Thoughts on Adaptil collars

[jazzmynn]

Hi all. Looking for your thoughts on Adaptil collars please. Ariel was at the vets last week for her annual jabs. The vet is really pleased with her health, weight and overall condition. That being said, we chatted for a bit on Ariel being skittering for the last few months. She’s hesitant to walk on certain floors now, yet the floor hasn’t changed. She doesn’t seem to enjoy her car rides anymore, and refuses to go up the ramp to come with me on an outing. She used to be my constant travel companion. The vet checked her eyes thoroughly and they were fine, her left ear had a bit of build up but not enough to cause her balance issues, we’ve kept her nails trimmed and even had the dog salon cut the excess hair off the bottom of her feet. So the vet put it down to behavioural, and suggested we try one of these “calming” collars to help her settle a bit, and gain more confidence as her anxiety reduces. Does anyone have any experience with these collars, either good or bad? Thanks!

 

[snowbunny]

I have used the plugins and tablets, and they had zero effect. It seems that some people see improvement, and others (the majority, it appears) don't. But, they're harmless, so worth a try.

 

[Shaz82]

I used an adaptil collar to try and calm Maisy down as a pup but it didn't work. Not really the correct use for it but I was desperate!

I have heard positive feedback from the plug ins though from people with nervous dogs.

 

[Stacia]

I used it and couldn't see any difference. However, my friend used it on her Flatcoat and it did work.

 

[Aitch]

As far as I'm concerned they are rubbish! I've used both the plug in and the collar. Neither worked to any measurable degree. I've found lavender oil to be, at least to some degree, better.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

How about the calming coats (like Thundershirts)? Does anyone have experience with those?

 

[Jacqui-S]

How about the calming coats (like Thundershirts)? Does anyone have experience with those?

I think they were discussed in The Old Place and work in many dogs by "shutting them down"?

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I think they were discussed in The Old Place and work in many dogs by "shutting them down"?

Ok, scratch that idea then. I'd never tried one, just heard of them.

 

[snowbunny]

Some people swear by them and insist that their dogs don't shut down when wearing them. I think it's too big of a risk, and I think it's a lot of anthropomorphism to say that hugging makes us feel better, so it must be true for dogs, too.

 

[Shaz82]

What do you mean by 'shutting them down'?

 

[snowbunny]

What do you mean by 'shutting them down'?

A "shut down" dog is a dog who feels so helpless they stop giving any behaviours. It's a bit like "learned helplessness". It can look very much like calmness or compliance, but instead, it's just that the dog can't cope with their situation, so they go inside themselves. So the Thundershirt is touted as helping anxious dogs calm down - maybe the dogs are barking at fireworks, cowering away from noises etc. But those same things can be stopped by the dog feeling constrained and not liking it, but not being able to escape. I'm not saying that's true of all dogs who wear the Thundershirt, but unless you're really confident with understanding your dog's body language, I'd be wary of assuming a quiet dog is a happy dog.

 

[Shaz82]

Thanks @snowbunny , sounds awful.

 

[Jacqui-S]

I remember @MellowYellow 's Poppy had a similar response to a too tight bandage?? Someone else too.

 

[MellowYellow]

I remember @MellowYellow 's Poppy had a similar response to a too tight bandage?? Someone else too.

Poppy’s very first seizure was we think triggered by a bandage on her foot. Prior to the seizure she was very quiet and unhappy.

 

[jazzmynn]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Ariel has had the collar on for 4 days now, and I’ve seen no difference. We’ll just have to find ways to work around a couple of the issues i had mentioned above. No biggie, just a little frustrating at times.

 

[snowbunny]

It's not that uncommon that when a dog starts to become skitterish about certain things, it then generalises to others. This can be quite quick, too. I would recommend giving her "something" that you find works to get her on a level playing field to start off with. Whether that's "real" medication (which would be my recommendation, even though I was reluctant to start off with), or more "homeopathic" remedies, as long as it's something that actually works, it doesn't matter.
With Willow and the car, it started off where she was a little uncertain, and ended up where she wouldn't even leave the house if she thought we were going to go in the car. This wasn't such a big deal for us as we don't often need to go in the car, but it did make our world smaller. We did a lot of counter-conditioning, but the biggest deal was getting her generally confident again.
So, working on confidence, and giving a bit of chemical help would be my recommendation. If it's generalising, don't try to workaround it, because your world becomes small really quickly. It's a bit like a disease: the more it spreads, the harder it is to bounce back from it.

 

[jazzmynn]

Thanks @snowbunny, this is very helpful. It’s sad to see her so nervous at times....she’s never been like this.

 

[snowbunny]

On the subject of Adaptil, I was talking to a friend yesterday who has a dog with mild SA. She said that she had seen a noticeable improvement with Adaptil, and the two times she mistakenly let the plugin run out, the destructive behaviour had resurfaced until she put in a refill.

It seems to go along with the theme of it working for some dogs, but not for all. It's good that she had some measurable behaviour, rather than it just being a feeling of whether there was an improvement or not.