What Is a Calming Dog Collar?
Nervous dog? Relax and trust our experts. We've done hours of research to select the best calming collars for your dog. Let us answer your questions.
A calming dog collar is a lightweight, plastic collar that's infused with calming ingredients and releases them gradually over a set period of time (generally one to two months). Usually, calming collars use canine pheromones to soothe dogs, but they can use essential oils instead, or a combination of the two. Mother dogs release calming pheromones to their puppies when they nurse, and these collars attempt to simulate that effect.
Yes and no. While calming collars help relieve anxiety and stress in many dogs, they don't appear to work for all dogs. They're worth trying out, though. You must also limit your expectations; they do lessen anxiety, but they don't miraculously cure all fears or problem behaviors, so you should use them to complement a full training regime that includes positive reinforcement and a consultation with your veterinarian and/or an animal behaviorist.
They may have some effect right away, but they generally take a few hours to reach full effectiveness.
Most calming dog collars last for around 30 days, but a small handful last for roughly 60 days. They can lose potency toward the end of that time span, so you may need to replace the collar sooner if you notice a drop in effectiveness.
Calming collars can help dog anxiety and separation anxiety but should be used in addition to behavior training. Your veterinarian or dog trainer may be able to assist you in finding the best way to pair a dog calming collar with regular training to reduce dog anxiety.