Canine Behavior Modification Plug-in

What if you had the device switched on and you left a window open? We all know how sensitive a digs sense of smell is. Within minutes you have loads of dogs hanging around your house, relaxing (possibly playing cards and smoking).

Dogs also have a very good sense of smell...as well as digs.

...Why would lactating female pheramones calm adult dogs? They wouldn't care if another dog was lactating. This is stupid.

I have a jack russel cross corgie named Molly that goes absolutely ballistic in a thunder storm. She howls everytime there is a clap of thunder. It is almost impossible to get any sleep. I wonder if it's just a Molly thing.

loks like you need... "Doggy Downers"- sold worldwide at a mass retailer near you

Well, our dog Anna is a pound puppy, and she goes absolutely nuts if one thing in her routine changes... we got one of these dog calmer thingies and it works... really well, at that.

When I lived in suburbia, before the Wit-Pro thing, I had two dogs that went nuts when the trash collector came by. I think they thought he was stealing our garbage...

I know a dog named Millie who goes berserk with thunderstorms, so it's not just dogs named Molly.

I saw one of these in "Stuff You Never Knew Existed", only it was for cats. Considering everything from that particular catalog seems to be second-hand crap from Spencer's Gifts, I wouldn't trust it.

Hey, there is a very similar product for cats called "Filaway" which emits pheremones to chill out crazy cats. It's reccomended for introducing a new cat or moving or bringing new people into the household. It's expensive- I think about $40- and available at Petco. And it is documented to work.
So this dog thing could certainly be for real.

I recently had a phone consult about one of my patients (a high strung German shepherd) with a veterinary behavior specialist (some vets actually do specialize in behavioral problems, but it doesn't appeal to me). She actually recommended the DAP thing to me, so I think it would be worth a shot. I don't personally know anyone who's used it, so I can't say how effective it is.

Feliway is based on the natural pheromone cats use to mark by rubbing their faces on things. A cat in a new place will go nuts trying to rub on everything, so the idea is that the scent is comforting (and will prevent them from urine-marking). In my experience there does seem to be an effect, although not always dramatic.

Something I just thought of...
I saw a wildlife show a while back about wolves, and apparently when a wolf pack is raising a litter of pups, all of the pack members experience a rise in their reproductive hormones. So even if only the alpha pair are reproducing, every wolf is feeling maternal/paternal.

So maybe dogs are enough like wolves still to respond to pheromones that would create calmer behavior.

DAP stands for "Dog Appeasement Pheromone," I think. Sorry to run on so long, I really do find animal behavior interesting.

I've seen the advertisments for the cat ones, and want to try them out. With ten cats, and all of them wanting to claim territory, I can't keep up on the cleaning (stinky!). Drs. Foster and Smith have them in their catalogue, too, so I can't see them selling something that is bunk, though most of their 'marker odor removers' don't seem to work. But I'm willing to try anything!

Friends of mine had a basset hound that went ballistic during thunderstorms and Fourth Of July fireworks. We were going to the beach, so they gave him some Valium! He could barely stand, but when we returned, he'd still chewed off a corner of a cabinet trying to escape the kitchen to which he was confined.

Valium is not the most reliable tranquilizer in dogs, in my experience. Some of them just get loopy. It does, however, work nicely in cats. Sufficient motivation will overcome almost any mild tranquilizer, though. I always caution people that the more "natural" remedies (like Feliway and DAP) are like any treatment--for some animals they work great, but not for all individuals.

I have a Chihuahua-terrier that came from a shelter; A small dog with a big attitude and a touch of mental scarrimg (but that is a different soapbox). He used to bark at anything that moved outside and constantly mark furniture. My vet uses DAP in her exam rooms and recommended I try it. It does work! Instead of several puddles a day, I have one or two per month, when the DAP bottle runs out.

I purchase DAP from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/

It does work. I've tried it. My extremly nervous terrier Poppy is much less anxious.

Saw this on side label:

WARNING: MAY CAUSE WAY TOO MUCH HAPPINESS IN DOGS
IF MORE THAN 3 AA BATTERIES ARE PLACED IN BATTERY BIN. MAY CAUSE DOGS TO MOUNT ANYTHING, INCLUDING YOU, ANY PIECE OF FURNITURE, OR BASICALLY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.

In Troubleshooting Guide:

COMFORT ZONEo IS NOT WORKING.
HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN LIGHT SOCKET
PUT IT IN THE LIGHT SOCKET, YOU IDIOT!!