Dog Owner Stories
I Tried 7 Things to Calm My Stressed Out Dog. One Actually Worked!
Barking at every sound, jumping on everyone, panic when you leave, accidents on the rug. I tried a lot of potential fixes to calm my dog Rosie and relieve her anxiety. Most of them didn't work. One did.
If your dog barks at every sound, jumps all over people, panics when you leave or has accidents in the house, I've been there.
My shepherd mix Rosie is a sweet girl. But whenever a truck rumbles past or a delivery guy is at the door, it sets off a barking fit. Guests get jumped on at the door, and the second I grab my keys she starts to panic. Some days I come home to a puddle on the rug.
So I tried what everyone tries. Pee pads, enzyme sprays, a training class, calming chews, an anxiety wrap, a crate.
None of them really worked. Then my vet recommended something to me I had never heard of and wrote it on a sticky note.
That's when I knew I had to give it a try. A few days later, Rosie was calm and the rug was dry.
This is an advertisement for TheraPetMD. Customer reviews are real TheraPetMD reviews, and results vary from dog to dog.
Pee Pads and Sprays Seemed Like the Easy Fix
Before that sticky note, there were quite a few fixes I tried that didn't work. The first ones were all about the mess.
I bought pee pads in bulk and lined the floor by the door. Rosie walked right past them and peed on the rug.
Here's what I missed. She went outside like a pro. She only peed inside when I left, when the mail truck came, or when it stormed.
Next I tried enzyme sprays. They are supposed to remove the pee smell, so your dog stops going back to the same spot. I bought four different bottles.
The rug smelled better, but Rosie still peed on it. My husband started calling the living room "the swamp."
Then I Tried Calming Her Down
Next came a 6 week training class. Twelve years of fostering, and there I was like a beginner.
Rosie spent most of every class pressed against my legs. In week 4 the trainer pulled me aside. "She's not stubborn. She's scared and anxious."
So I tried to calm her. Calming chews first, $38 a tub. Some days she ate them, some days she sniffed them and walked away.
Then an anxiety wrap, the snug vest that's supposed to feel like a hug. On the first big storm she sat in the corner in it, panting, for two hours. And yes, there was a puddle by the window.
Nice idea. But it didn't really help.
The Crate, the Vet, and a Sticky Note
Last on my list was the crate. A neighbor said, "Just crate her when you leave." So she stopped peeing on the rug and started peeing in the crate. And she cried the second I picked up my keys.
That's when I stopped buying things and took Rosie to the vet.
The urine test came back clean. Then Dr. Ellis asked one question. "When does she pee inside? Right when you leave? When it storms?"
Yes. And yes. "Then she's not being bad, Linda. She's stressed."
For a lot of dogs, peeing indoors isn't a potty problem, it's a stress problem. A door closing, a truck, a storm. To a nervous dog those moments feel unsafe, so she marks her space to make it feel like hers again.
"Dogs with separation anxiety may soil during even brief owner absences, whereas dogs with noise aversion may do so during loud noise events, such as thunderstorms or fireworks."
Dr. Kelly Ballantyne, veterinary behaviorist, Today's Veterinary Practice 1
Then she wrote one name on a sticky note. TheraPetMD.
It's a plug in diffuser that gives off a calming dog pheromone, a copy of the scent a mother dog gives her puppies to tell them they're safe. People can't smell it, but dogs keep reacting to it their whole lives.
Setting it up takes about a minute. Screw in the refill, plug it in, and it works around the clock, even while you're at work.
And here's why it was different from everything else I'd tried.
- It works while you're out. No vest to put on, no treat to hand out.
- Drug free. No chemicals or medications.
- One per room. Each diffuser covers up to 700 sq ft.
- Safe with your other pets. Only dogs detect the pheromone, and Rosie shares the house with two cats.
- Vet recommended, with 300,000+ pet parents served.
No More Barking, No More Puddles, No More Panic When I Leave
Same dog, same rug, same 5 months. When I finally added it all up, it looked like this.
| Fix and result for Rosie | Cost | Calmed her | Worked when I was out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pee padsA new place to pee | $175 | ✕ | ✕ |
| Enzyme spraysCleaner spot, same puddles | $80 | ✕ | ✕ |
| Training classLearned she was scared | $250 | ✕ | ✕ |
| Calming chewsSame wet spot | $76 | Some days | ✕ |
| Anxiety wrapPuddle by the window | $45 | ✕ | ✕ |
| CratePeed in the crate | $90 | ✕ | ✕ |
| TheraPetMD, 3 roomsCalm within days | $59.99 | ✓ | ✓ |
The six that didn't work cost me $716 together. The one that did is $59.99 for 3 rooms.
I plugged in three. Living room, bedroom, kitchen. Within a few days Rosie was calmer. She stopped barking at every sound, and the puddles stopped too.
A few weeks in, a big storm came through and Rosie just slept through it. No panic, no accidents. That's when I knew it was working.
I liked it so much that I bought one for my sister and her husky too.
A week later she texted me. "It worked wonders for her too."
My dad uses one for his rescue, Buster, now. And both of my neighbors bought one after seeing what it did for Rosie.
Come Home to a Dry Floor and a Calm Dog.
After 5 months of trying everything, this is the one thing still plugged in at our house. It works while you're out, it's drug free, and it's safe.
- No more mess. It works on the stress behind the accidents, not just the puddle.
- Works while you're out. Plug it in once and it runs around the clock.
- Nothing to lose. Try it for 30 days. If it doesn't help your dog, get your money back.
What other dog owners say
Over 4,000 5 star ratings and reviews on TrustpilotFor 4 years I have been taking my Havapoo outside hourly. She'd do her business, then come inside and within minutes, would pee on the rug. I tried ALL THE THINGS. When I plugged it in, she went over and sniffed it, then laid down in a ball next to it. Since that night, she hasn't peed once in the house.
My one dog with Seperation Anxiety has calmed down some. He isn't peeing in the house anymore when I am at work.
My rescue dog has major separation anxiety. After trying prescription meds and other things not working, I seen your ad on Facebook. Decided that I had tried everything else, why not give this a try. In 3 weeks Oakley has made tremendous improvement.
My Great Dane used to tremble when it was raining or thundering. Not any more. She no longer sticks to me like glue when she hears thunder.
My pup has been choosing my carpet for bathroom duties. Got TheraPet, figuring it couldn't hurt to try it. Within 48 hours the peeing stopped. It's like having a new doggo.
Turns out my dog indoor peeing was due to stress. We put a few diffusers around the house, and no accidents for 2 weeks now, he goes outside! Glad we tried this.