Can anyone recommend anything that can help calm a dog .
My springer gets very hyper especially when its sunny, he chases shadows and this can go on all day if I dont bring him in. If he was my only dog this would be fine but I have 4 others so shutting the doors is not an option.
I would like to try the reward and distraction method but I need to calm him down before this method will work.
Our Vet suggested 'Clomicalm' but it will cost £165 for a months supply and I would prefer something herbal if possible, something I can buy over the counter that will not require me to take out a bank loan, he is probably going to need to take it for a few months.
Has anyone used any of the calming products, if so I would welcome some feedback.
Sandie.

TRy going to somewhere like holland and barrets, here will be plenty of things there that should help, and you can always talk to the people there,

Rox

Do they stock remedies for dogs as well, I was thinking more from pet shops never thought H & B would have anything.

Don't do things for dogs but the human stuff is ok, we use evening primrose cod liver oil and B-100 from there for the dogs.

Rox

What are you feeding him on? If the protein level is too high this can send dogs hyper. Some chews can be really high one i looked at was nearly 60% Ive been told the best level is around 20% for their main food and avoid bakers complete as they put sugar in it, what dog needs extra sugar i ask?

Took the words out of my mouth Sonny!  We had an issue with Bakers...Only used it for a couple of weeks and I swear my dog was like a child on E numbers :rolleyes: - And you are right..What dog needs sugars in this form?  As soon as I noticed we changed and are now on James wellbeloved, I think we forget that the food manufacturers are selling to owners and not dog's...All these bright colours and sugars cant be good!  And I would have thought would certainly contribute to hyperactivity!!
Sarah

Hi Sandie sun essences do a flower remedy for hyperactivity, do a search for sun essences and you will find it, I have used the other remedies with great success you will probably need two to three bottles though

Janines

Has anyone had any luck with serene-um, I also heard of something you put in food but I dont know what it is called.

I swear by Serene-Um............... I use it before shows for my bitches and before Bonfire night.... I start is about a week before I need it, and it calms them right down.........
I tried scullcap and valerian as well, but that was no good..........
I recommended Serene-Um to a friend, whose dog is hyperactive and he calmed down a lot with it..
I would also check out the amount of protein in your dogs food as well, as too much can make them completely scatty!! :-)
Hope that helps,
Gabrielle xx

My mother uses serene-um on her dog, now and again, and does find it works.
The other thing is i would consider also changing the food, as sonny said.
One of my dogs has always been hyper, so i changed the food to Burns (don't know whether it's the food or just the fact that he's a little older now), but he's definitely NOT as hyper as he used to be. :)

We had terrible problems with Os being hyper all the time to the point that we got to the end of our tether.  Our wonderful trainer helped us in the right direction and gave us some advice.  We found that it is the protein / additives in Os food that make him really bad, so put him on Burns (18%) and have never looked back.  We also use Rescue Remedy, or when we are training and he is going off on one either Valerian (Bachs remedy) or Clematis (also Bachs) depending on whether we want him to calm and focus, or just to take the edge off him.
We still have our moments of madness but I can definitely recommend any of the herbal stuff.

There is a good book on amazon I think called something like 'Dogs Misbehavin' (orange cover) which details all the individual remedies and what / how to administer them.

Good Luck!
Jayne :-)

First of all you need to look at the dog and see if it is underemployed either physically or mentally.  If this is not the case then the next thing I would look at is diet.  Personally I do not ascribe to the high protein theory per se ie too high an amount can cause hyperactivity as if this was true then those of us who raw feed would have permanently hyperactive dogs :D

You cannot tell my looking at the label and the crude protein level how much of this is available to your dog unless you ask the nutritionist of the company.  With diet you need to look at a combination of factors such as where the protein comes from; if the bulk of it is provided by cereal, especially maize, then your dog may be tryptophan deficient; this is an essential amino acid and is a precursor of serotonin, the "feel good" factor; clomicalm is in fact based on tryptophan.

A lot of success has been had by following the advice in The Dogs Dinner by Val Strong and feeding one small carbohydrate meal eg rice, baked potato etc one hour after each "normal" meal with a Vitamin B6 supplement; 1g for every kg of dog's weight.  This facilitates tryptophan uptake by the brain.

I know someone who has had quite remarkable results using this method of feeding.

Other avenues to explore are scullcap and valerian tablets from Dorwest Herbs which can take the edge off without being soporific and can be taken long term, rather than valerian alone which should not.

You may also want to explore Flower Remedies such as Vervain or Impatiens put into the drinking water; Flower Remedies, unlike Homeopathic remedies can be used with no side effects; if it is the wrong one there will be no effect and it will not affect your other dogs.

A homoeopath could prescribe you a tailor made recipe for your dog.  I had great success with Tuberculinium with a truly hyperactive dog but I must stress homoeopathy should, in cases like these, be prescribed by a professional.

DAP diffuser may also be of help.

You are absolutely right, you cannot train your dog unless he is first put into a position where he can learn.

HTH

hi, i have a very hyperactive rescue german shepherd who was 24hrs from being put to sleep when i got her as no-one could do anything with her.  its taken 3 years of training and lots of blood, sweat and tears (literally!!) to get her to a 'manageable' level but its been worth every second; so dont give up!
i've tried most things over the years, even herbal sleeping tablets, but i now use camomile tea - she has a mug every evening and loves it.  a friend of mine has a dog who has stress related fits and she's also found that camomile tea works on her dog.
of course, this is all dependant on your dog liking the taste, but it might be worth a go - good luck!