Adaptil Collar: this handy collar releases an imitation of the natural pheromone D.A.P. released by mother dogs to sooth their puppies, working for up to 4 weeks and perfect for dogs that move around a lot or go out on outings.

It is a tasty soft palatable chew, which is easy to give on the go. It contains a natural milk protein, casein, which has clinically proven calming effects, delivering a calming message to the brain via the body’s natural messenger system. It's possible that you've seen or heard about Adaptil for dogs from your veterinarian's office or online and wondered, " What is Adaptil, and does it really work?" Although it can be helpful in many situations—it might not be an ideal solution or even help every dog. That means the shortest answer is - Adaptil can work. Meeting new dogs or people, separation anxiety, thunderstorms, or even being adopted and moving into a new environment can cause anxiety and stress in our canine friends. One study fitted Adaptil collars to puppies attending puppy preschool classes. At various points during the classes, treated puppies showed lower fear, lower excitability and higher learning. In addition, dogs in the DAP groups had a higher degree of socialisation at followup phone calls, compared with dogs in the placebo group.The second study 3 pre-fitted Adaptil collars to puppies prior to sale from pet shops. A striking effect was observed where all 32 treated puppies settled within three days. Two thirds of the 34 puppies receiving placebo were either still disturbing their owners in two weeks or only stopped when being allowed into the owner’s bedroom or to sleep with another dog.

This is a calming supplement in the form of chews to help dogs cope with challenging situations inside and outside the home. Taylor, K., & Mills, D. S. (2007). A placebo-controlled study to investigate the effect of Dog Appeasing Pheromone and other environmental and management factors on the reports of disturbance and house soiling during the night in recently adopted puppies (Canis familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105(4), 358-368 Sheppard, G., & Mills, D. S. (2003). Evaluation of dog‐appeasing pheromone as a potential treatment for dogs fearful of fireworks. Veterinary Record, 152(14), 432-436 Another study** has shown ADAPTIL Calm can reduce destruction and panting by 100%, restlessness by 83% and hiding by 67% for dogs stressed during fireworks. There is only minimal evidence that Adaptil helps dogs with sound‐induced fear and anxiety. Two very problematic studies (discarded 5,8) are often quoted but neither are placebo-controlled, and both use other treatments simultaneously.Adaptil is a pheromone collar that can reduce the effects stress and anxiety have on our dogs and puppies by emitting a specific pheromone. The collar can last for 30 days before needing replacement and is typically activated by the dog's body heat. How does it work? One better study uses normal dogs and exposed them to thunder sounds at 83.9 dB (thunder itself can be up to 130dB). They found that a DAP collar reduced global measures of anxiety and active signs of anxiety and increased the use of a den. However, have a look at their experimental schedule. Study day

Mills, D. S., Ramos, D., Estelles, M. G., & Hargrave, C. (2006). A triple blind placebo-controlled investigation into the assessment of the effect of Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) on anxiety related behaviour of problem dogs in the veterinary clinic. Applied animal behaviour science, 98(1-2), 114-126 These smokey bacon-flavoured chews contain a blend of ingredients – including L-tryptophan and L-theanine – believed to be helpful in supporting calm behaviour and in reducing anxiety, stress-related behaviours and over-activity. They are designed to help your pet cope better during stressful events such as vet visits, noise phobias, visitors, travelling and separation anxiety. The chews are seen as a treat and are easy to give, with or without food. My view: the results could have been different if dogs who suffer from separation anxiety were used instead. However, separation anxiety is usually severe by the time a vet is consulted, so I am not surprised that a mild treatment like DAP had no measurable effect. Of course, it is harmless to try as long as it’s not used instead of a more effective remedy. Adaptil For Barking It might seem harsh to have excluded so many studies in this review of Adaptil. However, in such an important welfare issue we have to apply the evidence rigourously. I see far too many dogs in which Adaptil has been tried for wildly inappropriate reasons, and for far too long when much better treatments are available.

Adaptil tablet - Benefits

In the wild, puppies and adult dogs often live in groups and exchange natural messages released into the air -pheromones. These appeasing messages are emitted by mother dogs during lactation and from the ears of adult dogs. Frank, D., Beauchamp, G., & Palestrini, C. (2010). Systematic review of the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 236(12), 1308-1316 This is especially true for puppies who have just moved to new environments, unfamiliar people, and new families. The puppy may go from saying goodbye to its littermates and its mother to starting a new family in one day. It is one of the puppy's most significant life stresses and changes. In that transitional phase, puppies who used Adaptil were 66% less likely to cry at night, and 75% of puppies were less vocal during the day than those who did not have Adaptil on their side. Puppies learn better in training classes when they feel safe, which helps them become well-adjusted adults in the future. Taylor, S., Webb, L., Montrose, V. T., & Williams, J. (2020). The behavioral and physiological effects of dog appeasing pheromone on canine behavior during separation from the owner. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 40, 36-42

This calming dog treatment comes in two forms so that, whatever your dog's situation or the most effective method for you as an owner, there's a product that will work for you. Of course, just because a career or a study depends on the whims of a pharmaceutical company doesn’t mean the science will be bad. It just introduces a risk of bias. This will come up especially when I talk about puppies later. You’ll see that different studies used different products. I’ll try to make this clear as I go. Problems With The EvidenceLastly, two other specialist uses are worth mentioning. Adaptil diffusers have been shown to increase the quality of mothering behaviour in breeding dogs with young puppies 8,9. Adaptil as a diffuser 5.7 or spray 10 was also associated with reduced signs of anxiety in hospitalised dogs. I also suspect that if dogs who suffer from noise phobias were used (which for welfare reasons is impossible) and the noise intensity matched that of thunder, the effect would have disappeared. Read here about treatments for dogs scared by firework and thunder. Adaptil For Puppies Crying At Night Adaptil Tablets: these Adaptil tablets contain a unique combination of amino acids and GABA (gamma aminobutyric acids), as well as B vitamins, which work together to calm your dog in stressful situations. They are a handy way to calm your dog without the need for sprays or collars. DAP is one of the rare mammalian pheromones, and is released by nursing females during the first few weeks of the puppies’ lives. It seems to act to encourage relaxed behaviour in the nest.