Research has found that activities which are social in nature were most effective for increasing relaxation and reducing stress in dogs. And this is not only beneficial for all and every dog but also when it comes to separation anxiety training.

🧍‍♀️🐕‍🦺 Social activities involve interactions (or training) with a human or another dog and whereas it won’t be possible for everyone to provide their dog with dog to dog play every day, you can definitely make the most of your time with your dog.

Here are some things you can do:

🤓 Teach your dog new behaviours or fun tricks and work on this a little every day, using positive reinforcement of course.

🐕 Teach your dog to jump up on things on cue and go on a parkour walk in the city or a park.

👃 Sign up to a scent training course and make this part of your every day routine with your dog.

😉 And also don’t forget to play with your dog; have them chase you, tugging, whatever they like!

And if you have a reactive or anxious dog and find these suggestions hard to implement, give me a shout and I’ll do a video on tips just for you.