Instructions
Reinforce your dog's behavior when you see it doing something you want to encourage. When your dog is being quiet, lying peacefully at your feet or on the bed with you, gently pet it and speak softly. Never yell at your dog or use harsh corrections to get it to do what you want it to do. When you see your dog interacting well with little children, neighborhood dogs or animals, let it know that it is doing something that pleases you by offering treats, praise and lavish petting.
Speak quietly to your dog whenever you have a need to interact. Give gentle and kind suggestions and requests, not demands or commands. Use subtle hand signals when training as opposed to harsh corrections such as jerking up on a choke chain. Choke chains should never be used on a dog exhibiting peaceful and happy behavior. Choke chains are for judicious use only on dogs that need extra-strong corrections.
Wake your dog softly and gently. Do not raise your voice especially if your dog is sleeping, snoozing or relaxing. Never raise your voice, yell or grab at your dog. Doing so will cause your dog to be neurotic, making for a very unhappy dog.
If your dog is frantic and you need to calm it in a hurry, gently massage his chest area, which will immediately put your dog at ease.
Begin training your dog to be calm and happy from the moment you bring it home. A dog that has never been yelled at, hit or mistreated will grow up to be an emotionally healthy and happy dog. A dog that has known nothing but love and kindness will develop a deep trust of humans and a close bond with its owner. Raising your dog humanely will result in a calm, happy and emotionally stable dog.
Understand that your dog may be fearful of things such as thunder and lightening, firecrackers, fireworks, sirens, loud voices and other fear inducers. This may be a throwback behavior, particularly in cases of shelter dogs who may have been mistreated before they come to their new homes. In extreme cases, you can administer a remedy available at most health food stores made with a mixture of Bach flowers and other herbs. If homeopathic preparations do not work, your veterinarian may prescribe an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication to give your dog to support your training efforts.
How to Train Your Dog to Be Calm & Happy
Training a dog to sit and stay is relatively easy, but training a dog to be calm and happy depends upon not only the dog's personality, but yours as well. Dogs are sensitive animals and pick up cues in their environment coming from the people they love. In her book, "On Talking Terms With Dogs," Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas discusses how dogs calm themselves and other animals through the use of subtle body signals. Humans put out those signals all the time, and dogs easily pick up on them. So, if you're not calm and happy, you'll have a hard time training your dog to be calm and happy. So take a deep breath and think Zen thoughts.