03/09/2025
Research shows that emotional contagion between dogs and handlers strengthens over time, creating increasingly synchronized physiological responses. Your dog isn't just reading your body language; they're literally attuning to your autonomic nervous system. When your stress hormones rise, theirs follow. When you achieve genuine calm, they can access it too.
For many handlers, learning to genuinely relax is harder than teaching any traditional obedience command. We're often carrying stress from work, relationships, financial concerns, or simply the mental habit of constant doing. Being a human often means doing, doing, doing. Sitting quietly without agenda or activity can feel foreign, even uncomfortable. It is weird just being.
Dive deeper into relaxation at the blog:
➡ https://suzanneclothier.com/handler-nervous-system-foundation-dog-relaxation/
