Last updated: March 22, 2023
If your small dog is having trouble relaxing, you will want to check out the following training tips.
In time, you can help your canine chum to chill out.
Start Off by Rewarding Relaxed Behavior
Using rewards, as with other types of training for dogs, can be an excellent way to train your small dog to relax.
So, start off by rewarding your dog during times when he or she isn’t barking, pulling at the lead, and showing other signs of agitation.
When rewarding relaxed behavior, it’s best to sit on a chair and lay a blanket on the floor in front of you. When your dog settles down on the blanket, drop tiny treats onto the blanket as a reward. You shouldn’t say anything to your dog during the process.
Once you have had several sessions like that and your dog is making progress, you can move onto the same tactic for rewarding specific signs of relaxation, such as when your dog rests his or her head, sighs, or shifts weight.
Leave More Time Between Settling and Rewarding
The next step is to increase the time between your dog becoming settled and rewarding him or her.
Gradually build up the time between settling and rewarding by a few seconds each time over multiple training sessions.
Use the Distraction Method to Help Your Dog Settle When Out and About
Next, get your dog to settle more when outside by introducing the distraction method.
That means rewarding your dog for settling and ignoring distractions.
For example, you could get your dog to settle in the park while a friend of yours walks by, and then increase the type of distraction slowly, such as asking your friend to run or skip past.
If your dog becomes unsettled or gets up during the training session, simply ignore your dog. Wait until he or she settles again before you hand out rewards.
If you find your pooch won’t settle at all in the face of distractions, increase the distance from the distraction and then gradually move the distraction closer.
Over time, you should try the same approach in different locations and with more distractions.
Other Ways of Helping Your Dog to Relax
There are other ways to help your dog relax other than training.
For instance, you could feed your canine buddy CBD dog treats like the ones from Honest Paws, give your dog a massage, or utilize music therapy.
Give Your Dog CBD Treats
There are some great bites and chews for dogs available that are made with full-spectrum hemp oil that contain natural CBD.
In recent times, CBD has become very popular among both humans and pets for treating a variety of conditions.
It can reduce symptoms of stress and help your dog to relax. It can also improve joint mobility and flexibility and support a healthy immune system.
Spend Time Massaging Your Dog
Another effective method to help your doggy relax is to give him or her a massage.
Dogs’ anxiety can build up in their muscles, making them tense, just as is the case with humans. So, by massaging your dog, you can relieve that tension and help him or her to be calm.
For small dogs, start at the neck and work downwards, using long strokes. It’s best to keep one hand on your dog while using the other to massage.
The more you become used to massaging your dog, the more you’ll be able to identify the specific places on his or her body where tension is at its worst. You can then focus on those particular areas.
Use the Power of Music Therapy
Music has been proven to help dogs relax.
Whether you play music at home, in the car, or at a dog-friendly hotel, it can be beneficial in soothing and calming your canine friend.
However, it is important that you play relaxing music, such as classical music, rather than something loud and angry like heavy metal.
Indeed, many studies have shown that dogs relax best to classical music rather than other types of music.
Dogs may perhaps particularly be fans of Bach!
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