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Canine Calm Review

By: Author Paris Permenter

Product: Canine Calm

What it is: soothing aromatherapy mist to calm nervous dogs

Manufacturer: Earth Heart, Inc. Dundee, IL

DogTipper Review: Faithful readers of DogTipper know that Irie, our retriever mix, is plagued by anxiety caused by loud noises such as thunder or when she hears fireworks from nearby neighborhoods. She usually tries to burrow under the couch cushions or takes refuge behind one of us, her nervousness all too apparent.

So when a thunderstorm struck recently, we put Canine Calm to the test. Canine Calm is an all-natural misting agent intended to sooth dogs during these attacks of anxiety. Canine Calm contains water, polysorbate 20; pure essential oils of bergamot, tangerine, lavender, geranium, ylang ylang, marjoram and potassium sorbate.

The formula was developed by certified aromatherapist and master herbalist Vicki Rae Thorne, who founded Earth Heart in 1996 in order to bring the healing power of herbs to the pet world. Canine Calm can be massaged behind a dog’s ears or on the abdomen or misted into the air or on the dog’s bedding or crate. Results are said to be very rapid, decreasing the dog’s nervousness in a few minutes. Canine Calm is for external use only but is gentle and has a pleasant scent humans can appreciate.

So, with thunder beginning to rumble, we put it to the test, first massaging some behind Irie’s ears:

The smell (at least to us) was heavenly…think of the pleasant, relaxing smell that greets you when you walk into a spa. Irie didn’t seem to mind the smell at all.

We massaged it in behind her ears and on her chest and waited. The thunder grew closer.

And Irie made a break for the closet, hiding behind the clothes.

We sat nearby and watched television (turning up the sound to drown out the thunder as much as we could.) After the storm was over, Irie came out and sat with us on the couch, panting heavily. This time, we misted the Canine Calm over her head. (The mister is very, very quiet and she didn’t flinch at all with the sound of the mister.)

Within a minute or two, Irie’s panting slowed and soon stopped.

Was she calmer because of the Canine Calm? Or was it because the storm was over and she was settling back down? We’ll never know for sure but we would guess that the calming scent of Canine Calm was able to help her when her stress level was lower. On the first application, when her stress level was already ramped up by the approaching storm, she was too stressed for the Canine Calm to effectively work in her case. When her stress level started back down, it definitely seemed to help relax her faster than just waiting for the stress to subside.

We’ll definitely continue to use Canine Calm and next time try to use it as soon as her stress begins, not when we first see the signs of the storm approaching. (Irie knows long before we do that a thunderstorm is coming.) And we think that it will be helpful when she’s anxious about less stressful situations, such as when we have company or when she goes to the vet.

And, another bonus for us, Irie smells absolutely wonderful 🙂

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Disclosure: We received a complimentary bottle of Canine Calm from Earth Heart, Inc. for review; we were not paid for our review. All opinions are entirely our own.

Paris Permenter
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