If your dog has anxiety, he no longer has to struggle with it alone. Over the past 10 years, anxiety products for dogs have grown so much that there is sure to be an anxiety tool that will help your dog’s specific issues. We look at the four main strategies used to calm anxiety and top dog anxiety products to try in each one. Now, let’s dig into it.
Strategy 1: Squash anxiety by giving your dog something to do
$12.99. Get Outside Refillable Squirrel Toy; doggijuana.com
A known way to calm anxiety in dogs is exercise, so play fetch with this enticing squirrel. And the best nut about it? You can fill it with catnip, which induces calm in dogs, so it’s a two-for-one anxiety buster. My dog loves tossing this squirrel up in the air as it’s the closest she’s going to get to one!
$20.99. TarvosMat (mixed 3 pieces, wall-attached lick pads); tarvospets.com
Nothing calms dogs down like licking and this licking mat hits the spot, any spot since it sticks to walls. Just smear on some yummy treat and let your dog lick away in bliss. Our senior dog loves licking mats and this one is perfect for when you give your dogs a bath.
Starts at $14.99. Canophera Coffee Tree Wood Chew Stick; canophera.com
There is no caffeine in this stick, I asked the makers personally. Just the answer to your dog’s natural desire to chew — another stress-buster for Fido. It’s also a fun stick to play fetch with.
Strategy 2: Calm anxiety by creating a tranquil environment
Starts at $34.99. Best Friends by Sheri Original Calming Donut Bed; bestfriendsbysheri.com
Encourage your dog to burrow into the peace of mind with this calming, cozy cuddle bed. Nestling in a soft bed with sides relaxes your dog’s muscles, joints, and mind. Our Chihuahua/Min Pix mix loves to hunker down into this bed in my office.
$29.99. K9 Comfort Peace of Mind Calming Spray; k9comfortspray.com
Your scent gives your pup peace of mind, especially if he suffers from separation anxiety. Just send in your scent and it comes back in a spray form to soothe your anxious pooch when you aren’t around. It beats giving him a used t-shirt to snuggle with like I’ve had to do!
$39.95. Original Snuggle Puppy; snugglepuppy.com
Dogs love their pack. Comfort your puppy or adult or senior dog with this furry stuffed pack member with a beating heart. It’s an all-natural solution to the stressful issue of dog anxiety. My puppy loved it, but we took it away when she became a juvenile and preferred to hunt it.
Strategy 3: Stop anxiety with a calming canine supplement.
$59.99/12 pack. Heavenly Hounds Peanut Butter Relaxation Squares; heavenlyhounds.com
Got a stressful situation going on — like a thunderstorm, vet visit, or fireworks exploding — and your dog’s anxiety is starting to peak? These are easy-to-give and fast-acting calming bites individually packaged, so easy to carry one with you. There are no drugs in the squares, just passion flower, valerian root, niacin, and thiamin.
$32.99. Zylkene anxiety supplement; vetoquinolusa.com
Looking for something to help Fido maintain a normal and relaxed disposition traveling, moving, grooming, etc.? This calming supplement comes in a capsule and can be given 1 to 2 days before a planned event or change in environment. Its calming ingredient is a bovine-sourced hydrolyzed milk protein.
$89.95. Genie’s Therapeutics Signature Blend; geniestherapeutics.com
This is an easy-to-give liquid that you give your dogs in drops, the amount depending on weight. It not only gives stress and fear relief in dogs but helps with joint discomfort and sensitive skin. It’s USDA Organic Certified and contains CBD, CBDA, and CBG.
Strategy 4: Halt anxiety in dogs with behavior modification products.
$89.99. RelaxoPet Pro Dog Relaxation System; relaxopet.com/en
Looking to try something different to relieve your dog’s anxiety? The RelaxoPet PRO is a wireless sound module that relaxes your pet with frequency vibrations that influence the brain and are barely noticeable. According to the manufacturer, there are no side effects and it was developed in cooperation with vets, breeders and pet owners.
$36. Calm Me Down Calming Collar; calmingcollars.com
I’ve used calming collars in the past on my senior dog with good effect. Just put them around your dog’s neck like a collar to help with separation anxiety, loud noises, stressful situations, or thunderstorms. Inside there is a blend of lavender, chamomile, and balsam-dried herbs and the collars come in various sizes and fun designs.
Starts at $39.95. ThunderShirt for Dogs; thundershirt.com
I’ve used the ThunderShirt on my dog Tampa, who was very afraid of loud noises. It’s basically a shirt that swaddles your dog, applying gentle pressure to keep your dog calm in stressful situations — travel, loud noises, separation anxiety, thunderstorms, etc. It comes in various sizes and colors.
Before you dive right into a possible solution, discuss your dog’s anxiety issues with your veterinarian and behaviorist so they can recommend the right strategy for your dog’s particular issues.
Featured Image Credit: Sonja Rachbauer| Getty Images
