What to Know About Dog Calming Sprays
Dog calming sprays can help canines to get through stressful situations. They're carefully formulated with ingredients that promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. While the results aren't as dramatic as those you'd get from vet-prescribed sedatives, these sprays make a big difference to some dogs and can last for hours.
Ingredients
These sprays usually contain essential oils with natural calming properties, such as lavender, chamomile, and geranium. Additionally, you can find some that contain the amino acids L-theanine and L-tryptophan, which may have natural effects on anxiety. Some also use canine pheromones to put dogs in a calmer state.
Application
Calming sprays can be helpful in a wide range of stressful scenarios. They're commonly used for things such as separation anxiety, visits to the vet or groomer, long can journeys, or noise-related fears.
Where to Spray
This depends on which spray you buy, so always check before use. In some cases, you can spray directly onto the dog, while in others you spray on a collar, bandana, jacket, or into the air. Always avoid sensitive spots like the eyes, nose, and any potential wounds when applying them to your dog.
Yes, they do seem to work for many dogs, but this is based on anecdotal evidence, rather than hard proof. They're unlikely to show a vast improvement in dogs who are extremely stressed or anxious in a certain situation, but they can calm moderately stressed dogs.
Calming sprays work quickly. You should start to see the effects within a few minutes of use, though some dogs react faster than others.