Calming supplements or treats anyone?

[MissyB1]

Does anyone use any of these to help their dog with fears / anxieties? We have a 9 year old mini schnauzer who is very confident when out and about meeting other dogs and people, she’s very sociable. However at home lots of things freak her out, from the big stuff like thunder and fireworks (totally understandable), to silly things like the beep of my coffee machine, a buzzer on a quiz show, the wind blowing and making the house creak. Any of these things can make her shake with terror, and it lasts for ages! It’s sad for her but also exhausting for us. She’s had a very recent check up with the vet and got a totally clean bill of health.
So has anyone tried anything dietary for a nervy dog?

I used skullcap and valerian from dorwest which i think worked for a while but he got used to it. Now on anxiety meds.

I use an Adaptil collar on my nervy dog to get him through fireworks seasons and it really does have an effect. I've used Skullcap and Valerian for a worried foster dog and it worked but can make them sleepy

Yes we had a few things that worked for our nervous elderly dog:
Nutracalm supplement from the vets- we tried a few others off Amazon that made him sick so stuck to this one
Adaptil Diffuser - he would go sit next to it when it was a new one especially if I'd forgotten to replace it when the old one ran out
Wild Dog Calm Balm on his bed at night and on his blanket in the car carrier.

There was a bit of trial and error and some things worked for a while but then stopped, or were recommended but did nothing, but eventually we stuck with these three and wouldn't be without them.

Right I’ve got to try something. Think I will start with nutra calm treats and an adaptil diffuser. It’s weird how she’s got more anxieties as she’s got older 🤔

https://herbaldogco.com/product/herbacalm-drops/?srsltid=AfmBOoq56Ov-kSiyRv-k7FSmMbeb1ELuYxUuQL3cmzxelblVlOOegXdn

Mixed reviews on these but I have a bottle I don’t need as my dog isn’t anxious. Would be happy to send it to you if you want to try it.

Would recommend a vet check if this is quite a sudden change. Any sudden behaviour changes suggest pain/discomfort. I’d ask for a check of all her joints and just explain about the anxiety. Always worth ruling out as dogs can be surprisingly good at hiding pain

Scullcap and valerian tablets are what we use with our rescue boy and they’re great. Nothing is going to solve it completely, apart from working to desensitise her to the noises, but these certainly take the edge off for our boy and I can tell if he’s missed a dose ❤️

I agree you need to have this thoroughly investigated by your vet. Even if it came on gradually there could be an underlying medical cause. Any good behaviourist would always want a dog checked out thoroughly be a vet before they started working with them for exactly this reason. Animals can mask medical issues extremely well. If nothing is found, they’ll also be able to give great advice on what solutions to help with anxiety would help your dog.

Please don’t start using any supplements or tablets until your dog has had a thorough check up by the vet.