Conditioned Relaxation for Dogs – Scents for Relaxation

Are you looking for an effective way to calm your dog in stressful situations and promote relaxation? Then conditioned relaxation might be just what you need! In this blog post, you’ll learn what it is and how to effectively use this training method with our Relax Buddy.

What is Conditioned Relaxation for Dogs?

Conditioned relaxation is an effective training method that helps dogs reduce stress and ease anxiety.

It works by associating a specific signal, object, or scent with a state of relaxation, which can then be intentionally triggered when needed. Once this conditioned relaxation has been reliably established -more on that later – you can use it to counteract potential stress triggers.

When Can Conditioned Relaxation Help Your Dog? Examples and Areas of Application

Scent-based conditioned relaxation can be used in many situations and for various problems. It can support dogs suffering from separation anxiety, noise phobias, travel anxiety, or any other stress-inducing scenarios. It also helps promote general calmness and relaxation in everyday life.

In many day-to-day situations, having a tool that helps your dog quickly “cool down” is a big help.

Even minor triggers can quickly escalate a dog’s arousal level, leading to overstimulation (such as fear, stress, nervousness, or overexcitement).

Typical triggers include:

• returning home from work
• Visitors (friends or strangers)
• Vet visits
• Spotting a bird in a field
• A favorite toy
• Car rides
• Other dogs
• The neighbor’s cat
• Eating out at a restaurant
• Thunderstorms
• New Year’s Eve 
• …and more.

Conditioned relaxation can be a powerful support in these situations. Relaxation reduces arousal levels. Arousal and relaxation are both processes in the brain that occur in opposition to each other.

The goal of conditioned relaxation is to help your dog better cope with fear or stress. By linking relaxation with positive experiences and rewards, your dog becomes motivated to seek out and maintain this relaxed state.

How Does Conditioned Relaxation Work?

Arousal and relaxation are brain functions. A particular structure in the brainstem—the formatio reticularis – plays a key role. This is a complex network of neurons that processes information from various brain areas and regulates activity and attention.

Part of the formatio reticularis acts as a “switch” between two mental states:

1. The thinking state – where the dog consciously processes and solves problems.
2. The reflexive state – where automatic reactions take over, which are difficult to consciously control, such as the “4 Fs”: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fiddle.
   

We aim to keep our dogs in the thinking state as much and as long as possible. However, the brain is designed to switch to the reflexive state when arousal levels rise.

Our goal is to prevent the switch from flipping – or to learn how to actively flip it back to calm the dog down.

This is where the hormone oxytocin comes into play. Known as the “bonding hormone,” it is responsible for social bonding and relaxation. When cortisol (the stress hormone) increases, oxytocin decreases and vice versa. We use this interaction in conditioned relaxation. A trained calming scent can stimulate oxytocin release from the outside.

Conditioned Relaxation for Dogs Through Scent

Dogs have an incredibly strong sense of smell – far beyond ours. Scents can trigger strong emotional reactions by directly affecting their senses and behavior. Certain scents have calming properties and can help dogs relax and relieve stress.

In scent-based conditioned relaxation, the dog is trained to associate specific scents with calm and relaxation. This is achieved by pairing the scent with positive experiences and rewards. The process involves:

• Generalizing the relaxation response to other situations
• Introducing the scent when the dog is already calm
• Gradually creating a positive association between the scent and relaxation

How to Associate Scent with Relaxation: Build Conditioned Relaxation in 3 Steps

The connection between a scent and relaxation is created through conditioning – learning through associations. Think of the process like charging a battery. You have to charge it first before you can use it. Use the nacani Relax Buddy for this. It’s a small scent stick (similar in size to a lip balm) containing a calming blend of high-quality essential oils with hemp and lavender.

1. Place the Relax Buddy Next to Your Relaxed Dog

Place the Relax Buddy next to your dog when they are resting or sleeping. After about 30 minutes, you can remove it (or leave it longer if needed). Be sure to take it away when your dog starts to wake up.

2. Repeat Regularly

Repeat this process regularly, ideally 2 to 3 times per day over a period of 4 to 6 weeks. Once your dog is awake, remove the Relax Buddy and ventilate the room if needed. This helps the dog associate the scent only with relaxation.

Consistency is key, but never forceful. Use the scent only for relaxation training – not for other purposes. Every dog is different, so it may take time before your dog makes the connection.

3. Use the Relax Buddy in Stressful Situations

Once your dog reliably associates the scent with calmness, you can use it in stressful moments. Simply hold the Relax Buddy near your dog’s nose, as during training.

Don’t worry – your dog won’t instantly fall asleep. But you will see a clear physical and mental relaxation, making it easier to guide your dog out of the stress response.

How Long Does the Relax Buddy Last and How Do I Refill It?

The nacani Relax Buddy lasts about 7 to 14 days. To refill it, just add 3 drops of the Relax Buddy Refill Oil to the felt roll inside. To access the felt, pull the inhaler part out of the case and unscrew the bottom.

Does Conditioned Relaxation Work for Horses Too?

Conditioned relaxation works for all mammals, including horses. It can be trickier, though, to catch horses exactly when they’re in a relaxed state (like dozing), since we’re not always present.

So we recommend combining touch + scent = relaxation.

Use a touch your horse enjoys to encourage relaxation. Once your horse is relaxed, bring the Relax Buddy close to its nose. If the horse becomes alert again, remove the Buddy.

Once you’ve consistently practiced this 2 to 3 times daily for 4 to 6 weeks, you can skip the touch and use the scent alone.

Common horse triggers:

• New Year’s Eve
• Vet visits
• Trailer loading and travel
• Stable or location changes
• New herd members
• Young or anxious horses
• Farrier visits
• Competitions
• Sights like water, tractors, pedestrians
• and more.

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