Even Working Dogs Need a Break

“I’m a dog, I’m a workin’ dog, I’m a hard workin’ dog!”  – Cow Dog Song, Sesame Street

Working dogs were purposely bred to herd, hunt, haul, or guard and now include 31 breeds such as the Akita, Boerboel, and Great Dane. Today, many of these pups, such as the Doberman Pinscher and the Boxer, have found new roles for their strong work ethic within the family unit and community, serving as child guardians or guide dogs for the blind. 

In the past, most working dogs lived on farms or in open terrain, often enduring inclement weather and living among all sorts of wildlife. Today, they’re more likely to live in family homes, apartments, or in cities. Luckily, most human companions of these breeds are aware of their specific needs and provide their pups with daily exercise, socialization, and enrichment to keep their lively minds and bodies well occupied.  

But what about the dog who gets all of these needs met but still doesn’t know how to settle? 

If your pup is exhibiting unwanted, attention-seeking behaviors such as whining, pawing, jumping, and barking, despite having all of the above needs met, your dog is probably over-energized, not under-exercised. Thus, the trick is to actually do less during downtime. 

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that you drop anything from your current active schedule. Definitely keep your dog walker, go on your bonding runs, head to the park and play fetch, feed your pup with food puzzles, etc. But, after all that activity, your pup needs to learn how to turn it off. Right now, he is always on. He simply does not know how to calm himself, how to settle, and what to do with all this frenetic energy that is still buzzing around his li’l dog body. Fortunately, the solutions are very simple - and the good news is that you do not need to buy a flock of sheep.

Leslie McDevitt’s Pattern Games are a terrific way to get handler focus in any situation, even when walking your pup on leash down the street (anything and everything from McDevitt’s Control Unleashed series of books and/or DVDs is amazingly helpful for channeling frenetic energy into calm, controlled behaviors). One simple exercise is to count 2-3 steps, stop, then treat. Need to get somewhere quick? Work on this exercise until you’re able to stay moving while playing. 

See a friend and want to stop to chat? As your pup faces you, toss a treat on the ground right in front of her. When she looks up, do it again. The goal is for her to look at you with engagement and focus. The reinforcement is a treat, and in receiving it, she gets to do the game again. Focus, engagement, and interaction will hone her frenetic energy. It’s a win for all involved.

And check out this pup learning to “Take a Breath.” This exercise was developed by veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall and teaches your dog to self-soothe while working. And seriously, how cute is that pup?!

But, in my experience, Suzanne Clothier’s Really Real Relaxation Protocol (RRRP) is the fastest and most effective relaxation exercise. When I first watched her videos, I was skeptical that I would have the same magical success - but I was astounded at how simple it was. I tried this for the first time with a client whose dog barked shrilly and incessantly whenever the owner’s attention was elsewhere. We had tried everything from the exercises mentioned above to “T Touch” to less running with mom to more running with mom to white noise machines to food puzzles. The list was endless yet the problem continued. To be fair, these tactics did help with things like a more calming bedtime ritual, but nothing was making a dent in the “Pay attention to me NOW!” barking. 

Since the barking trigger seemed to be when mom was in Zoom meetings, we did a Zoom session and launched into the RRRP right away. Within about 45 seconds, Emdash was already starting to calm down. Within about two minutes, she was sitting and had shifted her weight onto one hip. Then she was lying down. Then her head was on her mom’s thigh. And not one bark. Not one paw. Within a few minutes she was more relaxed than she had ever been during any of our sessions together - and we were talking on her trigger (a Zoom call) the entire time. 

I’m here to testify that The Really Real Relaxation Protocol really, really works. And the beauty of these exercises? Both you and your pup can just relax together. 

So whether you have a working dog or just a hyper pup, take some time to learn how to chill. You’ll both be better off for it.