I’d just like to point out, before we even jump into my training aids, that this is not a sponsored post—these aids are what I have personally found helpful as part of my training practices. It is also important to note, that some dogs may have success with all remedies, some remedies, or no remedies. These training aids are very dog dependant! The only way to know is to try.
This isn’t a straightforward question! There are so many reasons why this could be, in fact, you can read
this whole blog post, here. Most commonly, it’s because a dog is anxious or excited. Now, let’s talk about how we can fix it using training aids!
Positive reinforcement only works as a training method if we can get through to our dog in the first place. If their energy is too high, whether that be anxious or excited, it is difficult to get them to concentrate on you for long enough for the methods to implement. Therefore, natural remedies can be important in bringing down the general anxiety and energy levels of a dog.
“Calming Treats” by Nutripaw.
These treats use hemp oil and powder, chamomile powder, L-Tryprophan, ashwagandha, colostrum, passionflower, valerian root, and ginger root powder. I have used these personally for my dogs, and I think they are some of the best supplements on the market. I only need to give the recommended dosage a day and that seems to be enough to help keep my dogs anxiety levels low. They’re not the cheapest, but in my humble opinion, they are worth the money.
You can get them on amazon here“Calm-K9” by A-OK9
Now, I absolutely love this supplement. It’s great to give your dog anyway due to all the vitamins and minerals in it, as a bonus, it can calm. It’s definitely not the cheapest on the market but I highly recommend it. It has similar calming ingredients to the Nutripaw treats with some additional amino acids with all help calm and can boost your dog’s immune system. I’ve used it many times with my own dogs, and this is one of my firm favourites.
You can get them on amazon here“Pure Organic Hemp Oil” by Billion Pets
I typically use the max potency as over-the-counter hemp oil isn’t the strongest, but what I like about this is you can give the dosage recommended. If needed, you can give more without overdosing your pet—it will just make them tired if they have too much! You need to make sure that your hemp oil does address anxiety and isn’t just a joint or digestive aid. However, if your dog’s behavioural issues are stemming from pain, hemp can really help with that.
You can get them on amazon hereCalming collars, sprays, and plug-ins
You can use all of these or pick one of them. I typically find the collar to be the most effective as it is around the dog’s neck, where they can easily pick up the scents. These aids typically have a range of natural essential oils and in some cases, pheromones that replicate the calming effect of a mother to a puppy. Often they include oils such as lavender and chamomile, which obviously safe for pets and for owners. Some of these aids can last up to 60 days.
You can get the
collar on amazon here,
spray here and
plug-in here Now, the only issue I typically find with calming and natural remedies is that it can be very hit and miss depending on the dog. This is because of the legal strength we can sell in the UK if it’s not directly prescribed by a vet. Some dogs will calm with all remedies, some dogs may not take to any of them. Typically, if a dog has extremely high anxiety/energy levels, they may not be enough to fully calm your dog down. However, you can ask your vets for a much stronger CBD oil which is known as ElleVance. This has worked for my dogs and many of my clients. I cannot recommend it enough, though some vets may not be willing to prescribe it without a behavioural referral—you can ask them though!
You can shop ElleVances range of
over the counter products here, this includes balms, oils, treats, capsules and much more. If you are requiring higher strength, then speak to your vet!
Training is such a powerful tool for your dog, so getting them to learn new things builds their bond with you, but also allows them to expend mental energy to keep calm. Simple repetitive training such as touch training, bluetooth button feeding bowls, button communication training and agility training can all help with that!
You can find the
bowls here,
buttons here and a
basic agility course here!
