Calming Dog Treats: How to Calm an Anxious Dog?

calming dog treats
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Does your dog appear to be out of sorts? Does he seem restless? Is something making your dog lose his cool?

If yes, then we think your first concern should be his health, and second, any changes in his behavior pattern. Most dogs get anxious when they are triggered by anxieties and fears due to different factors.

If your feline fella is showing anxiousness and you are worried about it, don’t be. As it is normal for dogs to get anxious and fearful, just like humans. You just have to stay calm and find the most suitable way to calm your dog. Most often, dog relaxation treats help your dog relax and fight back his anxiety and fear.

Ready to cure your dog’s anxiety?

Before getting to the most effective calming dog treats, we should familiarize ourselves with different types of anxieties and their triggers.  

Types of Anxieties in Dogs

You might know that there are different types of anxieties that dogs develop. As responsible dog owners, we try to use the best calming aid for dogs along with calming medicine for dogs to make sure they are relaxed and enjoying themselves.

Below we have discussed different types of anxieties that our dogs may experience:

Social Anxiety

During social anxiety, the dog will show anxiousness while being around strangers such as guests.  Dogs can also become anxious when left in between unfamiliar dogs. If your dog is not socialized, he might develop social anxiety.

Generalized Anxiety

This type of anxiety can be found in any dog without any cause or trigger. Even well-trained dogs can develop generalized anxiety.

Separation Anxiety

This type of anxiety occurs when dogs are separated from their caretakers or owners for certain reasons like a change in location, home, or daily routine.

Environmental Anxiety

This is the most common type of anxiety found in dogs. Dogs develop environmental anxiety when they sense a change in the environment around them. The triggers of environmental anxiety include sudden loud crashes, thunderstorms, fireworks, alarms, sirens, etc. Moreover, visual or environmental changes or a stimulus like bright colors and an umbrella can also make a dog anxious.

Identifying an Anxious Dog

To calm an anxious dog, one has to know that he is restless and anxious. While the symptoms of dog anxiety vary from dog to dog, dog owners who know their dogs well can easily tell if their dog has been fidgety lately.

You just have to pay close attention to your pooch’s body language. If you think that he is acting a bit differently, such as not showing interest in food, barking, panting, drooling excessively, you should know that something is making your dog uncomfortable. Similarly, aggressive and destructive behavior also indicates that a dog is anxious.

Ways of Calming an Anxious Dog

There is a litany of anxiety treats for dogs, including herbs, medicines, and anxiety chews for dogs. Moreover, there are several exercises, physical training, and other curing methods that are effective in calming anxious dogs.

Below, we have discussed some of the most effective ways of calming anxious dogs.

Calming Supplements for Dogs

Different calming supplements are used as anxiety relievers for anxious dogs to keep them calm and relaxed. The addition of purine and other ingredients like chamomile, ginger root, and tea extract of the organic green compound makes the supplements organic and prevents drowsiness. Similarly, many calming dog treats also contain supplements like zylkene, which is derived from milk protein. Dog owners often use the following supplements to keep their dogs calm when they are having guests. You can buy them here:

1. Vetoquinol Zylkene for Medium Dogs

2. Purina Pro Plan Calming Care Canine

3. NaturVet Quiet Moments

Calming Collars for Puppies and Dogs

Calming collars are also available in the market to help dogs manage stress. Most calming collars consist of Pheromones, which are used as a pet care product enclosed in a medium-size box of 3-pack, but you can also find it in a single pack they can be used for 24 hours and might last for 4 weeks or so. These collars are considered as best calming aids for dogs as they are scientifically proven to work.

Wearing a calming collar, your dog will feel secure and safe as the release of pheromone will reduce the intensity of the dog’s fear, stress, and bad behavior. Thus, it also can reduce the fright of the dog’s bad behavior, loud noises, and barking or getting anxious while encountering strangers or new faces. This way, you will be able to control the anxiety attacks or inappropriate behavior of your dog conveniently. Below we have winnowed down some of the best calming collars for dogs and puppies:

1. Adaptil Calming Pheromone Collar

2. Adaptil JR. Calm On-The-Go-Collar for Puppies

3. ThunderEase Calming Anti Anxiety Pheromone Collar for Dogs

Calming Dogs Anxiety Vests and Jackets

Another most reliable equipment that you can use to calm your anxious dog is calming vests or undershirts that can reduce anxiety. These anxiety jackets and vests are highly recommended as they are effective and have no side effects. Keep in mind that if the dog is suffering from severe anxiety, then these jackets or vests might not provide enough relief. You may have to use the supplements discussed above as calming dog treats.

1. ThunderShirt Sport Dog Anxiety Jacket

2. Thundershirt Classic Dog Anxiety Jacket

3. AKC- Anti Anxiety Calming Coat

Calming Dogs Diffusers and Sprays

There are different diffusers and sprays that can be used to calm anxious dogs. These sprays and diffusers have an immediate effect on your dog.  There are many drug-free, pheromone diffusers in the market that are very effective at keeping dogs calm in stressful situations.

Place the diffuser in the position where your dog feels relaxed and spends most of his time like on a couch, a dog shed, or a rug. Thus, to maximize its effect make sure you replace the diffuser after every six months and a vial as well.

1. ADAPTIL Pheromone Diffuser

2. Calming Pheromone Diffuser Kit

Anxiety Chews for Dogs

Calming chews for dogs are specifically used to deal with dog anxiety. It is an easy-to-handle solution that acts instantaneously and gives the desired results. Your dog just has to chew the medicine and all his restlessness and anxiety will be alleviated. These supplements and chews are made up of high-quality organic ingredients like L-Tryptophan, ginger, and other effective ingredients like thiamin that have the maximum potency to treat your anxious dog.

1. Zesty Paws Dog Calming Bites

2. Calming Treats for Dogs

3. Finn Calming Chews for Dogs

Other Remedies and Solutions to Calm Your Dog

Give Your Dog Attention

There is nothing in this world that our dogs appreciate more than the company and attention of their loving owners. So, if your dog is feeling anxious, you can just give them your undivided attention. Maybe let them hop in your lap as you massage their ears and forehead. It will help alleviate their anxiety and help them relax.

Divert their Attention

Treat them while giving them their favorite toys and playful things to divert their attention as well as to calm them down.

Try to distract them by giving them orders and commands that they follow normally. To treat their anxiety, you can also make them sit, play, lie down, or paw so that their mind is diverted from whatever was bugging them.

Provide your Dog a Safe Haven

Create a playful space for your dog where he can go and relax. This could be your dog’s safe haven, where he could get any time when he is feeling a bit stressed, fearful, or anxious.

Desensitize your Dog to Potential Triggers

Desensitizing your dog to potential triggers is the best way to calm an anxious dog over the long run. It is a time taking process, so you will have to be patient.

First of all, you should think about the type of actions or activities of yours that trigger the dog’s temper and make him anxious, so you should do those activities at times when your dog is relaxed that will help them to desensitize.

Train your Dog to Cope with Anxiety

Most importantly, it is very necessary to give your professional dog training so that he can cope with anxiety and fear easily without being fed with any calming dog treats or calming medicines for dogs.

Before giving any calming dog treats or anxiety chews for dogs to your canine friends, you should read the labels and make sure that they are safe to use on your dog. You may also want to discuss it with your vet.

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