Dog Relaxation 101: A Veterinarian’s Tips and Tricks

Are our pets more stressed out lately or are we may around to notice it more, since we’recloser to them than everthanks to recent work-life changes? (Fun fact: You might be your pet’s source of worry—a2019 studyrevealed that long-term stress levels are synchronized in dogs and their owners.) Whatever the case, pet owners are increasingly seeking help in soothing their little buddies. That’s according to Dr. Dan Su, a veterinarian who shared insight on dog relaxation (and threw in a cat chill-out method, too). Here’s a few helpful takeaways from our conversation with him, as well as toys, diet supplements and sprays to try:

• Top Organic SupplementPetPlate Chill Out Soft Chews($68)
• Top Beef FlavorLicks Licks Pill-Free ZEN Calming Braised Beef Flavor($40)
• Top Hemp ChewMokai Hemp Calming Chews for Dogs($21)
• Top Wearable Relaxation AidThunderShirt Classic Anxiety & Calming Vest for Dogs(from $40)
• Best Diffuser KitbSerene Dog Calming Pheromone Diffuser Kit($30)

Dan Suis a board-certified veterinary nutritionist based in Southern California. After obtaining his doctor of veterinary degree at Western University of Health Sciences, his passion for nutrition led him to complete a specialty internship at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine then a clinical nutrition residency at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

According to aUniversity of Helsinki studyfrom 2020 that included 13,000 dogs, 72.5 percent of them displayed anxious traits defined as noise sensitivity, general fear, fear of surfaces, impulsivity or lack of attention, compulsive behaviors, aggression and behaviors relating to separation anxiety. Add to that, Dr. Su says, “hiding, and acting very passive, as when they just lay there. Or they may pace or pant, and some act like they are on the lookout—jumpy, with darting eyes.” Finally, Dr. Su describes what sounds like doggy OCD: “the most extreme ones will lick parts of their body, excessively chewing parts of their body. It’s like they’re saying ‘I have all this nervous energy and I don’t know how to expel it.’”

Pet stresses are as myriad as pet personalities. “Separation anxiety is one thing, and noise phobia on the Fourth of July is different,” says Dr. Su. The veterinarian explains that, just as when we are addressing human behavior, promoting dog relaxation can be complicated. “It’s like psychology, and it’s multi-faceted, taking into account the dog’s history and environment,” he says. He recommends a multi-modal approach in which pet parents try a wide range of treatments simultaneously and seeing what works, then taking away unnecessary elements. For example, arelaxation supplementor noise-reducing ear muffs might help a pet during a thunder storm; however,aggressive barkingat other dogs during your daily walk will need somelong-term training, including gradual exposure to the stressor and positive reinforcement when relaxed behavior is displayed.

When consideringsupplements, Dr. Su that most dog relaxation supplements seek to work on the central nervous system, to promote relaxation and inhibit anxiety signals—and since both dogs and humans are mammals, he points out that some of the same compounds that humans use to chill out (L-theanine, ashwagandha) are also successful with dogs. “Supplement-wise, we are looking fundamentally to promote neural signals that are calming, and block the stress-inducing neural signaling,” Dr. Su says. “Amino acids are neural transmitters—L-Theanine promotes relaxation, for example. You get amino acids from protein sources and when taken at sufficient doses.

“Another one is ashwagandha. If you say it, it sounds like a hippie remedy, but it has scientific literature backing it. The root extract is what we are looking for, and it comes in tablets, chewable, all kinds of different forms, with behavioral supplements. For some dogs, like those afraid of fireworks, you would give it a week or two ahead of time so it has time to build up in their system and so they are ready for the big day. Then keep administering it for the scattered fireworks afterward.”

Ask your vet about any anti-anxiety medication you’ve being prescribed for Bowser. For example, while antidepressant pharmaceutical Trazadone wastrending on Twitterthis Fourth of July, Dr. Su says that prescription analgesic Gabapentin may be a humane alternative or complementary medicine. That’s because gabapentin reduces the dog’s perception of fear, while Trazadone relaxes the dog’s body while his mind is still alert to the stressor. In extreme cases, in which the dog’s actions are threatening the safety of him or his surroundings, Dr. Su suggests seeking out a veterinarian who specializes in behavior—these professionals are board-certified, and have completed specialized residencies and a board exam to become behaviorists specializing in diagnosing and prescribing medications to help anxiety-plagued dogs.

For loud events, “they have those noise-canceling headphones with designs like earmuffs, like kids wear to loud events,” Dr Su says. “It wraps around their heads and decreases the stimulus.” He reports good success with theThunderShirt: “It’s anxiety-relieving, a jacket that’s like they are being hugged.” He’s even heard reports of dogs enjoying having thetelevisionon to watch to allay separation anxiety, although his own dog ignores it. His cat, however, is hooked on Youtube: “The one that I put on is abackyard scenewith squirrels and birds flying in and out, she will go look behind the TV when the bird goes off the screen.”

Nervous dogs versus screen-addicted cats aside, we’ve prepped a handful of dog relaxation tools for you to shop below.

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Dana Dickeyis a PureWow Senior Editor, and during more than a decade in digital media, she has scoped out and tested top products and services across the lifestyle space. Suitcases to sex toys, she's got an opinion on what's best. Dana is based in Los Angeles; her work has also appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue and The New York Times. Check her out onInstagramandLinkedIn.

PureWow is the best friend you never had when it comes to finding the best, most useful lifestyle products online. Founded in 2010, our company’s editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series, which sees each and every item we test being ranked on a 100-point scale of awesomeness, to the painstakingly curated lists our fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family editors create as vertical experts, you can trust that our recommendations include some of the greatest items you’ll find on the internet. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women’s walking shoes that won’t hurt your feet, we’ve got you covered.