Dog anxiety: what it is and how to reduce it

4. Massage

Petting and massaging your dog when it is stressed out is a great way to calm it down and ease anxiety. When your dog is dealing with a stressful situation, gently soothe it with your touch and see if it responds to this stimulus positively. This can be extremely useful to calm it down when at the vet’s office or during a car trip, for example – for some dogs, a car trip can trigger anxiety.