Knowing where and how to pet a dog to relax is essential to your pet’s health. Some situations can cause stress, nervousness or fear, and you will not always have home remedies to relax it, such as chamomile or environmental pheromones.
For this reason, knowing the points of the body that relax you will allow you to provide peace of mind in difficult situations. Your dog will thank you for these useful massages, as they love receiving petting and pampering. Do you want to know how to do it? Let’s go there!
Index of contents
- 1 Reasons for petting a dog
- 2 How to pet your dog?
- 3 Where to pet your dog to relax?
- 4 What should we avoid during caresses?
- 5 How to pet an unknown dog?
Reasons for petting a dog
Give your dog a little massage brings many benefits for both of us. First of all, it is an activity that you can share together. Since the goal is to relax you, they will transmit a sense of peace to each other, so you too will come out calmer.
Also, during a petting session, your pressure drops and your body secretes endorphins and dopamine, in charge of relieving pain, releasing euphoria and producing satisfaction.
In the day to day, there are various situations that can cause nervousness or stress in your dog: the sound of cars, spending too much time alone at home, some discomfort or tense situation suffered with other pets, loud noises, etc.
For this reason, pet your dog or accustom him to receive massages. will allow you to break free from this tension and be calmer. You can make it a daily routine, dedicating between 10 and 15 minutes at the end of each day.
How to pet your dog?
Establish a place in the house where you can do this activity. Ideally, it should be away from noise, such as television and cars. In addition, you and your dog must feel comfortable. A quiet and noise-free room is an excellent option.
Choose a floor area with a rug. If you do not have at home, place a clean towel on the floor, you can choose one that you use from now on for the sessions. It is more effective if you do it after the daily walk, so that it has already drained its energy.
Let your dog lie down at ease and caress using your hands. They should not be superficial, sink your hands into the fur, stroking in the same direction in which it grows, to prevent your fingers from getting tangled or giving annoying jerks.
Where to pet your dog to relax?
Just like it happens to you, there are certain places that your dog finds more pleasant to receive massages or petting. Petting a dog on the head is a good way to start, it goes down from there to the spine, the back and ends in the tail, with a running caress.
Repeat this general caress several times before starting with the most localized massages. Continuing with movements of this type is very useful when your dog is very nervous or shows fear. Also, this technique is effective when you want to pet a dog to sleep.
In the daily routine, he goes from general caresses to massage areas such as the chest, armpits and chin, makes circular movements with the fingers; they must be smooth, but constant. Do not choose places at random, start at the head, go down towards the shoulders, the armpits and continue with the movements in the chest and the back; This is also a good time to pet the dog’s belly, only if he feels comfortable.
Finally, you can caress the paws. Many dogs experience reluctance to have their limbs touched, but this is usually because you do it the wrong way. Start by gently pressing your thighs, and if you feel calm, try circular massages close to the joints., stretching a little, but very carefully.
Gently stroke your toes and foot pads. To finish, he goes through her body with two sequences of general caresses.
What should we avoid during caresses?
You already know where and how to pet a dog to relax. However, also there are some things to avoid:
- Do not tickle your dog, this is very unpleasant.
- Never blow your ears or your face.
- Don’t pat him, this just makes him alert.
- Do not press the base of the tail.
- If your dog has a skin wound or tumor, avoid handling that area.
- Watch your dog’s reactions at all times. If you feel uncomfortable or tense (wag your tail, crush your ears, urinate, push your leg away), it’s best to stop the massage.
- Avoid hugging it, most dogs interpret it as a sign of threat.
How to pet an unknown dog?
You adore dogs and that makes you want to pet everyone you meet on the street. However, this can cause a bite if you are not careful. Follow these steps before petting an unknown dog:
- If the dog is with a person, check first if you can get close. If it has no owner, proceed with caution.
- Look for signs of aggressiveness or fear in the dog: body tension, grunting, raised tail, puffy eyes. If it approaches you in those conditions, carefully move away. Never try to pet a dog that is nervous.
- If the dog is relaxed, squat down to its height, but never do this with stray or aggressive dogs.
- Avoid direct eye contact and speak calmly; Avoid screaming and jerky movements.
- In front of a relaxed dog, let him sniff your fist, place it close to his nose. It is better to do it with your hand closed, this way you avoid biting your finger.
- If the dog is relaxed and wags its tail amicably, congratulations! Now you can caress it.
- Don’t caress the top of his head or place your hand on top, focus on the base of the ears and chin. If he remains comfortable, you will be able to caress his back.
- Stay tuned for the dog’s reactions and stop petting if he is uncomfortable or aggressive.
As final recommendations, never go near a dog that is eating, it will believe that you are trying to steal its food. Similarly, avoid stroking dogs that are tied or chained in a yard, this situation generates a lot of stress and they develop aggressive behaviors.