5 Ways to Calm Your Pet Without Touching It

There are times when you can’t or don’t want to touch an animal, for example if it’s very stressed or ill. You can also try this if you want to have a bit of fun to see if it works! I can’t rememember where I learned these techniques, but they do have an effect as long as the pet doesn’t mind you putting your hand near it.  This works particularly well for cats, who almost always start purring and relax!

1. What you do is to stroke the AIR around the animal, exactly as you would do if you were touching it. It works best a couple of inches away (5cm) or less although you don’t need to get your tape measure out! The effects can be quite remarkable.

2. The next thing to try, as long as you pet doesn’t mind you having eye contact, is to look at it and then gradually close your eyes as if you were dropping off to sleep. If you have a strong bond with your pet you will find its eyes start to close too!

3. The important thing to remember when close to any stressed animal is to breathe deeply and regularly. So often when our pets are anxious, we are too and they pick up on that so …BREATHE.

4. I also find singing helps too as it helps calm you both down. I always sing to the dogs I am taking for walks at the canile as there are some extremely nervy dogs there. As long as the song is a relatively gentle and relaxing one you should find this is a good way to destress the situation.

5. If you know about EFT, also know as the ‘tapping ‘ technique, then you can tap on yourself to calm your pet down. If you don’t know the technique (which does sound bizarre, but I assure you works) this is what you do. First of all tap the ‘karate point’ of one hand with two fingers (ie where you would do a karate chop!), saying “I am Mitzi, I am Mitzi, I am Mitzi” (obviously use your own animal’s’ name!)Then tap constantly while saying something like : “Even though I am very  stressed I choose to relax and be calm.” Repeat this phrase as you tap the following points on YOUR OWN body. Use one side only (eg I always do it on the left). inside of eyebrow where it meets the nose, outside corner of eye, under eye, between nose and mouth, middle of chin, just under your collar bone, under your arm, karate point. Repeat for several ’rounds’. When you have finished, tap the karate point again to be ‘yourself’ again.