05/22/2026
Let's chat about self soothing with our pal Stuart.
We would all like to bubble wrap our pups to keep them safe, but that isn't realistic long term. By encouraging your young pup (yes, Stuart is enormous but he's just a babe) to self soothe, you're helping to build confidence, increasing their independence, and most importantly teaching them resilience. Showing your pup how to bounce back when bad things do happen is one of the most important life lessons you can gift them.
Michael was doing something "scary" .... well scary to Stuart ... by spreading some mulch. This is a task that Stuart isn't used to, and Stuart was stuck between protecting humans and being nosy about this new thing. He came to me several times for reassurance. I gave him some pets but encouraged him to continue toinvestigate. He did but kept coming back to me.
Because Stuart won't always have me to lean on, we have to find another alternative for him to release the tension. In cases like this, we use the "find your toy" game. This game encourages the pups to find a toy and play with it themselves. By chewing or otherwise playing, they're working their mouths and brains to take their focus off the "scary" thing. The other benefit is that rather than running or hiding, they're staying near the "scary" event, observing, so their brains are getting positive feedback from the play while they're watching whatever has them concerned.
Any toy will work, but something that encourages chewing like these Nylabones or a food toy will help motivate them to stay in that moment. Remember that it's okay to show some reassurance when they're scared, but we also need to show them, without forcing them, that not everything is that scary.
Happy training! Oh, and Stuart is going to a foster today who will likely adopt him, but there are always more wonderful adoptable dogs at Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue.
