Dog Calming treats – and meat jerky dog treats as a healthy alternative
The thing about this is that most dogs don’t have an inherent physical mental issue that causes what many consider to be bad or inappropriate behaviour. They are barking, or digging or running around in circles for a reason. And if you solve this issue with drugs or a dog behaviourist without addressing the underlying issue (exercise and socialisation) you are masking the issue and it is likely to come out in another undesirable behaviour.
You might be surprised but healthy meat dog treats can be far more effective and safe at calming dogs than any ‘medicated’ dog treats will try and claim. We go through the process of how healthy long chewing treats can assist in dog calming (see below) and when to use the medicine.
The reason that I am talking about this now is that Calming dog treats are a big trend in America according to Google (2018). The land where every owner is bought and sold by a pharmaceutical company and trained into thinking that a pill will make it all better. Don’t exercise, don’t do yoga, don’t walk to clear your head. Take a pill to forget, to lure you into a false sense of drugged security. And that mindset has now spilled over to our best friend treatment, our dogs.
If history teaches us anything, it is that any dog trend that sells big in America will soon make it to our Australian shores. So what are calming dog treats and why do you need to use them, and what are the negative effects?
Calming dog treats
what they are supposed to do: ” dogs exhibiting nervousness, hyperactivity, anxiety or responding to environmentally- induced stress”
What they typically use are :
- dumbed-down versions of human anti-anxiety drugs.
- CBD oil to drug your dog into submission
- Herbal extracts
- Vitamins and minerals that might calm a dog.
Why use calming dog treats
The reason most people use calming dog treats is that their dogs are running around the house making too much noise, and they don’t have the budget, or desire to walk their dog. Walking a dog on lead will have very little value for tiring a dog out, unless you run or your dog is very young or old.
Likewise it won’t socialise your dog, and it won’t have them change their mental outlook. It won’t give them satisfaction.. It will burn some energy to be outside on a lead, but it won’t make them balanced.
Calming Drugs of any kind are typically a short term solution. Something to get a dog over a fireworks display, thunder or a major change such as moving house.
Negative effects of calming dog treats
When you drug a healthy dog, they often become more anxious as they can’t work out why their body doesn’t work as they expect it to move. Or if the drug is very good and puts them in a drug haze, it might be doing permanent damage to the regular thought pathways, just like anti-anxiety medication or heavy depression drugs for humans can permanently change the brains physiology so that a human cant stop the drug without major depression. It will often also slow down their digestion, healing and many other things you don’t want to be slowed down.
There are no fast or permanent ways to ‘calm’ a dog down with drugs, that won’t have some negative effect or can’t be resolved, naturally.
How meat based dog treats can calm a dog
Like most human inventions at solving problems with inappropriate solutions, its about the money for the company (in this case drug companies) not the wellbeing of the dog.
If you can’t walk your dog regularly off lead, if they have not been trained for recall yet – there are dog walkers out there. However, a mid-term solution that might benefit you instead is long chewing dog treats. The healthy meat-based ones though.
The reason is that yes, the long chewing dog treat will provide a level of distraction, assist stopping boredom, but if it actually has natural nutrition (food not drugs or herbs) they are going to also get the best healthy nutrition while alleviating the boredom.
Chewing is primal for a dog, and if you give a rubber toy you risk them swallowing it and a vet visit. A hard chewing natural dog treat shouldn’t be too easy for your dog to eat fast, and if swallowed should break down in their stomach.
Chewing a meat-based dog treat satisfies a dog on so many levels, like an adjunct to a long off lead dog pack walk.
The process of chewing also releases endorphins the natural rush. It makes your dog naturally happy. You will be happy because they are exercising their jaw and cleaning their teeth, but your dog will be happy at the moment, and when the endorphins retreat, they will have natural tiredness from all that chewing. They got rewarded for chewing (endorphins) and nutrition, then rewarded by being calmer, the natural come down, without the drug by-products.
As per usual its back to basics and natural processes that make dogs the happiest, and if you can give better nutrition while occupying and calming a dog – then surely that is the result that people want.
APPENDIX
Here are some examples typical of the ingredients in many calming treats. You will notice that many of them just use minerals and vitamins already available in meat-based treats!
1 One product uses a “dog appeasing pheromone” that is released into the “dog’s environment” to help promote feelings of calm and well-being.”
2 Active Ingredients: Thiamine (Vitamin B1) C3 Tm (Colostrum Calming Complex), L-Theanine. (an essential amino acid found in meat)
3 A herbal treatment: chamomile flowers, ginger root extract, vitamin B1, l-taurine and l-tryptophan—a natural amino acid that may help promote relaxation
4 Organic Hemp Powder (dangerous without prescription – don’t stone your dog) , Thiamine (Vitamin B1), Chamomile, Valerian Root (a human sleep aid), Organic Passion Flower, (L-Theanine), Organic Ginger Root (an anti-inflammatory), L-Tryptophan (another essential amino acid in meat protein), Magnesium Citrate, Melatonin,