Bonfire night and the nights leading up to it can be a very exciting time for children and adults alike but not so much for our furry members of the family unfortunately, the loud sudden noises can be very frightening specially with their heightened hearing, cats and dogs can get very stressed out.
Both my mum's dogs get extremely frightened, trying to hide everywhere and barking at the fireworks... while my dogs tend to retreat to their bed and seek comfort by being together as mother and daughter or they come and sit next to us.
One of my dogs is a Yorkshire Terrier and just over 10 years old, in the past couple of years she has been a bit paranoid in regards to cats and birds in the garden, she will always check out the garden door, and bark uncontrollably ven if she just sees something like a leave moving on the floor.... I mean, the dog goes straight to the garden door if she hears the word cat or kitty cat!
Lately that has been happening a lot, BooBoo loves cats and seems to be fascinated with them, I don't know if it's because she has dogs at home so cats are something unknown, cute and exciting in her little toddler brain, but they are ever so cool and interesting, so we have soft toys in cat form and books with cats in them and at 16 months one of the words she grasped was cat!!
So now each time our dog hears the word cat, there she goes off to the garden door and more often than not she barks... not nice for my ears and not nice for her as she gets so nervous she doesn't listen to anyone around her, if we let both the dogs out she will have a go at the other one and they get in a squabble, never actually hurt each other but obviously not a good thing to happen.
So a couple of weeks ago when D.A.P. asked me to review one of their products I was excited, I had seen an advert before but wasn't sure if it would work with my stressed out Yorkie, so now to be given a chance to test it out was great. I chose the electric diffuser, as it covers 50 - 70 sq m and the dogs are mainly on the ground floor of the house so it seems appropriate.
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I put it on the plug near the garden door, that is where the barking happens and the dogs bed is not too far away from there either, and it seemed to do the job, with no smell whatsoever so you don't even know its on. The next day I didn't put it on, I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke, that she was just not paranoid the day before so I left it off for a whole day, and my Yorkie returned to her normal psycho self barking at things that weren't actually there!!
The day after I put it on again and she seemed to be more calm the whole day, with a little bark here and there but not psychotic & paranoid as usual!
So now when my husband is at work, (which is when most of the barking happens), I put the diffuser on and have had more peace in the house and a much more relaxed dog! So I am all for this D.A.P diffuser as it does seem to be working and I will definitely be buying another vial when this one finishes.
A happy dog = a happy me! No more shouting at the dog and less headaches for me.
I looked at their website www.secrettohappypets.com and they have the same stuff for cats called Feliway and you can get a free 60ml spray of either!! They also explain how it all works and why.
There is also website specifically targeted towards your pets firework fears and I found this http://www.petfireworkfear.co.uk/top-ten-tips-for-dogs.html for dogs and http://www.petfireworkfear.co.uk/top-ten-tips-for-cats.html for cats that might help you deal with the situation better and make your pet feel safer.
It also can help puppies or adult dogs settle in new homes, staying in kennels, staying home alone, visiting the vet, travelling, busy times like Christmas and other holidays, with fear of fireworks or with the anxiety that comes when the family has a new baby.
Verdict:
It works even though there is no smell to it, for me its a bit of dog magic going on! Makes my Yorkie more "chillaxed" and therefore less stress and headaches for me too.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Various products available so you can choose what is more appropriate for your situation.
- Natural - DAP® is a synthetic copy of the natural canine appeasing pheromone proven to help support dogs in a range of stressful situations.
- Safe - it is canine specific, odourless, non-sedative, non-systemic and can be used alongside all other types of medication.
- Proven - The efficacy of DAP® has been demonstrated in 18 studies published in scientific journals and at veterinary conferences around the world.
- Trusted - it has been used by behaviourists, veterinary experts and welfare charities for the last 10 years.
Cons:
- Electric diffuser could have a more aesthetically appealing design.
Monica x
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