Looking for games to help with calming an anxious dog, or dog who is over-excited or stressed? Then read on! Pattern games are a great way of calming an anxious dog.

Pattern games are exactly as they sound! They are repeated patterns which provide a predictable and calm framework for your dog. Pattern games are also hopefully fun and engaging for them too!

They aren’t placing a lot of pressure on your dog to do something complex. Some dog training exercises can be too difficult for dogs to achieve in a very stimulating environment. They are simple, but take focus.

By carrying out these predictable patterns of movement which you’ve already paired with a calm environment, you can help to induce a feeling of calmness in your dog if they are starting to struggle with heightened emotions.

It is easy to ask too much of our dogs when they are in a state of heightened emotion. This may end up making them more stressed. Just imagine that you are trying to work your way through a busy one way system in a city you don’t know…

Then someone asks you to do a maths equation! Eek! Head melting territory.

But perhaps you can manage reciting the words to your favourite song? In fact, doing this nice familiar task could calm your stress!

That calming effect is what we’re aiming for using pattern games with anxious dogs!

So you do this by practicing at home first, with no distractions around. Then in different positions in the room, then in different rooms, your back garden, front garden. Then quiet spots on walks and then in increasingly distracting environments. Keep up practicing at home too so that the games aren’t just associated with being in a high distraction environment. We want them to be connected with a calm state of mind.

But you can then use them in a range of situations where you want to help your dog to feel calmer.

For example, if you’re waiting your turn at the vets, waiting for a dog to pass by on the other side of the road, or someone is making a lot of noise next door. If your dog is starting to feel anxious or over-overexcited, then engaging them in a pattern game like the up and down game, or ping pong, can help to ground them back into the familiar and calm.

Pattern games have been developed by Leslie McDevitt, and there are a whole host to try. Different patterns will be useful to different dogs in different stages of their training. We might also use different games in different scenarios. I use a variety in my training plans for calming an anxious dog so they can learn to feel comfortable.

The Up Down pattern game, and Ping Pong pattern games are great introductions to Leslie McDevitt’s pattern games. They are nice and simple for both dogs and guardians and can be done with humans standing or sitting.

Check them out in the video below! Then find out more about which dogs might benefit below.

Even just looking at the two featured in this video we can see that they are simple and similar to each other, but one may suit your dog more than the other.

If your dog struggles to focus and gets easily distracted, or keeping close to you helps to provide them with reassurance, then the up and down game might be a great option.

However, if your dog finds it really hard to stay still when they are feeling stressed or excited then keeping them moving may better help them to move on from whatever is exciting them or making them feel anxious.

And that might even change for your dog depending on how they are feeling that day! Or it might change depending on what the trigger is.

So you can try one, and if your dog is struggling, then try the other! If your dog is struggling to be able to do either, then you probably need a little more space between your dog and their trigger.

I would love to hear from you!

Head over to the contact page HERE and tell me a little more about your dog and I can let you know how I can help.