Review and Giveaway: Canine Calm

It's been an insanely hot summer so far, and rain has become a rare but welcome sight in the lowcountry. For many dog owners though, we cringe at the onset of dark rumbling clouds because we think about our anxious dogs at home and the chaos their fear brings. As soon as that barometric pressure starts to dip, dogs sense it. And for a dog that is frightened of thunderstorms, this marks the beginning of a downward spiral into full on craziness. Those of us who own dogs with thunderstorm fear will try just about anything in order to alleviate their fear and there's a good number of products on the market to help. While we've personally found the best results are from products like Thundershirts (available through all the pet stores that advertise with us) as well as good, solid dog training,  there is an all natural calming spray from Earth Heart called Canine Calm whose tagline boasts, "a calm dog is only a mist away." 

Earth Heart asked us to review their product and is graciously giving one bottle of Canine Calm away to one of our readers, so make sure to enter by leaving a comment below. It's the perfect season for such a product, and would probably ease fear associated with the 4th of July too. We'll pick a winner July 8th, but consider buying a bottle before the big fireworks displays this year!

* A note about entering To enter, read our reviews below and leave a comment. We'll choose a random winner from those who leave comments. Facebook has cracked down on comment contests on business pages, so I am afraid we can no longer "ask" you to enter on our Facebook Page, though we would love for you to leave comments on our page, and share the review with your network of friends on Facebook. And don't forget to LIKE Earth Heart on Facebook HERE.

To learn more about Earth Heart and sign up for their newsletter click HERE.

LCD Reviewer: Jennifer Heisler and her motley, but loveable, crew of rescues

Sometimes even the bravest dog has his moments of fear and anxiety. Maybe it’s thunder, or a trip to the vet. Regardless, as a guardian you want to make it as easy as possible for your dogs to deal with challenging situations. Canine Calm is made to do just that.

To begin with, Canine Calm was easy to apply. Rather than trying to convince an already stressed-out dog to accept a pill, eat a treat, or allow me to put drops on his tongue, Canine Calm can be either sprayed into your hands and rubbed onto the dog or sprayed in the air around them, such as in a crate. Canine Calm smells great, with a hint of lavender and not at all like medicine, which made the dogs more receptive to it.

Canine Calm worked well for minor situations but unfortunately some anxieties were too great to completely overcome. Even in these situations, such as a thunderstorm, the spray seemed to take the dogs’ anxiety down a notch. I like the spray because it is an herbal, more natural solution, as compared to prescription strength anti-anxiety medications. We’ll continue to use Canine Calm as part of our regular routine.

Score: 

Pros: Natural ingredients, Smells great, Easy to use

Cons: Not strong enough for all dogs and situations

LCD Reviewer: Susie Armstrong and her pack of three labs

Earth Heart Canine Calm is an aromatherapy mist that uses essential oils to calm and relax dogs.

I am a huge proponent and fan of natural remedies and especially aromatherapy for my dogs and myself, so I was thrilled to receive Earth Heart’s Canine Calm spray. I used the spray over a period of time and tried to use it in multiple situations with different dogs.

One of the biggest causes of anxiety for Maggie, my oldest dog, is thunderstorms. I sprayed her bed and the surrounding areas with the spray during an awful storm. Unfortunately, Maggie did not seem to notice. (However, I must note that Maggie has not yet found a remedy to help her with her anxiety and the older she gets, the worse it gets.)

The second dogs to try the calming spray were Jack and Tallulah, the 2 youngest dogs (3 and 6 mos.). They are constantly on the go and always wild! I sprayed both of their bandanas with the calming spray. The spray did not work immediately, but I really felt like they were both quicker and easier to calm down. This was a huge help!

My foster dog, Daisy, also tried the calming spray. It was hard to measure on Daisy because she is always calm. I sprayed Daisy’s bed with the spray and I think that she went to sleep immediately! I am sure that she had sweet dreams and slept soundly!

I did massage all dogs by spraying the calming spray on my hands and then massaging their necks and ears. After rubbing the neck and ears I sprayed a little on the chest and massaged it. Everyone seemed to LOVE their massages and for the younger ones, I think that the spray did make a difference. Jack and Tallulah usually cannot sit still for more than a few minutes. They both relaxed and enjoyed the massages-even ignoring a barking dog in the neighborhood!!

Score: 

Pros: Smells wonderful-I felt that I relaxed when smelling the lavender, all natural products-much better to use than medication, seemed to help hyper dogs calm down (even if it did take a little while), dogs who wore it on their bandanas continued to smell great for a long period of time, all dogs adored the neck/ear massage after I sprayed the calming spray on my hands!

Cons: Did not work for an extremely anxious dog, did not work immediately when sprayed on bandanas.