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The short answer: the fastest way to calm a dog is to stop adding energy and give their brain something calming to do. Go quiet and still, get some distance from whatever set them off, scatter a handful of small treats on the floor so they have to sniff them out, and — if they come to you — stroke slowly along the chest and shoulders rather than patting the head. Sniffing, licking and chewing are things dogs do to settle themselves. What works best depends on why your dog is wound up: a frightened dog needs safety and distance, an over-excited dog needs less stimulation, and a frustrated dog needs the barrier or the leash tension taken away. Nothing truly works instantly on a panicking dog, and anything you give by mouth — including hemp — takes time to act, so it belongs before predictable stressful events, not in the middle of one.
Written by Marc Brannigan, Co-Founder & CEO of HempMy Pet. Last updated 11 November 2026.
First: Why Is Your Dog Wound Up?
Three very different states look alike from across the room. Ten seconds of watching tells you which.
Tail low or tucked, ears back, body lowered, trembling, panting, pacing, hiding, trying to leave, whale eye. The fix is safety and distance. Don't ask for obedience; get them out of the situation. Our guide to signs of stress in dogs covers the body language in detail.
Zoomies, jumping, mouthing, barking at play, can't stop. Body loose and bouncy, tail high and wagging. The fix is less stimulation. Stop the game, go still, and lower the energy in the room.
Barking at the window or fence, lunging on the leash at another dog, whining at a closed door. Body forward and tense. The fix is removing the barrier or the view and giving the energy somewhere to go.
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The 60-Second Reset
Works for all three, in this order.
- 1. Go still and quiet. Stop talking, stop moving fast, lower your voice if you speak at all. Repeating “calm down” in an urgent voice tells the dog something is wrong.
- 2. Add distance. Step away from the trigger, close the curtain, move to another room, or turn and walk the other way on the leash. Distance is the single biggest lever for a frightened or frustrated dog.
- 3. Give the nose a job. Scatter a small handful of tiny treats on the floor or in the grass and let your dog search for them. Sniffing slows dogs down and redirects their attention. A lick mat or a long-lasting chew does the same for licking and chewing.
- 4. Slow touch, if they want it. If your dog leans into you, stroke slowly and firmly along the chest and the side of the shoulders. In a study measuring heart activity in 28 pet dogs, petting on the chest was linked to a more relaxed heart rhythm, while holding the dog around the head was not. Skip hugs and patting on the head.
- 5. Then a simple, known cue. Once they can take a treat calmly, ask for something easy they know — sit, down, go to your mat — and reward it quietly.
You can't talk a dog down. You can give it space, a job for its nose, and a quiet person to lean on.
What Makes It Worse
- Shouting, scolding or physical correction. It adds fear or frustration to whatever was already there.
- Hugging, holding the face or pinning the dog. Restraint feels threatening to most dogs, especially upset ones.
- Forcing them to face the trigger. Flooding a frightened dog with what scares them sensitises rather than cures.
- More exercise in the moment. A game of fetch to burn off excitement usually winds a dog up further. Exercise helps calm over the day, not in the minute.
- Dragging them out of a hiding place. If a frightened dog has found somewhere they feel safe, let them stay.
Making Calm the Default
The 60-second reset handles the moment. These change the baseline.
- Teach a settle. Reward your dog for lying on a mat or bed, starting for seconds when they are already calm and building up. Over a few weeks the mat becomes a place where relaxing pays.
- Sniff walks. Some walks should be about exploring at the dog's pace on a long line, not covering distance. Mental work tires dogs out in a calmer way than running.
- Puzzle feeders and scatter-feeding for some meals.
- Predictable routines for meals, walks and bedtime.
- Enough sleep. Adult dogs typically need far more sleep than people expect; an overtired dog is a wound-up dog.
- Rule out pain. A dog who has become reactive, irritable or restless, especially in later life, may hurt. Our arthritis signs guide is a good place to start.
When the Trigger Is Predictable
For things you can see coming — fireworks, a storm, a vet visit, a car ride, visitors — plan ahead rather than react. Our fireworks countdown plan is the model: prepare a den, exercise and toilet early, give any calming aid at the right time beforehand, and ask your vet about prescription options for dogs who panic. For dogs who struggle when left alone, see dog separation anxiety.
Where Hemp Fits — and Where It Doesn't
We make hemp for dogs, so here is exactly what it can and can't do in a calming plan.
Nothing given by mouth works in seconds, hemp included. If your dog is panicking right now, use the reset above and, if this happens often, talk to your vet about medication designed for acute fear.
In a randomised, placebo-controlled study, a single dose of CBD given about two hours before a car ride or being left alone reduced several stress measures. A separate fireworks study at a lower dose found no effect. So hemp is one reasonable tool, given ahead of time — and the doses in the positive study were well above a typical treat serving, so ask your vet.
If pain is part of why your dog is on edge, joint comfort is where the canine hemp evidence is strongest — five osteoarthritis trials, four positive, including our own 90-day university study.
If you use it: try it on a quiet day first, give it ahead of the event rather than during it, and check the serving guide. If your dog takes any medication, read what the research shows about combining them. We cover the wider evidence in hemp and CBD for dog anxiety.
For predictable stressful days, this is where owners start
Small Dog Hemp Treats2mg each · pumpkin$25
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Grown on our own Colorado farm, third-party tested every batch, and the same full-spectrum extract used in our 90-day university trial. Serving by weight →
Shop Calming SupportSee Serving by Weight
Side effects are mostly mild — drowsiness, loose stool, and a liver-enzyme change seen in three of the five published trials. Every published finding is in hemp and CBD side effects in dogs.
When to See the Vet
- Your dog panics — escape attempts, self-injury, losing bladder or bowel control
- Episodes are becoming more frequent or more intense
- New restlessness, irritability or reactivity in an older dog
- Calm-down tricks never work, even with distance and time
- You are thinking about giving any human medicine
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I touch a dog to calm it down?
If your dog wants contact, slow, firm strokes along the chest and the sides of the shoulders are usually the most soothing. In a study measuring heart activity, petting on the chest was linked to a more relaxed rhythm, while holding the dog around the head was not. Avoid hugging, holding the face or patting the top of the head, and let your dog choose whether to come to you.
Will Benadryl calm a dog down?
It makes some dogs drowsy, but it is an antihistamine, not an anti-anxiety medicine, and drowsy isn't the same as calm — a few dogs even become excitable. If you're considering it, check the right dose and product with your vet first (never a version with added decongestant), and ask whether a medication designed for anxiety would suit your dog better.
What is a natural sedative for dogs?
There is no truly natural sedative that is both safe and reliably strong. The gentler options that some dogs respond to are calming supplements such as L-theanine, alpha-casozepine and chamomile, melatonin at a vet-recommended dose, pheromone diffusers, and hemp given ahead of a predictable stressor. They work best combined with the environmental and training changes on this page. Never use human sedatives or sleeping pills.
What will stop a dog barking?
Work out what the barking is for. Barking at the window or fence is usually frustration or alertness — block the view and give your dog something else to do. Barking for attention fades when it stops working. Fearful barking needs distance and reassurance, not punishment. Shouting usually sounds to a dog like you are joining in.
How do I calm down a hyper dog?
In the moment: stop the game, go still and quiet, and give them a sniffing or chewing job. Over time: more mental exercise (sniff walks, puzzle feeders, short training sessions), a predictable routine, enough sleep, and teaching a reward-based settle on a mat. A dog who is hyper because they are under-exercised needs the right kind of activity, not just more running.
How do I calm my dog down at night?
Make the evening predictable: dinner at the same time, a calm sniff walk, a last toilet trip, a low light and the same bed. A chew or lick mat helps some dogs wind down. If an older dog is restless or pacing at night, pain, confusion and the need to go out are common reasons — our guide to dog pacing at night walks through them.
Should I comfort my dog when it's scared?
Yes. Comforting a frightened dog doesn't reward the fear. Stay close, stay calm, let them lean on you, and give them somewhere safe to go. What doesn't help is anxious fussing, which can signal that there really is something to worry about.
Does CBD calm dogs down?
It may help some dogs with predictable stress when given ahead of time: one placebo-controlled study found a single dose two hours before car travel or being left alone reduced several stress measures. Another study, using a lower dose, found no effect on fear of fireworks. It doesn't work instantly, and it isn't a substitute for prescription medication in a dog who panics.
The Short Version
Work out whether your dog is afraid, over-excited or frustrated. Then reset: go still and quiet, add distance, scatter treats to sniff, stroke the chest slowly if they want contact, and only then ask for a simple cue. Skip shouting, hugging and forcing them to face what scares them.
For the long run, teach a settle, use sniff walks and puzzle feeders, keep routines predictable, and rule out pain. Hemp belongs ahead of predictable stressful events and in a joint plan for a sore older dog — not as an instant fix.
Shop Calming SupportSigns of Stress in Dogs →
Signs of Stress in Dogs · Calming a Dog During Fireworks · What to Give a Dog for Anxiety · Separation Anxiety · Serving by Weight
Marc co-founded HempMy Pet in 2016 with his business partner Natalie Mondine, the company's COO. HempMy Pet breeds its own hemp genetics, grows them on its own Colorado farm, and formulates every batch in-house under human-grade standards — seed to sale, nothing sourced overseas. Every batch is third-party tested and the certificates of analysis are published. More about us.
HempMy Pet ran its own 90-day study of 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort. Of the 32 that completed it, 30 (93%) showed a benefit, and 94% of owners reported their dog's quality of life had improved. It was overseen by Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, MS of the Downing Center for Animal Pain Management, with Lori Kogan, Ph.D. and Peter W. Hellyer, DVM of Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, and published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. Read the methodology.
Why Dr. Downing: in 2005 she became only the third veterinarian in the world credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. She founded the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, is a Diplomate of the ACVSMR, a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, and was the AVMA's 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. Read the published paper (PDF).
This article is general information for dog owners, not veterinary advice. It is reviewed and updated as new peer-reviewed evidence is published, and where the evidence is thin or negative we say so.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. If your dog is unwell, contact your veterinarian.
