Aim for the cat rather than the dog. The dog goes off the second the door knocks, while the cat waits, watches, and still moves decisively when it decides to move.

What the research says

In a randomised trial of skills training informed by dialectical behaviour therapy, what carried the benefit was a shift towards expressing anger directly and assertively rather than either swallowing it or exploding. Assertive is the middle thing the cat is doing. The trial was in people with borderline personality disorder, so the group is specific and the finding concerns the mediating path rather than a rule for everyone.

Strength of evidence: one line of research. A single study, or a theoretical account.