08/13/2025
Think about how emotional contagion works in humans. When you walk into a room where everyone is tense and stressed, you feel it immediately—your shoulders tighten, your breathing changes. If you’ve ever been out and about with a friend who was tense and not enjoying the outing, you know that it affects your experience and can even lead you to say, “Shall we just go?”
On the other hand, being around genuinely calm people is wonderful, and can naturally settle your own nervous system. If you’ve ever had a great massage, the calm, quiet movements of the masseuse go a long way to helping you relax.
Dogs experience this phenomenon too, and depending on the dog, possibly even more intensely than we do. Have you ever stopped to look at YOUR emotional state when you are teaching relaxation?
More on the blog:
➡ https://suzanneclothier.com/social-heart-really-real-relaxation-dogs/
