Calming Signals for YOUR Dog.

I just ignore my dogs and if I have to, turn my back to them and make it obvious they are not getting attention the way they are acting, or that I don't care about whatever is getting them worked up so why should they care.  If they are REALLY being bad (like Coke repeatedly jumping), I'll actually back out the door and stand there until they calm down.

Liesje

I just ignore my dogs and if I have to, turn my back to them and make it obvious they are not getting attention the way they are acting, or that I don't care about whatever is getting them worked up so why should they care.  If they are REALLY being bad (like Coke repeatedly jumping), I'll actually back out the door and stand there until they calm down.

Hmmm... I do that too, when its just me.  But when it involves kids or say my mom who has severe arthritis, I can't just say, Oh ignore them, they'll go away.  Crusher can really hurt my mom just by bumping into her for a skritch.

If the boys are behaving badly I do what Liesje said but it's different if we are in a situation where one of them needs to be calmed or reassured.

First I speak to them very quietly so that they look to me.  Then I place one of my hands on the side of their face and under their ear.  I've found that Monroe likes a little scritch this way and it calms him to have that attention.  Morrison almost snuggles into my palm and closes his eyes.  It's very sweet actually.

I was always taught its not ok to hold a dogs muzzle like that but that is kinda old skool thinking I guess.

Rory responds very well to a "zzzzztttt" noise. I was also told to never use a dogs name as a reprimand or any command I guess. That noise zaps her out of whatever she is getting excited about. Don't laugh but she also responds to me yawning at her as well.

Primo rarely needs any kind of restraint or relaxing techniques. He will "stay" perfectely....its "come" that he has a issue with. But that boy will sit/stay regardless of what is going on, people knocking on the door, dogs on the other side of the fence, anything. Except cats.....ugh! But then all I need to do is put a hand on his chest, no pressure just a hand.

 I might add that if either Tyler or I have been gone all day and Crusher is feeling like he missed us, he will come up behind us and stick his nose though the back of our legs, and just stand there.  Sometimes his head comes right through to the front so he can look up at you and sometimes he just snuggles his nose and muzzle in there.  Maybe he's just a muzzle man? 

Having just finished watching Turid's Calming Signals DVD, twice, I have learned a lot more calming signals than I had already had put in place. If there is any DVD that dog parents should watch, it is this one. Simply amazing, and breathtaking.

I use a lot of calming signals with my girls. I have used yawning, turning sideways, turning completely away, turning my head. I routinely use arcs where available in passing by other dogs, even if I have to create the arc by moving my own dogs. I use head turns (by teaching attention) to send signals to other dogs.

I also am constantly watching their calming signals to the world around them. They are a huge indicator of their state of mind at any given moment. And I also know when we have moved too far, when there stop BEING any calming signals, such as if Gaci goes tense and begins staring. The loss of calming signals sends just as much of a message as using them does.

A muzzle grab, though, is not considered a calming signal. It is more of a controlling movement that one uses to control the actions of another dog. It's usually a type of punishment one dog gives to another when calming signals have failed. Calming signals do not involve physical contact between dog and dog, or dog and human. It might have a calming *effect*, but it's not considered a calming signal.

I've heard the yawning thing works, that is so funny to me, though.  I guess its a subliminal message..."You are boring me."  LOL

Holding the muzzle on Heidi would just amp her up...it would be a challenge...so I don't do that. 

When she needs calming because she is being bratty, I'll first say "knock it off", then put her in a sit...praise that...then the real cincher at that point is rubbing her chest.  She will then melt slowly down into calm submission.  Works every time. 

Buddy never needs calming. 

Huskymom, I have a question for you.  You mentioned that when Onyx jumps up on you, you tell her to get down.  Are you putting her in the down position when you say that?  Or just down off of you?  The reason I ask, is we have that command conflict around my house.  I always use the word "out" when she jumps up because "down" means something completely different.  DH used to use the word "down" and I always argued that it is confusing to use the same command for two different things.  We are now command consistent, btw.

Kim's distinction between calming "signals" and things we do to calm them down that are 'touches' is wise.

The biggest thing I do for mine is NOT wind them up.  I do, often, deliberately wind them up when we're having fun.  But when I need them to be calm I make sure my voice is low, no-nonsense and there is clear direction.  I put them in a 'sit' first thing. 

Anything 'over the muzzle' is pretty much an old inate dominance thing harking back to the alpha putting its mouth OVER the mouth of a subordinate dog.  It's why many dogs hate a Gentle Leader -- because they hate that nose band that so obviously says "human in charge".

I probably wouldn't put my fingers over the top of a dog's muzzle I didn't know -- it could get you bitten.  It's probably something that kid was shown ... and because he's calm, cool and collected and matter-of-fact about it he gets away with it and instantly established himself as 'in charge'.

With a dog I don't know well, the first calming thing I'd do would be to caress the back of the head where the skull meets the neck -- and with one hand just fingers on one side and thumb on the other, gently massage with a very gentle but firm pressure.  That's a body calming point -- acupuncturists use it -- it's pretty widely known.

But it also lets me assess how tight the skin is on the back of the neck which is a darned good indicator of what that dog is feeling if you can't gauge any other way. 

 Kim, thats interesting.  I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a copy of that.  There was definitely no hesitation when Kendel did it.  Nor was there any malice in it.  It was very matter of fact and natural, just the way I do it.  I guess it was just a familiar signal to Crusher then.  BTW, he was back again yesterday and both dogs acted the same towards him as they do towards Kale when he comes home, whereas they still act up whenever our nextdoor neighbor, whom we see everyday shows up.  Just a testiment I guess to the effects a persons attitude has on a dog. 

Oh, and when I tell Onyx down, she goes right into a down stay.  No confusion there, she can't stand on her hind feet if she's laying on the ground.  The other thing is that she doesn't really jump ON anyone.  She just wants to be taller.  She does it often too, not just in front of people.  I've seen her stand on her hindlegs to look out the window for like 2 or 3 minutes at a time.

If I'm having to put any verbal pressure on a dog, I make sure I give them physical space.  This applies to both a correction, and a request for something more difficult.  If I'm asking for any kind of "give", I make sure they have the freedom to do that.  I have a "settle" and an "off" command for various things, and those are "pressure" commands as well. I make sure if they are giving space, I'm not taking it, or trying to "make" them give by leaning at them.

I have terrible posture, and I'm a leaner, and I'm generally excitable, so if I simply pay attention to my breathing, smile, suck in my gut and put my head where it's supposed to be, it relieves a ton of pressure and most dogs respond extremely well.

Last night a thunderstorm came through complete with tornadoes within a few miles of here, penny sized hail, the whole nine yards.  Ben's pretty thunderphobic, but I've taught him to come lay with me, and a couple of years ago I learned that simply touching him and slowing down my breathing, caused him to relax incredibly quickly and hardly respond even at the height of the noise.

Last night they were expecting it to take hours and hours for the storm to pass, and it was a lu-lu as I said.  I'd been working really hard that day and I had not done my Pilates yet before lying down with Ben.  My mattress is pretty firm, so I went ahead and started doing my mat.

It was amazing!  Before I'd completed one exercise, Ben was fast asleep!  So, the moral of the story is, I don't know what - try yoga or Pilates?  I think it accomplishes the same thing as the yawn - a redirection of energy down to the core, deep relaxed breathing, but it's more focused.

 

holding the muzzle like that is usually done as a punishment- and seems to be viewed that way by most dogs. You need to distinguish between "calm" and "subdued cause mom is mad/punishing me".

The biggest thing that we do that's helped Willow in all kinds of different situations, to help her if she's afraind, to calm her if she's excited and to snap her out of it if she's getting aggressive is the words "it's gentle".  I started saying that to her whenever I needed to do something like wash her face or do her teeth and she was nervous about it.  Now, it's to the point where those words calm her in most situations.