Maybe even you have a small four-legged stressed-out dog at home. In such case, read carefully, maybe you will find something here, what you haven’t tried yet, while trying to get your pet rid of stress.
I used to have an amazing dog adopted from a shelter. However, as it often is with dogs from a shelter, she had a character flaw – timidity. She was afraid of other people, unfamiliar things and sound. Once, on an evening walk, she even got scared by her own shadow. I was looking for means, how to mitigate her timidity. If you have a timid dog at home and you’re looking for the right way to help them, maybe you will find some of these tips handy.
Of course, that the results are individual as with anything and every dog may react positively to something else. So, when one thing doesn’t help, you shouldn’t give up and try another one, until you’ll find out, what it is that helps your dog. I’ll share the methods that I’ve tried with you.
Spot on
This is a 100% natural extract from valerian and the application is repeated every week. It works on the principle of slow release and therefore, a long-term effect. It is recommended, for example, in case of excessive barking or whining due to anxiety from separation or in case of destructive or undesirable territorial behaviour. You can also use it when you’re seeing the vet, while travelling, during a storm or fireworks. Generally, the dog is calmed down and it prepares a better environment for our work with them. Unfortunately, in our case, it wasn’t very successful.
Pheromone collar
Pheromone collar imitates pheromones that are produced by a female dog to calm its offspring – puppies. A calming lavender and camomile scent helps to entirely remove or mitigate the feeling of fear and restlessness in dogs. Dogs will recognize these pheromones for their whole life and in this way, they easily manage stress and fear. After you put it on, the collar releases a powder with pheromone content. Its effectiveness is about 30 days, however, the dog should not take a bath with it. This shouldn’t be an issue, since it is removable and you can use it with interruptions. Its use is recommended in the same situations as a spot on. After brief wearing, results began to show in my dog miss, she was a little bit calmer, which showed especially at home. Since our issue with timidity was quite severe, the collar still wasn’t enough for stressful situations.
Bach drops
These drops should mitigate fear and distrust in a dog. It is a mixture of essences for anxiety, rootless fear, for greater tolerance, balance and calmness, to supress disbelief and fear of new things and to process a physical or mental trauma. Bach drops – not only those intended for fear in a dog – are much praised for their effects by dog and cat owners. I got my best results with Bach drops. My little dog was calmer, her reactions were still disproportionate, but much milder.
Anti-stress vests
This is a method that got me really interested. I think, that I could achieve good results with it, unfortunately, I’ve discovered it only too late. Therefore, I don’t have any personal experience of it, but I believe in its effectiveness, and I’m thinking of trying it out on my current dog, who might not suffer from fear, but is unconcentrated, hyperactive and suffers from a mild separation anxiety. I like about this method, that the dog is not receiving any substances in any way.
The only disadvantage that I can see is, that dog might be warm in this vest in summer and that’s why its wearing probably has to be adjusted according to the weather, it is not entirely universal. An issue could arise even when you’re putting it on the dog, if the dog is not used to human contact. The effective principle is a mild constant pressure that has a significant calming effect in issues with anxiety, fear or hyperactivity. Based on tests, this method is effective in more than 85% of cases. Around the world, it’s use is wide-spread and it is recommended both by veterinarians and dog trainers, and not only for stress and timidity, but also as a supporting treatment for epilepsy, for example.
The pressure on the dog’s chest provokes a feeling of safety and it significantly calms the nervous system of the dog. A similar principle is used in the methodology of animal training called TTouch®, in people with autism, in children with some behavioural disorders and also to calm down new-borns.
I hope, that I could have helped someone with these tips, or at least, that I’ve led someone to another option how to help your dog get rid of fear or stress. Have you got any advice on how to deal with fear and stress in a dog? What worked in your case?
Every one of us has for sure encountered diarrhoea in our fuzzy friend. Usually, there’s nothing to fuss about, the body reacts to food that it isn’t capable to digest or that didn’t do it good. However, it is good to know, when we are capable of...
I have been sharing with you my experience with dogs and other animals for quite some time now and it occurred to me to wander a little bit into history as well, but into an interesting one! I’d like to introduce you to several well-known dog...
Allergy is a disproportionate reaction of the immunity system to common stimuli. It cannot be cured, but we can suppress its manifestations. In the last years, allergies in pets and dogs especially are on the rise. Currently, about 10% of house-dogs...
Today, we are going to take a look at the Feline Infectious Peritonitis - FIP, an utterly exceptional virus illness that always has a fatal end. Most of the cats get into contact with the viruses that cause FIP in their lifetime, even though the...
We can divide dog owners into two groups. The ones that allow the dog in bed and those that feel that this is no option. Let’s take a look at what such bed sharing with a dog actually entails.
If you like going on treks with your fuzzy friends, geocaching is something precisely for you. This way, you will liven up your trips and maybe you even discover places that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. I and my pack can’t get enough of it.
Contrary to dogs, cats have a strong bond with the place where they live. That’s why moving is very stressful for them and this stress may cause a number of diseases. It’s a good idea to plan everything well, so that you could make the situation of a...
Even though the dogs went through long years of domestication, they still retain fundamental instincts as we do. They might not be as strong as in wild dogs, but they still play a very significant role in the life of a dog and in their behaviour. So if...
Even though it’s been a long time since our four-legged furry friends lived a feral life, they still have the laws of the pack rooted deep down inside them. It is not acquired behaviour, the need to live in a pack is determined by genetics. And if...
It is no news that the dog isn’t only a pet and that it can also help saving human lives in various catastrophes. But have you ever thought about what it means for dogs to become rescuers? You haven’t? Well, then it’s the right time to set off together...
The usual pregnancy period in female dogs is indicated at about 58 – 65 days, the average is 63 days. In case of the nutrition of a pregnant female, possible changes in diet can be likened to the changes in diet of pregnant women. Pregnant female dogs...
The most frequent reason why your dog starts to gain weight is simple, as in most of people: they consume more energy than they spend. Some owners wave their arm at a well-intended warning that their pet has gained weight, stating that the dog is...
