*Note: If your dog suffers from extreme anxiety, you should consult a veterinary doctor.
Like us humans, dogs also get scared and nervous or anxious. I have a friend whose dog suffers from extreme anxiety. Anxiety attacks occur whenever it rains, thunders or the wind blows with greater intensity. This dog does not like loud noises or noises and is anxious even with the noise of the vacuum cleaner or dishwasher. As a way to relieve stress, this big guy starts moving around or tries to hide behind the furniture. But it’s not limited to these behaviors… She has already come home several times and has come across her clothes torn and scattered across the floor and the sheets and duvets of the bed completely turned or fallen to the ground. Despite these behaviors, she tries as hard to reduce the times when she medicates her dog. I would like to express here that, as the natural methods of reducing the anxiety that I am talking about below are important, they may not solve the problem of their stepfather, and should always, in any case, consult their veterinary clinic in order to obtain the opinion of your veterinary doctor.
When it comes to anxiety, there are several things you can do to try to calm your “hairy baby”. There are five natural methods that sometimes work and are used by some people.
1) Distract With Exercise and Games
Whenever your big guy gets nervous or anxious, it’s always good to distract him with exercises and play with him a little bit. Playing the “search” or playing obedience games will keep your dog focused and his mind distracted from what was stressing him. If you have room for exercise, get up and move: run and play with it! Exercise is a great relief to stress because:
- It stimulates the production of serotonin, which will give your daddy a sense of well-being.
- It releases accumulated energy that can exacerbate an anxiety attack making it worse.
2) Pheromone Calming Canine
Calming canine pheromone is a synthetic chemical based on a hormone produced by lactating bitches. It’s this hormone that helps keep the puppies calm. Although there are scientific studies showing that this pheromone works with puppies, there are researchers who say it is not clear that it results with anxious adult dogs. However, there are people who claim to have worked with their dogs, so it may be worth a try. Always consult yours Veterinary on this matter and do not worry about the possible smells of these synthetic pheromones, because humans are unable to smell them.
3) Essential oils of Lavender
Lavender is referred to by many people as one of the best solutions to help your stepfather calm down and overcome stress. Many pet owners claim that it was enough to rub some lavender oil into their stepfathers’ hair so that they would be calmer during a thunderstorm or car ride. And the effects of lavender were even tested in 2006 during a clinical study who examined 32 dogs with a history of extreme excitement in car trips. The results? Dogs spent significantly longer, sitting or resting, much less time walking around and vocalizing after being exposed to the lavender smell, compared to their reaction when they had not smelled it.
4) Music Calm
Music can have a strong soothing effect on an anxious dog. While you can just turn on the radio and tune in to Smooth FM, know that there are playlists, for example on Spotify, specifically designed to reduce dog anxiety. There’s actually a company in America called Through a Dog’s Ear which offers a selection of soothing songs for dogs. This same company even sells a portable music player called iCalmdog 2.0 which comes loaded with four hours of music that was apparently clinically tested on dogs.
5) “Sharkcoat”, for anxiety
“Sharkcoat”
A “Thundercoat“, or “thunder jacket”, is a piece of clothing for your dog that, being tight, applies a gentle pressure on the body of its bigeye. It is believed that this continuous pressure helps calm the nerves of an anxious dog. I know some people who wear these coats to their legs and claim it works. This kind of coat has become quite popular in the United States and not only.
*Note: If your dog suffers from extreme anxiety, you should consult a veterinary doctor.
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