Create Safe Spaces for your Cat or Dog

The Dog I'm working with this week didn't have any space or objects to call his own in a household with three kids, two adults, and a rotating cast of strangers moving in and out every day. Of course, he's insecure, hides, resource guards his people + house, and sometimes bites strangers if they enter through the front of the house. He doesn't have a place that is just his, or toys that are just his.

So I made him a safe space: covered a crate with a blanket with the door left open, washed his bed, and filled it with high-value treats. We spent some time yesterday reconditioning the crate. And wonderful news: this morning I woke up to give him his meds and, to my surprise, he was sleeping in his safe space! Made my day. I'm so glad he has somewhere to go that is just his.

When an being doesn't have a space to call their own, their nervous system stays in a low-grade state of alert. A dedicated safe space gives them somewhere to regulate, decompress, and just be. It sounds simple, but it changes everything.

If your Cat or Dog doesn't have a place to decompress, sleep, introvert, or just chill, please make one.

For Cats, elevation is often the answer. Wall shelves, a Cat tree, or even a cleared-off high surface provide a place to survey their environment from safety. A Cat who can see the whole room from above is a Cat who feels in control. For Dogs, especially touch-sensitive Dogs or those accustomed to having their boundaries violated (many small Dogs fall into this category), their bed or crate is a sanctuary only if it remains one. Don't reach in or pull them out. If you need them to come out, use a game like touch, find it, or another positive training exercise to invite them on their own terms. The moment you violate that space, you've taken it from them. Respect their safe space.