The thing about having a dog is that he can be challenging to deal with. Many pet owners find it difficult to calm their scared or nervous dogs. And this is how even they can’t have a good time when out or chilling at home. You need a lot of patience when you have a dog, don’t you? But here are five best ways to relax with your dog.

Everybody wants their pets to live a healthy, happy life, right? So it takes effort on your part to achieve that goal. And nothing comes easy, especially when dealing with a hyperactive, scared, or nervous dog.

So let’s find out what you can do to calm your dog so that even you can have a relaxed time with him.

#1 Music

If you think that only humans calm their senses by listening to soothing music, then think again. Dogs have that ability too. This is why many pet owners leave the radio or television on when the dog is alone at home.

There’s even a special genre of specialised dog-calming music. The tunes go a long way in settling down anxious dogs. These are simple sounds that provide peaceful auditory assimilation.

Many pet owners adopt this method to treat issues like travel anxiety and separation anxiety. You will be quite surprised to know that dog-calming music is also designed to desensitise dogs that have noise phobias.

So out of the five best ways to relax with your dog, playing music is something that you would enjoy as well. Wouldn’t you agree?

#2 Exercise

When you exercise, you relieve stress. This theory works with dogs too. If your dog is anxious, then she needs to get moving, quite literally.

I’m sure you already know the health benefits of exercising. But nevertheless, I’m going to list some of the most important ones below.

• It stimulates serotonin production, which is responsible for uplifting the mood.
• It helps in getting rid of all the excessive tension and energy that often leads to anxiety in dogs.
• It also makes dealing with conditions like nervous tension and separation anxiety easier.

When you tire your dog, the chances of him remaining calm and composed are highly likely. So at the end of the physical exercise, you can sit with him and relax for a while.

You should know that anxiety creates uncontrollable energy in the body. And exercising helps in relieving that excessive energy and stress. Humans do it and so do dogs!

Here’s another fact that not many pet owners know. Dogs are scared of thunderstorms and fireworks, aren’t they? So if you're aware of something like that coming up, you should make it a point to get your dog tired. Take him out for some physical exercise before the thunderstorm sets in or before the fireworks begin.

You can take your dog out for a jog or walk, play fetch, or go swimming. The goal is to exhaust all the energy so he can sleep through the rough.

#3 Mind Games

Mental exercise is just as important as physical activity. We often tend to underestimate this. Getting your dog mentally tired offers the same benefits as physical exercise. But here, the objective is to help your dog calm down so you can have a peaceful time with her, isn’t it?

So what you can do is assign her a job. Make your dog work for her food. This is considered to be the easiest mental exercise for dogs, and also one that is incredibly rewarding.

When you skip giving your dog food in her bowl, you’re also transforming dinner and breakfast time into training sessions. And we all know important these are for helping anxious, nervous, or scared dogs relax.

At such times, you can buy toys like Food Bomb or Kong Wobbler. These are an ideal choice for making the dog work for her food. Other excellent options include stuffing a Kong or Squirrel Dude with dog food, especially the canned version. You can then freeze it before placing it right in front of your dog. She will take as long as an hour to figure out how to get her snack out and into her mouth.

Some pet owners incorporate training sessions as a part of the day. During these sessions, they teach the dog all the basics including agility and tricks. You can also add some mental activity to physical exercise. This can be achieved by using commands like sit, down, and stay during a walk.

And one thing that you won’t realise is that you’re calming and training yourself as well along the process. So you don’t need five best ways to relax with your dog because this one should be enough.

#4 Aromatherapy

Did you know that there are dog essential oils that offer mental and body calming properties? These are specially created for dog aromatherapy. You can do this for 10 minutes on a daily basis. I like to refer to it as maintenance massage.

Rub the formula on your palms and gently massage it into the dog’s body. Pay close attention to every layer of hair all the way through to the skin, muscle, fat, and bone. This is considered to be a great way of bonding with your dog. And that helps in relaxing both your mind and your dog’s as well.

#5 Verbal Praise

There’s a reason why people say that words matter. But when it comes to dogs, even your tone plays a significant role in calming him down. Maintain a medium-pitched, even tone when talking to your dog. Do that even when he’s hard to deal with.

Soon after he settles down, repeat the words “good dog” and pat him as much as you like. Your tone of voice is what he can relate to. It might help him relax just when he needs to do that the most. Once you achieve the desired results, you can sit or take a nice long walk with your dog to clear your mind.

Final Thoughts

So these are the five best ways to relax with your dog. Did you like them and have you ever tried any?

Making an effort to relieve the dog’s anxiety goes a long way in improving both his physical and mental condition. But you also need to find out the causes of such behaviour. And if you think that he’s getting out of control or you’re finding it unable to calm him down, and then please seek professional help.

But don’t give up on your dog. You need tonnes of patience and dedication to achieve a goal like this. More often than not, a dog’s anxiety symptoms are easy to deal with.

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading the article. If there’s anything that you would like to share with us here, please go ahead.

Do you have any other best ways to relax with your dog? Do let us know!

About the author:

Ruby Smith started her blog to encourage pet owners to provide their pets with a healthy and happy life. She understands that every pet owner shares a unique relationship with his or her pet. So she has been writing articles to help them build a better and stronger connection with each other.

Sources:

1. https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/7-natural-remedies-for-anxious-dogs
2. http://www.dreamk9.com/2013/07/16-steps-to-a-calm-relaxed-dog/
3. http://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/evr_dg_how-to-calm-down-an-anxious-dog