There are times when our dog needs a break. The arrival of guests at home, parties, noise or simply changes in our home can generate stress or fear in our dog. If we create a place where our dog can go by himself to disconnect and be alone for a while, it will help him manage these emotions much better K9 training Houston. Let’s see what a calm zone is and explain why all dogs should have one.
What is a calm zone
To get an idea of what a calm zone is, remember when you were a child. Surely there were times when you wanted to be alone, either because you weren’t comfortable at home, or simply because you wanted to have some privacy. That’s when you went to your room, where you could enjoy a moment of disconnection and peace, where no one would bother you.
This is exactly what we are looking for for our dog. Physically, it does not have to be a room, although it would be ideal. As we will see below, a calm area must have a series of characteristics so that over time your dog sees it this way and can fulfill its function.
How to create a calm zone
The first step in creating a calm zone is choosing a suitable location. As I told you before, the ideal is to choose a room in the house, but since this is not always possible, we can choose any place in the house as long as it meets a series of conditions:
- It should not be a place of passage: avoid placing it in hallways, near doors, stairs or any access area.
- It should not be near a source of heat or cold : avoid placing it near a heater, stove, fireplace or air conditioner.
- It should not be near devices that emit sound: televisions, stereos, doorbells…etc.
In short, it is about finding a quiet place in the house where nothing and no one will bother you when you want to go there.
Place a bed adapted to your sleeping style
Once you have chosen the right place to locate the calm zone, it will be time to choose a suitable bed. The bed must adapt to the size and way of sleeping of our dog . Dogs have different ways of sleeping, these are some of them:
- Curled up: If your dog likes to sleep curled up, it is recommended to buy a circular or oval bed that gives him a feeling of shelter.
- Stretched out: for dogs that like to sleep with their legs stretched out, it is best to buy a rectangular bed without edges.
- Sheltered: If your dog likes to sleep sheltered, it is recommended to get your dog used to using a carrier and putting his bed inside. This will give him the feeling of protection that he is looking for.
How to get your dog to use the calm zone on his own
Once we have the calm zone ready, we must encourage our dog to use it. It may happen that the simple fact of having placed a bed in the right place makes your dog use it without having to resort to anything. If this is not your case and you see that it is not used, we can use several tricks:
- Leave treats on it: this way it will increase its interest in going in the expectation of being able to find something to eat. Always do it without your dog seeing you.
- Put your favorite toys in it: another way to encourage its use is by leaving your favorite toys in it. If your dog is also very interested in food, we can use a fillable toy. This in addition to increasing your interest in the calm zone will make you spend more time in it.
Don’t worry if you see that at first he doesn’t use the calm zone much, the goal is not for him to spend all his time in it, but for him to do so in the moments when he wants to be calm without anyone bothering him.