If you have a nervous or anxious dog, it can be heartbreaking to see them upset. We all try to soothe our furry friends, but often they need more help than a gentle pat or a soothing word. Over the years, we’ve discovered a few simple dog anxiety remedies and hopefully, one (or two) of these tips helps calm your sweet dog.
1. Take A Walk
Sometimes dogs are anxious simply because they need to burn off some excess energy. In fact, if you have an anxious dog or a dog that tends to chew on your shoes or destroy furnishings, it could be a lack of stimulation. Fortunately, the solution can be as simple as taking a couple of long walks each day. You can just walk around your neighborhood or mix it up and try out different parks or dog beaches for some new sights and sniffs.
Of course, you can consider incorporating a variety of different activities into your dog’s exercise routine, and this can be even better for your pooch. You can play fetch or tug or hide the toy of any game that they enjoy. You can even get fancy and purchase some dog agility equipment and set up a small agility course in your backyard.
2. Consider CBD for Dogs
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis compound derived from high-CBD, low-THC hemp. Hemp only contains trace amounts of THC, so it’s not psychoactive. Several studies have shown that CBD can help alleviate anxiety as well as several other disorders, including arthritis, allergies, joint pain and more.
When it comes to CBD for dogs, you can provide your pooch with CBD oil or with CBD dog treats. At Naked Dog Bistro, we formulate our own CBD oil as well as baking our own organic CBD dog treats. With the CBD oil, you can just shake up the bottle and spray the CBD oil onto their food. This all-natural oil contains only pure CBD isolate, chamomile essential oil (which also helps calm), sweet orange essential oil (this also can help soothe skin), coconut oil and vegetable glycerin.
Our CBD dog treats are handmade in our Naked Dog Bistro kitchen and contain only pure CBD isolate, oat flour, peanut butter, bacon, coconut oil and egg. Not only can the dog treats help soothe an anxious dog or reduce pain, but dogs also love our tasty homemade dog treats, so these provide an easy way to add CBD for dogs to your daily routine.
3. Grooming & Massage
While not all dogs enjoy a thorough session of gentle brushing, many do, and this can be a great way to soothe anxiety. The best part is that daily brushing also removes excess fur and keeps it off your carpet and furniture. While obviously dog anxiety remedies are the focus of our blog, this tip also might cut down on your vacuuming tasks, as well.
Dog massage also has been shown to reduce anxiety, and there are several good articles online that can teach you some good, gentle massage techniques. Not only can this be a great dog anxiety remedy, but it also can be helpful for dogs with arthritis. You also can consider a massage session before or after exercise as a good warm-up or cool-down routine to prevent tight muscles.
4. Weighted Vests
Deep pressure therapy, or DPT, has been shown to help people and animals reduce anxiety. For humans, DPT might include a gentle squeeze or a hug or perhaps using a weighted blanket. Even providing joint compressions can soothe an anxious child or adult. Weighted vests also can be worn to reduce anxiety, and there are vests for humans and dogs.
A weighted vest can be a great option to consider on stressful days. For instance, many dogs experience anxiety on the Fourth of July or during a thunderstorm, so that might be a great time to put on their weighted vest, turn on some gentle music and spend some time cuddling with your pet. Add some CBD for dogs, such as a tasty CBD dog treat, and your pet might be feeling much calmer soon.
5. Use Some Music Therapy
Music can be a great tool to use when you are heading out for the day. Many dogs suffer from separation anxiety and music has been shown to reduce stress in both dogs and humans. What kind should you play? The experts suggest calm classical music, soft rock and reggae.
Not only can music help soothe your dog when you are away, but you also can enlist a bit of music therapy to help on those drives to the vet or groomer as well as on stressful days such as the Fourth of July. However, it is important to note that you should play music at other times when nothing upsetting is happening. Otherwise, your furry friend might begin to associate music with your departure or perhaps another unpleasant event.
While these are dog anxiety remedies, many of these options can be useful to human companions, as well. Studies have shown that exercise, music, massage, weighted blankets and CBD all can be beneficial for humans with anxiety. If you are feeling a bit anxious, try some of these remedies. Also, spending some time petting and sitting with your dog can relax and calm you both, it’s one of the many perks of having a dog.
If you live near Laguna Beach, head on down to our local dog bakery and pick up some CBD for dogs. In addition to CBD products, we offer a daily selection of organic dog treats, freshly made in our Naked Dog Bistro kitchen. If you live outside of the area, we can ship our CBD oil and CBD dog treats to your home, just click on the CBD tab on our homepage to learn more about our CBD products.
