Do you have a dog that barks excessively? Is it hyperactive or, on the contrary, it gets scared or panics? Before you think of using meds to calm it, you must know that there are natural solutions and other tricks to get over these situations.
Unlike meds, these natural remedies and methods do not change the dog’s personality and they don’t have any side effects.
First of all, it’s very important to detect the factors that determine your canine friend to be anxious. Among these we can count excessive noise, thunders, car alarms and other factors such as guests, a new member in the family or loneliness.
In such cases, it would be best to remove the elements that trigger different types of anxiety. Second of all, as soon as you know what causes these negative responses, you can decide how to calm down your dog by using natural solutions.
Why is Your Dog Restless?
A dog can be restless because it is scared, stressed or hyperactive. Once you observe it and establish the exact situation, you can take action. If your dog is scared, it is indicated to remove the stressful factor immediately.
In most cases, removing it will solve the problem. However, if it is something that is likely to reoccur, then you must train your dog to get used to it in a gradual way, not all of the sudden. Moreover, many pups have a lot of energy that must be consumed in a way or the other.
If your pup is hyperactive and it runs through the house constantly, begging for your attention and jumping all over you, then you most definitely want it to calm down somehow. Something that most dog owners are not aware of is that a hyperactive pup is bored or it lacks incentives.
Thus, before trying to treat its hyperactivity, you must make sure to eliminate causes like lack of activities and stuff to play with. A bored puppy does not need medication of any kind. To ensure that your dog’s not bored, check out the tips in this article on how much exercise your dog needs.
How to Calm Down a Stressed or Scared Dog?
The solutions for these problems can be divided in two categories. One does not involve the usage of natural remedies or other products meant to calm down a dog, while the other one includes all of the above. The first category is filled with advices meant to change a dog’s reactions and avoid stress or fear.
What can I give my dog to calm him down?
The answer to this question can be found in the second category of remedies, as it follows:
- Aromatherapy – Believe it or not, aromatherapy is as useful for dogs and it is for humans. It can considerably reduce the stress levels of a dog. You can use chamomile, palm, jasmine and lavender scented oils. Add 3 to 5 drops of aromatherapy oil in a glass of water and make sure your puppy inhales the vapors. While breathing the relaxing vapors, your pet should not be distracted. The effect will occur in a few minutes.
- Valerian root supplements – Valerian root is a natural sedative and it can be used to calm down dogs that suffer from anxiety. There are special tablets for dogs with Valerian root that can be found on the market, which can be administered whenever needed. Also, you can pour 2 to 3 drops of Valerian root oil on your pup’s neck. The smell will relax it.
- Other healthy supplements – Supplements based on tryptophan, L-theanine, vitamin B1 or colostrum nutrients have a calming effect on dogs too. These supplements can be given to dogs just before a storm, to reduce their stress and anxiety levels.
- Collar with pheromones – There is a special collar on the market that produces artificial pheromones that are similar to those produced by the mammary glands after birth. They have the amazing effect of calming dogs down. In addition, you can also find a device that you can plug in the socket that slowly releases pheromones. However, this is only effective indoors.
- Thunder Shirt – An American company produced a shirt that calms down dogs when they are scared and stressed. The dogs that participated in a study showed decreased levels of anxiety when wearing it. This product is based on pressure therapy that has a direct effect on a dog’s nervous system.
Another way you can help your dog to relax is to apply the methods listed in this article about massaging your dog.
How to Calm Down a Hyperactive Dog?
A cause that generates hyperactivity in dogs is taking short walks. You might not offer your dog enough time to play outdoors.
You might offer a lot of attention to your canine friend, but it also needs to run freely or play different games that stimulate it.
The combination between exercise and the usage of toys is ideal. Moreover, playing with your puppy indoors is also a must. If it is agitated during the evening, play catch with it while you watch TV. In this way, your pet will consume its energy, but you will not consume yours.
Opting for a toy that is filled with food is a good option too. This is because a dog can play for hours with it, trying to get the food out and running out of energy. Remember not to yell at your puppy. It doesn’t understand why and its condition is not its fault anyway. You can find out more about these kinds of toys by checking out our article on interactive dog toys.
In conclusion, anxiety in dogs can appear due to different factors and it’s of many kinds. It can be kept under control with the usage of plants, oils and supplements, but it is also manageable without them. You can look at them as adjuvants and only use them after you try to calm down your dog with your patience and the tricks listed above.
Most of all, it takes dedication and time from your side in order to cope with its problems and to help your canine friend deal with its problems as well. Taking your dog to the vet is also a really good option in case you try everything and nothing seems to have the desired effects. Try to be reasonable when it comes to time.
