According to the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, snuggling your dog can lead to a 166% reduction in anxiety! 

But we now know your dog benefits too! In a recent study, owners either petted their dog for 3 minutes – or ignored them – and then the owners left the room, leaving their dog alone for a while. 

What they found was: The dogs whose owners had petted them remained calmer and had a lower heart rate when their owner left the room – which is an indication of reduced stress – compared to the dogs who weren’t petted. 

So the journal researchers recommend that before you leave the house, give your dog some love and attention, especially a little petting.  It’ll help with separation anxiety, leaving them calmer in your absence. Just don’t make a big deal about walking out the door.

This can be tough because if your dog is like my dog, she hangs out by the door. I’ve thought about tunneling out of the house but my wife thinks I’m nuts. 

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