Relaxation Protocol

Relaxation Protocol teaches your dog how to calm themselves in situations that might cause stress or excitement. It involves guiding your dog to settle in a designated spot, rewarding calm behavior, and gradually increasing the level of distractions. This technique helps with emotional regulation, reducing anxiety, and improving impulse control.

Teaching Relaxation Protocol takes time and consistency, but with positive reinforcement, most dogs can learn to relax in different environments. It’s a valuable skill for helping your dog manage their energy and stay calm in situations where they might otherwise become overstimulated.

Dr. Karen Overall is a renowned veterinary behaviorist and a pioneer in the field of animal behavior. She currently works as a consultant and provides behavioral services to veterinarians and pet owners. Dr. Overall created the Relaxation Protocol to help dogs manage stress and anxiety, teaching them to self-soothe and settle in situations where they would typically become overstimulated or anxious. The protocol is widely respected for its evidence-based, humane approach to promoting calmness and emotional regulation in dogs.

The extra special thing about Dr. Karen Overall is that she is also a faculty member at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), where she is involved in teaching and research related to veterinary behavioral science. Her expertise and contributions to the field are highly respected, and she continues to work both in academia and as a consultant in the field of animal behavior.

This protocol is broken down into 15 days, but please go at your dogs pace, never force through it. That means it might take you a whole month to make it through the entirety of “Day 1”, and that’s ok! Every little practice session is more repetitions towards the behaviours you want to see in your dog!

Because of it’s widespread popularity, the Relaxation Protocol had been changed and adapted by many other professionals.

This means that you have options, and I’ve share just a few here.

• There is an audio version (so you don’t need to do any reading or timing, you can just listen and follow along!)
  You can find these at: Relaxation Protocol Audio Files – Free
• The full version of the original protocol at: Full Relaxation Protocol by Dr Karen Overall
• Down below are two embedded videos of the protocols being done in real time, with explanations
• and directly below is another one that I really like, broken down into different ways to use it. I’ve added the photos of the pages in the “accordion” below, but you can find the PDF Version at: Positive Dog Relaxation Protocols