arousal is manageable but not improving, if you are unsure whether pain is involved, or if you want help choosing between training and medication.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a dog to learn to calm down?

It varies with age, breed, history, and how consistent you are. Puppies often need months of short daily practice to build real impulse control. Adult dogs with anxiety may improve faster once the trigger is identified and managed, but progress is usually gradual.

Should I use a crate to calm my dog down?

A crate can help if your dog already sees it as a safe resting spot. If your dog panics in a crate, it will raise arousal instead of lowering it. Watch your dog's behavior and choose the setup they actually relax in.

Can I give my dog a supplement to help them relax?

Only with veterinary guidance. Some products interact with medications or are unsafe for dogs with certain health conditions. Your veterinarian can tell you whether a product is appropriate and how much to give based on your dog's weight and health.

Why does my dog get hyper at night?

Nighttime restlessness has several possible causes, including insufficient daytime activity, an irregular schedule, pain, or age-related cognitive changes in senior dogs [1]. If the pattern is new or comes with disorientation, have your veterinarian evaluate your dog.

Will another dog help my puppy calm down?

A calm, well-socialized adult dog can model settled behavior and provide companionship. Brief contact with a trained animal has been associated with lower stress measures in people [3][4]. Your puppy still needs their own training and routine, and not every adult dog tolerates a puppy well.

References

Anxious behavior: How to help your dog cope with unsettling situations. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Behavioral and Cortisol-Based Evaluation of Stress in Dogs During Agility Training. Journal of applied animal welfare science : JAAWS, 2026.
Therapy Dogs During In-Office Laryngologic Procedures: A Pilot Study. Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation, 2026.
Brief therapy dog interactions may increase self-efficacy and lower perceived stress and cortisol in high school students: a preliminary study. Frontiers in psychology, 2026.