There are few things more heartbreaking than a fur baby in distress. Because our pets don’t speak english, they cannot communicate their fears to us, and we cannot communicate words of comfort and affirmation that everything will be alright.
When Bennett gets anxious, we can usually calm him. Using soothing tones, giving gentle pets and belly rubs, avoiding loud noises, etc. But we can’t be there every second of every day to soothe him, and when we’re driving we can’t have him freaking out with our kids in the backseat. We needed assistance to calm Bennett when we physically could not. I always thought we were alone in our struggle with an anxious dog. I didn’t even realize there were so may other people out there dealing with their pet’s anxiety until I wrote my last post on it (read that here), but it turns out – lots of dogs experience anxiety. In fact, 75 million dogs will experience anxiety at some point, 55 million are afraid of loud noises, and 24 million have anxiety issues.
We were about at our wits end with Bennett’s behavior issues that were brought on by his anxiety. This past summer, we decided to buckle down and finally do something about it. We took quite a few different step to help make him less anxious. Each helped in their own way and we were really happy to see him progress!
Although anxiety cannot be cured, we can combat it with a few tips and tricks to help him feel calm. With the holidays coming up, his anxiety will be at an all time high. Just a few nights from now, the doorbell will ring over and over again with trick or treaters. Strangers will be in and out for Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas get togethers. We’ll need to keep him as calm as possible during these activities! I’ll never stop trying different tactics to help Bennett feel at ease. He’s such an important part of our family, and I want him to be happy and content. I want him to always know he is loved by us and there us nothing to fear!
In addition to all those steps, I was recently introduced to Calmz. Calmz is a vest worn by your pooch with an insertable vibration device. This device administers soothing vibrations set to the tone of classical music to specific acupressure points on your dog’s back.
This non-invasive treatment helps to soothe anxiety almost right away. It can be used day to day, or for specific anxiety-inducing situations like fireworks, thunderstorms, or long car rides. I wish they made one of these for humans!
Bennett’s had a rough go of it. He was abandoned at a shelter when he was 18 months old. We rescued him, and not long after found out I was pregnant. Sawyer entered his life, then I got pregnant with Oliver, Oliver entered his life, then we moved out of the only home he had ever known with us. We’ve had him for quite a few years but we’ve constantly been bringing him change after change. He’s great with our kids but I can only imaging the stresses those changes brought into his life. I would have anxiety too.
We want to do everything we can for him to help him feel safe, secure, and at ease. He deserves that from us. I’m so glad we’ve been investing in him with things like Calmz. It really seems to improve his mood and demeanor. Devices like Calmz are so innovative, I’m so glad people are designing with dogs in mind! Our furry friends deserve the best, and that’s what you can give them with Calmz.
Be sure to check out Calmz!
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See Calmz in action here:
And learn how to use it here:
xoxo.