Creating a Zen Zone State of Mind with your Dog

This exercise is about creating a "Zen Zone" for yourself and your dog. Originally introduced by DVM Behaviorist Dr. Voith this particular protocol was designed Dr. Karen Overall also a DVM Behaviorist. Used in Behavior Modification Training Plans it is a wonderful way to reduce your dog (and your) stress. If I'm working with an especially stressed dog I will prepare the bedding by spraying one of my three handcrafted calming blends, and maybe even light a candle and play soundscape music. Ancillary calming tools are helpful in providing a calm environment. This way I start to relax and dissipate out only calming hormones which help relax my dog to start the process.

As you may know without knowing we condition behavior unwanted or otherwise all of the time ( i.e. jumping on us models jumping on other people, barking at us for attention models barking at all people this way).  In some cases just seeing their person elicits a state of high arousal for some dogs. A dogs guardian may for example rough play with their dog all the time without using a toy to interact. They may rough play without working impulse control exercises in between for breaks (sit, wait). So the dog becomes conditioned - see guardian = play and excitement shoots up quickly ...OH BOY MY PERSONs HOME! and off they go.

How we feel has a direct affected on our dogs. As some of you may know all mammals  have the ability to take in large molecules ( i.e. cortisol, the stress hormone or oxytocin, the love and bonding hormone) through the Vermonasal Organ (just under the palette of the mouth located between mouth and nose). This organ allows for mammals to take in and identify the hormone thereby understanding how another individual is feeling at any given moment. You can imagine if you don't have the ability to speak the same language but need to know if another animal was friend or foe how useful being able to smell their feelings would be.  

Every day life is packed full of pressure and I'm sure we are all in agreement reducing our stress levels every now and again is good practice.  So why not practice with our dogs? Plan a date with your dog or include a relaxation session as an exercise instead of or after exercise.  This relaxation protocol is so useful for stressed dogs, those experiencing separation anxiety, isolation distress or ones who have come home from a rambunctious day at daycare. You can do this in the comfort of your home any time.  Its probably best to practice in the evening between 7-9M when your dogs cortisol level is lowest and they are at their most relaxed state naturally.  But of course you can practice anytime!

The beauty of this is you can practice anytime.  Start with your dog seated.  If s/he offers you a down instead of sitting, this is fine. If s/he starts in a sit and shifts to a down this is a sign of relaxation! Walk through the protocol, calmly and methodically. You can go through each Day consecutively or stay at any given Day for as long as you like.

Warm Up (use to practice a solid sit)

• Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Ask  to “stay” with a calm voice. If you also use a gesture for stay, you can use that as well.
  
• Then count to five.
  
• When you reach five seconds and she is still in a sit or a down, click and treat.
• Then move on to the next item.
• Sit for 10 seconds (If there's movement you can give  another “stay” in the middle or as often as is needed.) When you reach 10 seconds and she is still in a sit or a down, click and treat.
• While dog is still sitting calmly  take 2 steps back and return. Upon returning back to the dog click then treat

The Protocol

Day 1: Dog's Task

• Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 1 step back and return
  
• Sit while you take 2 steps back and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 1 step to the right and return
  
• Sit while you take 1 step to the left and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 2 steps back and return
  
• Sit while you take 2 steps to the right and return
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 2 steps to the left and return
  
• Sit while you clap your hands softly once
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps back and return
  
• Sit while you count out loud to 10
  
• Sit while you clap your hands softly once
  
• Sit while you count out loud to 20
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps to the right and return
  
• Sit while you clap your hands softly twice
  
• Sit for 3 seconds
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 1 step back and return
  
• Sit for 3 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Sit for 3 seconds
  

Day 2: Dog's Task

• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 1 step back and return
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps back and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps to the right and return
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps to the left and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps to the right and clap your hands
  
• Sit while you take 3 steps to the left and clap your hands
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk one fourth of the way around the dog to the right
  
• Sit while you take 4 steps back
  
• Sit while you walk one fourth of the way around the dog to the left
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 5 steps back from the dog, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you walk halfway around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you walk halfway around the dog to the left and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog quietly in place for 3 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog quietly in place for 5 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog quietly in place for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog one fourth of the way around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you jog one fourth of the way around the dog to the left and re¬turn
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds

Day 3: Dog's Task                                                

• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 2 steps backward and return
  
• Sit while you jog 5 steps backward from the dog and return
  
• Sit while you walk halfway around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you walk halfway around the dog to the left and return
  
• Sit while you take 10 steps backward and return
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit while you take 10 steps to the left and return
  
• Sit while you take 10 steps to the right and return       
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk halfway around the dog to the right, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk halfway around the dog to the left, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog 10 steps to the right and return
  
• Sit while you job 10 steps to the left and return
  
• Sit while you jog in place for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog in place for 20 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog backward 5 steps and return
  
• Sit while you jog to the right 5 steps and return
  
• Sit while you jog to the left 5 steps and return
  
• Sit for 5 seconds while you clap your hands
  
• Sit for 10 seconds while you clap your hands
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  

Day 4: Dog's Task

• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog backward 5 steps and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog halfway around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you jog halfway around the dog to the left and return
  
• Sit while you move three fourths of the way around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you move three fourths of the way around the dog to the left and return
  
• Sit while you jog backward 5 steps, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you clap your hands for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you move quickly backward 10 steps and return
  
• Sit while you move quickly 15 steps backward and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog halfway around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you jog halfway around the dog to the left and return     '
  
• Sit while you walk quickly 15 steps to the left and return
  
• Sit while you walk quickly 15 steps to the right and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you move three fourths of the way around the dog to the right and return
  
• Sit while you move three fourths of the way around the dog to the left and return
  
• Sit while you walk all the way around the dog
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you walk around the dog, quietly clapping your hands, and then return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog quickly around the dog
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds while you clap your hands
  

• Day 5: Dog's Task                                                             Sit for 5 seconds
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk quickly 15 steps to the right and return
  
• Sit while you walk quickly 15 steps to the left and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk around the dog, clapping your hands
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk quickly backward, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you go to an entrance and just touch the doorknob or wall and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk quickly backward, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance and return
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you go to an entrance and just touch the doorknob or wall and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you go to an entrance and just touch the doorknob or wall and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while the doorknob is touched or you move into entryway and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 15 seconds while you clap your hands
  
• Sit for 10 seconds while you jog in place
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  

• Day 6: Dog's Task                                                             Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 20 seconds while you jog back and forth in front of the dog
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk approximately 20 steps to an entrance and return
  
• Sit while you walk quickly backward, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you go to an entrance and just touch the doorknob or wall and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds while jogging
  
• Sit while you walk around the dog
  
• Sit while you walk around the dog, clapping your hands
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit for 30 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk quickly backward, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you go to an entrance and just touch the doorknob or wall and return
  
• Sit while you open the door or go into the entranceway for 5 seconds and return
  
• Sit while you open the door or go into the entranceway for 10 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 30 seconds
  
• Sit while you walk quickly backward, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you go to an entrance and just touch the doorknob or wall and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entranceway and return
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entranceway, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you open the door or go though the entranceway for 10 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 30 seconds
  
• Sit while you disappear from view for 5 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 20 seconds
  
• Sit for 10 seconds while you clap your hands
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  

Day 7: Dog's Task

• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 20 seconds while you clap your hands
  
• Sit while you take 10 steps backward and return
  
• Sit while you walk around the dog
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entrance way and then return
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entrance way, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you open the door or go through the entrance way for 10 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 30 seconds
  
• Sit while you disappear from view for 5 seconds and return
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entrance way and return
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entrance way, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you open the door or go through the entrance way for 10 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 30 seconds
  
• Sit while you disappear from view for 10 seconds and return
  
• Sit while you disappear from view for 15 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 15 seconds
  
• Sit for 5 seconds while you clap your hands
  
• Sit while you jog in place for 10 seconds
  
• Sit while you jog three fourths of the way to the right and return
  
• Sit while you jog three fourths of the way to the left and return
  
• Sit while you go through the door or the entrance way, clapping your hands, and return
  
• Sit while you open the door or go through the entrance way for 10 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 30 seconds
  
• Sit while you disappear from view for 15 seconds and return
  
• Sit for 10 seconds
  
• Sit for 5 seconds
  

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