If you have a dog that suffers with stress or anxiety, you might be racking your brain to find ways in which you can help them combat it. If you’ve ever wondered about treating your dog with a pheromone collar, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I will cover some important information on pheromone dog collars, including whether calming collars work for dogs.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
What Are Pheromone Dog Collars?
Like humans, dogs are very much prone to developing anxiety throughout their lives.
Pheromone dog collars are collars with a synthetic variety of a specific pheromone that is released by a lactating female dog’s breast tissue, also known as the dog appeasing pheromone.
Stress and anxiety can affect your dog for a number of reasons and manifest in many different ways.
Whether this is down to separation anxiety, a major change in their environment, or loud noises, the stress can cause dogs to act aggressively or out of character.
If you don’t address this, your dog’s anxiety can worsen over time and you could end up with more than just an unhappy pup. These collars are made to help sooth and combat these feelings of stress by inducing a calming effect.
Pheromone collars release the dog appeasing pheromone into the air and your dog breathes them in. This helps your dog in anxiety-inducing situations whereby their anxiety would normally be triggered and makes them feel more safe and calm.
Do Dog Pheromone Collars Work?
Pheromone collars work in that they can significantly reduce your dog’s stress and anxiety.
If your dog experiences fear or anxiety around certain scenarios, such as being around strangers, loud noises or veterinary visits, pheromones can help dogs to feel more safe and secure.
This therefore helps them combat these feelings of anxiety, and can prevent them or reduce the risk of them acting out in response to it.
Anxiety in dogs can vary in severity and manifest in a variety of different ways. Before you invest in a calming collar, it’s important to first recognize what stress or anxiety looks like in your pet before you attempt to treat it.
Symptoms for anxiety in dogs include but are not limited to:
Restlessness – If your dog seems like they can’t sit still or are wandering aimlessly around the house even if you’ve asked them to stop, they could be experiencing anxiety.
Panting – While panting is normal, excessive panting or breathlessness is another sign of anxiety in dogs that you should be aware of.
Pacing – If your dog is pacing around the room, or is pacing in circles, it’s a sure sign that they feel anxious.
Aggression – If your dog acts out aggressively, which is out of character to how they normally behave, then it is likely that anxiety is bubbling under the surface.
Drooling – Again, while it’s normal for your dog to drool occasionally, it’s less normal for them to excessively drool and can indicate that they’re struggling with anxious feelings.
Urinating or defecating around the house – If your dog is potty trained and has been for a significant period of time, then it’s likely they feel anxious. This is particularly prominent when their environment changes significantly, such as when you move home or get a new pet.
Excessive barking – Excessive barking is another sign that something isn’t quite right with your dog, especially if they are normally fairly quiet.
Depression – Depression can manifest in a number of ways for your dog, such as a decreased appetite, and is a sign that they could be anxious.
Repetitive behaviors – If your dog suddenly starts a behavior that is very repetitive, such as chewing or gnawing at their skin or licking objects, then this is another example of how anxiety can manifest itself in your pooch.
Destructive behavior – You might think that the days of your dog destroying furniture are over once they are mature, but if they are experiencing anxiety, this is another sign.
While pheromone products have been proven to work, it’s important that you know that pheromone collars aren’t miracle workers.
They aren’t going to magically change your dog’s behavior, and every dog is different. While a pheromone collar might be enough to calm one dog’s anxious behaviors, it might not scratch the surface of others.
Anxiety is a very subjective condition. How your dog will react to a pheromone collar will entirely depend on the severity of the condition and how your dog reacts to the product.
That being said, it’s always worth a go and you never know how your dog is going to react until you try it. It’s also worth mentioning that pheromone products can be used in conjunction with other products to help manage your dog’s anxiety.
These include but are not limited to:
Supplements, such as CBD oil
Prescribed medications
Anxiety wraps
Behavior modification
If you are interested in using a pheromone collar to help reduce or manage your dog’s anxiety, you should always make sure that you do your research.
Speak to others who have tried it, and be sure to read up on the topic to ensure that it is the right option for your dog. After all, you know your dog better than anyone else.
Consult Your Veterinarian
If your dog is showing signs that they are suffering with stress and anxiety, it’s important that you seek professional advice from your veterinarian. It’s important to gain a better understanding of why this could be happening and what triggers your dog’s anxiety.
They will be able to offer you more information on what could be causing your dog’s anxiety, and can also provide you with other methods for treating it.
Your vet will be able to tell you whether they recommend a pheromone collar or whether there is a better solution for the severity of your dog’s condition.
They will also be able to tell you whether you can do anything to help by changing your own behavior to help get your dog through this anxious period.
For instance, if your dog is suffering with separation anxiety, your vet will be able to tell you how you can help combat this and figure out a solution that works for both you and your dog.
Your dog’s health is the most important thing, and you want to make sure that you’re not diagnosing them with anxiety when there could be something more sinister going on.
It’s always a good idea to get a professional opinion on the matter and take the appropriate steps to help your dog in any way possible.
In summary
Dogs can suffer with anxiety for a variety of different reasons. Pheromone dog collars are collars with a synthetic variety of a pheromone that are used to calm dogs down.
Pheromone collars can work for many dogs, and are a product that are used alone and in conjunction with other methods to help combat canine anxiety. Your dog’s health should always be your priority.
Hi, my name is Daniel Johnson, and I am a professional dog trainer that specializes in positive training methods. I have worked with many dogs over the years, and have provided fantastic and improved results for both the owner and the dog.
When it comes to dog training, it is important for the owner to be taught the simple but correct techniques, and the way in which you communicate with your dog is vital to this process. I recently decided to set up this blog to share my knowledge and skills with a wider audience.
