Unfortunately, dogs sometimes struggle with anxiety and stress too frequently, like many people. Suppose you have been wondering how you can help to potentially fix or alleviate this issue significantly for your furry best friend. In that case, you are in luck and do not need to look further, as we are about to dive and explore the topic of calming treats for dogs. Specifically, we will go over everything you need to know regarding the matter, like whether these calming treats genuinely work or not and truly help our dogs in the manner they state they do, along with several other factors, like what to consider beforehand and more.
Does My Dog Struggle With Anxiety?
Here, we list several of the most common signs a dog may express that can indicate they deal with symptoms of anxiety or stress.
The most common signs of anxiety or stress in dogs can include displaying behaviors like:
- Excessive barking or whining
- Panting
- Pacing or restlessness in general
- Tucking their tail in between their legs
- Ears that appear back
- Shaking or trembling
- Uncontrollable bowel movements and urination
- Irregular eating schedule or uninterest in food
- Engaging in behavior that is destructive (such as destroying furniture)
If you notice your dog engaging in these behaviors, they may struggle with anxiety and stress.
Numerous factors can cause anxiety or stress in dogs. Some of the most common causes can include:
- Loud noises, most frequently from things like fireworks, thunderstorms, alarms, and sirens
- Separation anxiety; results from factors like recently moving to a new living environment with your pet or your pet having more frequent separation from their caretaker than what is typically their norm
- Environmental anxiety, which is usually being scared to either go out of the house entirely or to specific locations for a pet, such as a veterinarian’s office or somewhere else where the dog may have had an experience they associate negatively
- Social anxiety, which is when a dog is anxious either around other dogs or different people and is most often due to the pet in question potentially having a traumatic history in the past or from not adequately being properly socialized
How Can I Help?
There are various ways you can try to help your dog when they display symptoms of anxiety and stress. If your dog has a special toy that they particularly love, giving them the toy can be a great source of comfort for them. Also, it can provide a distraction for your pup from whatever is causing them to have symptoms of anxiety and stress. For example, you can play a game of fetch or tug-of-war with them if this is something that you know they enjoy doing with you.
Another excellent option for helping your dog ease some of their symptoms of anxiety and stress is calming treats for dogs. Calming treats for dogs are fantastic because they provide you with an attempt to alleviate some of your dog’s signs and symptoms of anxiety and stress without the absolute necessity of needing to be there with them the entire time while they are experiencing symptoms. In a perfect world, we would all be able to be there for our pets and provide them with all the comfort and attention they need throughout the day daily. However, this is unfortunately not possible; most of us have so many other things on our plates, from taking care of children to working jobs and running errands. But, with calming treats for dogs, you can give your dog a calming treat and have peace of mind that you did all you could to help without necessarily being there with them the entire time.
Why Get Calming Treats for Dogs?
Calming treats are handy when you know your pet is about to be in a situation that gave them symptoms of anxiety or stress in the past. For example, calming treats for dogs can be beneficial to give your dog before the vet’s office if you have previously observed them experiencing anxiety and stress from going there. Another time calming treats for dogs can be beneficial for your pet is if you know there will be loud noises that set off symptoms of stress and anxiety in your dog, but you cannot be there physically.
For example, there are almost always loud fireworks that many dogs fear on the fourth of July. With calming treats for dogs, you can help your pet relieve some of their stress and anxiety, which is especially significant if you know you will not be able to be home with them the entire time. Of course, you can always give them a calming chew before heading out and know your pet has some aid to help.