If your pup’s anxiety is off the leash, it’s time to try homemade calming treats! These 6 dog treats contain natural ingredients to soothe their restlessness and nerves. Let’s get baking and get that tail wagging!
Why Are Homemade Calming Treats Good for Dogs?
Homemade calming treats for dogs refer to doggy snacks created at home containing herbs with relaxing properties.
These treats can be fed to your pooch whenever he feels anxious to pacify his nerves and calm him down.
They are low-cost substitutes for commercial calming dog treats, which are great for pawrents who are on a tight budget.
Benefits of Homemade Calming Treats for Dogs
Homemade calming treats for dogs work well in soothing mild to moderate cases of anxiety in canines. They are useful for various kinds of stress-inducing situations such as:
- Travel anxiety
- Separation anxiety
- Noise anxiety
- Sleep deprivation
Homemade calming dog treats are ineffective in calming down dogs with severe anxiety.
If your canine companion is suffering from this behavior problem, work with the vet and a canine behaviorist to determine the best type of treatment for him.
4 Recipes for Homemade Calming Treats for Dogs
1. Chamomile Gummy Calming Treats for Dogs
Chamomile is a great calming aid for dogs since it functions as a muscle relaxant and mild sedative.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup unsweetened, xylitol-free peanut butter
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 chamomile tea bag
- 3 tablespoons unflavored powdered gelatin
Instructions:
- In a small pot, steep the chamomile tea for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cup and set aside.
- Pour the beef broth into a pot and stir under medium heat.
- Once the broth starts steaming, remove it from the heat.
- Mix the powdered gelatin into the broth. Wait for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to form.
- Stir with a whisk until no clumps remain but only a foamy consistency.
- Add the peanut butter and chamomile tea. Mix thoroughly until everything is well-incorporated.
- Place the chamomile gummy calming treats for dogs on a silicone mold. Let it chill in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours.
- Feed the calming dog treats to your pup. Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 4 days.
Nutritional Information:
- The antispasmodic properties in chamomile help relieve anxiety-induced nausea during car rides.
Notes:
- Consider lightly smothering coconut oil on the silicone molds to prevent the gelatin dog-calming treats from sticking.
- Avoid high temperatures when letting the gelatin form as they lower its setting strength.
2. Valerian Cookie Calming Treats for Dogs
Homemade valerian cookie is one of the best calming treats for dogs with separation anxiety.
Instructions:
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1½ teaspoons dried valerian root
- 1½ cups brown rice flour
- 2 eggs
Ingredients:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add all ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Lightly dust your working surface with flour. Roll out the dough to ¼ inches in thickness.
- Cut out shapes from the flattened dough using your chosen cookie cutter.
- Place them on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 13 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Take out the valerian cookie calming treats for dogs from the oven. Allow them to cool on a wire rack.
- Serve the calming cookies for dogs to your canine friend.
Nutritional Information:
- Valerian root hinders nerve transmissions of neurons, which provides a calming effect on dogs experiencing stress and anxiety.
3. Hemp Truffle Calming Treats for Dogs
Are hemp calming treats safe for dogs? Yes, hemp offers naturally calming properties to dogs without the dangerous psychoactive side effects marijuana causes.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup strawberries
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup raw hemp flower
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions:
- Decarbing the hemp flower
Decarbing is a crucial step before making the treats as it activates the cannabinoids of the hemp buds.
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use a mortar and pestle to grind the hemp flower.
- Thinly spread the ground hemp flower on a lined baking sheet.
- Put the baking sheet on the oven’s middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.
- Take the hem flower out of the oven and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
- Creating the calming dog treats
- Place the strawberries in a food processor or blender and then purée them.
- In a large mixing bowl, pour in the ground hemp flower, puréed strawberries, milk, and coconut flour. Mix until well incorporated.
- Gradually pour the coconut oil into the mixture. Combine properly until the dough is sticky enough to form balls.
- Roll the dough into small 1-inch hemp truffle balls.
- Transfer the dog-calming chews to a lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
- Serve the hemp calming treats for dogs to your pooch. Place leftover calming sweets in a ziplock bag and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutritional Information:
- Dried hemp flower is rich in cannabinoids and terpenes, which aid in lessening separation anxiety and other stress-induced problems in canines.
4. Oat Straw Waffle Calming Treats for Dogs
Oat straw waffle is one of the best calming dog treats you can make at home. Oat straw helps stabilize the nervous system of stressed or anxious canines.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ package of bacon
- 1 tablespoon organic oat straw powder
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 small ripe banana
- 1 egg
- Coconut oil for greasing
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mash the banana in a medium bowl using a fork.
- Add the bacon and eggs to the bowl. Whisk until all ingredients are properly combined.
- Add the oat straw powder, oat flour, and tapioca flour. Thoroughly combine until it has a cakelike batter consistency.
- Shape the dough into 1 tablespoon-sized balls.
- Grease the waffle maker with nonstick coconut oil.
- Place 3 dough balls on the waffle maker and bake for 8 minutes. Repeat until you used up all the dough balls.
- Allow the oat straw waffle calming treats for dogs to cool down completely before serving them to your pooch.
- Store the remaining dog-calming treats in an airtight jar and place them in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
Nutritional Information:
- Oat straw also helps reduce neural symptoms like tremors, epilepsy, and twitching.
Generally, all key ingredients used in our homemade dog-calming treats recipes are safe to consume for healthy canines.
With this in mind, if you are making them for puppies, medicated dogs, sick pooches, or pregnant/lactating dogs, seek the vet’s advice first to ensure that undesirable side effects are unlikely to occur.
Most-Asked Questions About Calming Dog Treats
1. Are calming treats good for dogs?
Yes, calming treats are good for dogs, but they work best on canines with mild anxiety.
Dog owners should beware that calming products cannot cure canine behavioral issues like separation anxiety on their own.
If your dog has severe anxiety symptoms, work with a canine behaviorist to resolve the problem.
2. What is the most effective calming treat for dogs?
Every dog-calming treat works differently for each dog. What works for your pooch might not have the same effect on other canines.
It would take some trial and error to find the best calming aid for your furry pal.
3. How to make calming treats for dogs?
Making calming treats for dogs is an easy process. Dog owners only need to combine the ingredients properly and shape the mixture into their ideal form.
Dog-calming treats in the form of gummies and truffles are then placed in the freezer to chill before serving.
Cookie and waffle calming treats for dogs need to be baked in the oven and afterward cooled down to room temperature before dogs can have a taste.
4. Can you give your dog calming treats every day?
Dogs that are prone to episodic anxiety can have calming treats right before a stressful event like a thunderstorm takes place.
Daily intake of calming treats for dogs is recommended for pooches with frequent behavioral problems such as separation anxiety.
Generally, puppies and dogs weighing under 25 pounds should be limited to ingesting 1 calming treat a day. 25- to 50-pound canines can have at least 2 calming treats for dogs per day. pooches weighing over 75 pounds can have 3 calming treats at most a day.
5. Do dog-calming treats have potential side effects?
Dogs with sensitive stomachs might experience mild diarrhea after ingesting calming treats. However, this condition often resolves on its own.
Minor overdose may lead pooches to become sleepier and more lethargic. In most cases, vet intervention is unnecessary since these symptoms gradually disappear.
However, severe overdose can trigger alarming side effects such as vomiting, low body temperature, and lack of coordination. Be sure to send your dog to the vet if he exhibits these symptoms.
6. How long do dog-calming treats take to work?
Administer calming treats for dogs 40 minutes before any stressful situation, giving the active ingredients more time to work.
In general, calming dog treats can retain their effectiveness for up to 8 hours.
Summary
Calming dog treats made with natural herbs can soothe mild to moderate anxiety. But be careful not to overfeed your furry friend as large doses can cause sedation.
One of the common causes of stress in dogs is the unpleasant symptoms of travel sickness during car rides. Make trips a comfortable experience for your pup by trying out these 3 Natural Herb Remedies to Relieve Travel Sickness in Dogs.
