How to Calm an Overstimulated Dog

Not every dog gets overstimulated easily, but the pet parents of those who do know the signs all too well, including barking, pacing, and hyperactivity. And for those dogs in a sustained period of overstimulation, the symptoms are even more distressing: overstimulated dogs may be in a constant state of alert, frequently bark at noises, and have a hard time calming down.

Luckily, there are a number of tactics you can use to help calm an overstimulated pup. Read on to learn more. 

Why do dogs get overstimulated?

Dogs may become overstimulated when exposed to overwhelming external stimuli in their environment. Their sensory receptors, which are found in dogs’ hearing, smelling, seeing, feeling, and tasting systems, carry sensory information to processing circuits in the central nervous system, which then tells them how to react. 

Dogs receive this information constantly, and many can adapt. But, especially when faced with a number of different kinds of stimuli — strong smells, noisy environments, being around a lot of new people, etc. — dogs may become overstimulated. 

When overstimulated, a dog’s sympathetic nervous system releases chemicals that fuel their reaction. For example, overstimulated dogs’ hearts might beat faster, their pupils might dilate, they may start to lick their lips, yawn, or pant.

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How to calm down an overstimulated dog

There are a few key ways you can calm down an overstimulated dog, including: 

1. Learn what overstimulates your dog. The best way to curb overstimulation is to avoid it in the first place, so it’s important to know what triggers overstimulation in your dog. For example, if you know the doorbell triggers your dog, ask visitors not to ring it.

2. Create a calm environment. Some stimuli can’t be controlled, such as sounds outside your home, like construction, or your neighbors’ actions. In those cases, stimuli can often be counteracted. For example, some dogs respond well to white noise machines that block out external, stressful sounds. Dogs also respond well to routine, so try to keep what you can control — their home environment and daily activities — as consistent as possible. 

3. Work on training. Training your dog obedience cues in calm environments and then working up to practicing those same commands in stimulating environments is another helpful preventive measure. If they have practice responding to you when faced with stimuli, they’ll be more likely to follow your command and calm down in the face of the unexpected.

4. Give them a break. If you can’t prevent or counteract stimuli, breaks from being exposed to those stimuli are key when possible. For example, exercise can help distract your dog from their overstimulation and focus their rush of adrenaline (but only if they’re exercising in an environment that is free from upsetting stimuli, of course).