"Emotional self-regulation is the ability to modify or control your thoughts, emotions, actions, and words, ... Self-regulating your emotional state can stop you from saying or doing things that might hurt others or yourself." * (Quoted from the site linked below.)
It's critical to teach our over excited/ stressy dogs to regulate their emotions.
However, before we can do that, we need to learn to do this ourselves.
We can't "Do as I say, not as I do." We have to do it, too!
Working on 'calm' behaviours with our dogs is always useful , but if they live a wildly exciting or stressful life, standalone lessons will have little impact. We might achieve calm behaviour during the lesson, but if nothing else changes, the dog's behaviour elsewhere (and ours) will stay the same too. Practise what you learn in your lessons, in real life situations.
*This post explains emotional regulation under the following headings.
What is it?
Why is it important?
How does it develop?
Strategies to help you manage emotional and mental health.
Tips and Techniques for emotional self regulation.
This graphic is from this site.
Where it says 'child', read 'dog'.
It's applicable.
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