Anxious Pets & How to Soothe Them
10 Tips on how to soothe an anxious pet. Just in time for Fourth of July fireworks.
(Product credits: Thundershirt, Lord Jameson, Kong Company)
Transcription
Santos:
If you are anything like us as dog owners living in New York City, you've had to deal with very anxious dogs, especially right about now. Whether it's general anxiety, thunderstorms, fireworks, coming up with ways to soothe your dog can be extreme anxiety in itself. You're not alone. Like many pet parents out there, it's happened to us too. We'd love to share with you solutions we've come up with that can apply to general anxiety, thunderstorms, fireworks, or any other situation where you need too sooth your dog. And I consider Jenn to be my pet mama mentor because she's had dogs for a while. So Jenn, take it away.
Jenn:
Hi everyone. So I have had Ollie… who just walked over here! I just gave her a treat because there's actually a thunderstorm coming right now. I've had Ollie for four years now. She's always had anxiety, particularly to thunderstorms and fireworks. My husband and I are constantly exploring and finding new ways to alleviate that anxiety. I'm happy today to be sharing some of those things that we've tried in the past few years.
The first thing I would say is, pertaining to thunderstorms and fireworks is that you should always be inside with your dog. I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but you know, for the Fourth of July, a lot of people like to be outside, but you really should be inside with your dog. Make sure the doors are closed. We like drawing the shades in the curtain because then Ollie actually likes to chase after the lightning bolts and the fireworks. So keeping that closed so that she doesn't see them is super helpful.
Santos:
I found that Miles automatically move to the quietest room when the fireworks would go off into the living room, which is our sanctuary because the windows are minimal, and the window that is there opens up into an enclosed space. The sound is quite muffled. He also likes to go into the closet where the clothes act as a soundproofing. That's like the number one thing, I feel like dogs naturally do that. You always find them hidden somewhere when the firework starts popping off.
Jenn:
The quietest room in your apartment or your home is probably the best place. The closet is a glorified room for a dog. Some of our friends who mentioned that they actually fastened a little home for their dog in their closet, our friends, Ian and Adriana who have Kiko. Also some of our friends have mentioned that if you have a crate, you know, throwing a bunch of blankets over the crate works as well. That creates a little cubby cave situation for the dog. Keep that door open so the dog can come in and out as they please.
Santos:
That's a really good solution.
Jenn:
Two or three years ago we were looking up ways to improvise earmuffs for dogs and headphones for dogs. And this was probably the most comfy way to put this around the dog's head. They were sold out of all the other colors, but basically it's like a glorified sweat band. Maybe I can get Ollie to try it on. That'd be so cute. Come here. Can you sit for me? I need to put this on you though. Oh. Oh, you just stole it. You just stole it. Come up here! We put it on like so. Aw, buddy. It's very hygge.
Jenn:
Hi Ollie. Do you feel safer now? Aww!
Jenn:
She might not wanna stay. There's a thunderstorm coming, so she likes to move around the house.
Santos:
We are going through our photo sampling phase. We also are working through gators and hoods that are the same concept. This is one of them. This is one of the prototypes. We might not end up with a dinosaur, but I figured I'd show you where we are. Miles, come - treat! I'm gonna have to carry him. Oh my gosh. Look at the little dinosaur face.
Jenn:
Aww! Oh yeah. That's so much cuter. It's super fashionable.
Santos:
It does comfort him a lot. You don't let the lights camera action. Okay.
Santos:
Another solution that you have gone through in terms of trying to soothe Ollie.
Jenn:
What I have next on our list are supplements. CBD products have products and you know, anything that you can give your dog as a treat to kind of help them relax. We've tried a lot, lot of them and I mean they all kind of work a little bit and then she kind of grows out of it a little. About a year ago, I found these treats, which are made from hemp and chamomile. And these guys are actually all natural, gluten free. It's all the good stuff. You should always follow the dosage on the package. These are made by Lord Jameson and I, we highly recommend these. These have always been working really well with her. Yeah, they look really yummy.
Santos:
Have you tried melatonin?
Jenn:
I have. We did try melatonin. It didn't seem to really work. I think you kind of have to keep using some of these. These guys were back ordered for a little while. So we tried melatonin and some other supplements in the meantime and it just didn't really work that well. So one, we got these and tried them again. But these are definitely what's helping.
Santos:
That's great. All stuff is different, but it's great when you find something that works when you wanna spread the message. So the next one that you talked about which I'm very interested in, is the thunder shirt.
Jenn:
I know you've had Miles for about a year or two, so now, as a newer dog owner, I feel like if you haven't gotten a thunder shirt, you should try it. I've heard that it works on a lot of dogs and it did work with Ollie for a little while. I don't have it with me at the moment. It essentially is a garment that you wrap around your dog. Like a sweater, it's knit and the closure velcro so you can wrap it around your dog with the tension that you want and it acts as a swaddle essentially.
Santos:
Yeah! That works with babies and dogs.
Jenn:
Right now we don't have it with us, but definitely you should try that. I strongly suggest if you haven't tried it yet to try the thunder shirt.
Santos:
This next solution that you tried, I know, means a lot because you always have a great playlist. I don't have a great playlist right now playing. Music!
Jenn:
It really is about drowning out the noise. If you're hearing thunderstorms and fireworks, AC, white noise fans, whatever you can do. We obviously don't have 'em all on at the same time. The AC works at night when we're sleeping. During the day we like to play classical music, which works quite well. We tried playing some classical music and I would have to say you have to play the more chill, classical music. So none of the racey stuff. That seemed to work for a little while. Lately we've been playing a lot of blues and jazz. That works pretty well with her as well. It's also very soothing for humans. So it's always a plus for both.
Santos:
You hear it in the background?
Santos:
Oh!
Santos:
Miles, it's okay. It's okay. This is very timely that we're talking about this! I use an air conditioner to block out the noise as much as possible. I know that YouTube is a great resource for anybody that may not know what kind of music they wanna start off with. YouTube definitely is a good starting point for finding dog playlists to soothe your dog. That's an option for free, no charge.
Santos:
The next tip actually works for animals and children.
Jenn:
For anyone that has anxiety, I think going out and taking a walk and getting some physical activity (and for sure, I mean specifically to dogs). For Ollie, we try to take her out for at least a 30 minute walk around the evening. Right before the fireworks, or if you know that it might be storming that day, time it. Get a walk in. On the weekends, you can do a long hike and tire your dog out so that they're just so tired and won't even pay attention. Essentially, that's the goal.
Santos:
I can't wait until everybody can start running the dog parks again. That would be really great.
Jenn:
Right.
Santos:
The other thing - and a lot of these things apply to dogs, but also to children, and even some adults).
Santos:
Positive talk about positive reinforcement.
Jenn:
Positive reinforcement is very important. If you're indoors, you should be with your dog as much as possible when it's stressed out or has anxiety and you hear that.
Santos:
That's a good thing. It's about remaining calm, being soothing. They reflect what you give out a lot of times; this is why dogs make such good emotional support animals. So you're right - having a calm presence really helps.
Jenn:
Tyler just took her into the other room so that she can cuddle.
Santos:
I know you have toys. What do you use?
Jenn:
Obviously toys are a good distraction. Ollie likes people to play with her. She's not one of those dogs that chew on her own and plays on her own. So, we like to give her this guy. A lot of pet owners have this. You can put peanut butter or treats in it. This will distract her for a few minutes. She doesn't really care for the puzzle stuff. It was too complicated. She won't do anything with it, but I know some dogs who like when you throw some treats in that might take a while to get out. The peanut butter and treat combo works too. That's a good idea. And then some dogs don't really care for those toys. They might just would rather have a toy with a squeaker or something, you know?
Santos:
We just got our toys in from Nepal.
Jenn:
Oh my gosh. I was so worried about them.
Santos:
I know. And they look beautiful and this squeaker works! We were so worried about that. They're made out of a hundred percent renewable materials. The wool, the filling. And of course the felt is made by our partners.
Santos:
They're now on our website. Literally, we got them today. Right now on our website. We're totally gonna update our website and they're totally affordable and guilt-free toys. We love that. It's 100 percent compostable.
Jenn:
I love it. Yeah. I'm so excited. We've been waiting for so long.
Santos:
I really did want it to be about soothing your pets, but Hey, you know, what, if you have the platform, why not talk about it?
Santos:
So, what is your, like, what is your number? Are we on number 10 now? I feel like we're on number 10.
Jenn:
I think we lost count at some point and we're throwing ideas out there now.
Santos:
Yeah. Things that we have tried, maybe they will work for you, but these are things that have worked for our dogs.
Jenn:
Definitely.
Santos:
So just getting out of the situation itself if you have that opportunity, would you recommend that?
Jenn:
Oh yeah. I've read and had people suggest you should send your dog away when, you know, there's a holiday coming up. Your dog is family and you don't really wanna send them away. You want to be with your dog, but we did send Ollie to our friends and they were able to take care of her for a while. Being in the city and hearing fireworks every night versus being out like in space where there's just less of it. There's like none of it actually right now. So as compared to it going off, like every hour in the city - if you can plan a trip around it, get away for July fourth, get away from the fireworks and try to find a place that's peaceful and quiet. I feel like everyone needs that. Not just your pets.
Santos:
Yeah. I agree. I one hundred percent support that. The number one rule is checking in with your vets, see what they recommend above all else. Stuff that works for our dog may not necessarily be for your dog. Your dog might not like it.
Jenn:
Your vet knows your dog's health background and if your dog needs to be prescribed medication. If it gets to a point when your dog has so much anxiety, and it's really taking a toll on your daily life and day-to-day, you really should try to find a way to resolve or alleviate that in some way. Your vet will know what kind of drugs, if needed, to be prescribed or even can offer specific training solutions that they can implement in order for your dog to feel less stress and anxiety.
Santos:
Number one rule: check with the Dr. Fauci of dogs, first and foremost. Thanks, Jenn. I hope this helps people out there. Tell us what you think! If you like what you've heard so far, definitely follow along with us on our journeys! Subscribe to our newsletter at gonetothedogs.co. Find us on Instagram and Facebook.
Jenn:
It was nice chatting with everyone.