A story on Care2.com offers some helpful tips for folks whose dogs suffer from anxiety. Many rescue dogs, especially, suffer from anxiety, as a result of mistreatment, and if you have ever spent time with such a dog, you know how heartbreaking, frustrating, and worrying it can be.
These trips range from the obvious (training, exercise) to the personal (watching your tone) to the New-Agey (essential oils and “Rescue Remedy”). It’s an interesting collection of suggestions that really treats every aspect of a dog’s life.
Here are a couple of the tips:
4. Rescue Remedy
Rescue Remedy is a blend of flower extracts, and they make blends for pets and for humans. We use the liquid for pets and feed it to her in a lump of peanut butter. It calms her down considerably. Though, to be honest, I do wonder if getting her favorite treat (peanut butter) has something to do with it. You can find Rescue Remedy at natural food stores or online.5. Focus Toys
Redirecting your dog’s attention when she’s feeling anxious can be a big help. You can try using commands that you learned in training class, or you can give your dog a focus toy. There are all varieties of these. You can go with a rawhide bone or one of those puzzle toys that dispenses treats when the dog gets it right. Jenna’s favorite toy is a Nylabone. She’s a 50 pound lab mix, so she tears through a rawhide in minutes. She’s had the same Nylabone for months, and it’s still pretty much intact.
Do you have others to add?
Those sound good. I was told once to put honey in their water because it calms them down a bit. Any idea how much that helps dogs to relax?