Read This if Your Dog Struggles

My sister threatened to call animal control on me! Can you believe that? But it wasn’t my fault that my dog was a bundle of nerves!

Before I explain what exactly happened leading up to my sister’s threats, you have to understand more about Duke.

See, my dog, Duke, was just a naturally energetic, anxious dog. As a pitbull-border collie mix, rescued from a shelter, I think it is to be expected that he would have at least a few emotional hang ups, such as separation anxiety.

But my sister (who is also my roommate), had other opinions, especially after she got pregnant and insisted that Duke wouldn’t be allowed around her (or her baby) if I didn’t get his anxious behavior under control. She basically threatened to kick me off the lease, which would be disastrous for me because it is hard to find an affordable place to live even when you don’t have a dog that is on the restricted breeds list.

It’s not like I didn’t care about Duke’s anxiety too, but more for Duke’s own sake (and my own sanity) than because my sister was pregnant and afraid that Duke’s anxiety would cause him to lash out against the baby.

See, Duke’s anxiety made him act like a ‘bad dog.’ For instance, no groomer could handle him, which was getting really bad for his mobility because his nails were growing out long like a witch’s nails.

I had to take him to the vet for them to try to clip his nails. The vet was totally confident that she’d be able to, but when I went to pick him up they told me that 1. Duke tried to bite them out of fear. 2. Duke peed himself out of fear. And 3. He pooped out of fear!

Needless to say, they did not clip his nails.

I know this sounds funny (and I’ll admit it is kind of funny), but if you put yourself in my shoes, you’ll also understand that Duke’s anxiety was not only a serious problem for my sister, it was a problem for me, and for Duke himself!

It isn’t like I didn’t try to help him with his anxiety either.

I took him to dog trainers and dog training classes. I watched videos on dog training and used the techniques they talked about and I tried to give him enough exercise to tire him out (which is pretty much impossible for a pitbull-border collie mix, but I tried!)

I gave him ‘calming treats’ and supplements but they either didn’t seem to have an effect or (in the case of melatonin particularly) they made him worse.

As much as possible, I’d bring him with me when I went places so that he wouldn’t be alone and anxious. But the problem was that he couldn’t be calm even on a leash. He’d pull like it was his job, ‘herd’ me, lunge at any living thing we passed (bike riders, children, cats–you name it), and get so hyped-up that he wouldn't even take a treat out of my hand.

Dog parks were absolutely out of the question.

Other people who have had anxious dogs will understand: dealing with an anxious dog is not just a matter of training, love and attention! There would probably be next to no anxious dogs if that were the case. No one tries harder for their dogs than owners of anxious dogs.

When Duke was left alone, he’d be destructive, no matter how many chew toys I got him. If I left him in his crate, he’d scream so that the neighbors complained and chew so hard at the gate that he’d make his mouth bleed.

No one wants to see their dog suffering like that. No one wants to disturb their neighbors or get their own stuff ripped apart by their dog.

But for my sister, the final straw was when Duke ripped up the personalized monogrammed baby blanket that she got at her babyshower.

I came home from work to find my sister angrier than a thundercloud and pieces of the pink blanket strewn about the house.

“If you don’t get that dog under control!” she screamed at me. “I’m going to call animal control on you for cruelty to animals!”

“But I’m not cruel,” I argued. “I treat him well.”

She just smirked at me, “Those long nails of his are abuse. If you can’t get someone to clip them, they’ll take him away and I’ll finally have peace.” She cradled her pregnant belly smugly and I swear I never hated my sister more than I did in that moment. Sure, she was going to have a baby, but Duke was all I had, and he meant the world to me!

I pleaded with my sister to be reasonable, but she held her ground. “I’ll give you one week to get his behavior under control,” she said.

It was do or die. At the very least, I needed to get Duke’s nails clipped or I was afraid animal control would fine me or take him away.

Once again (not for the first time) I tried to clip Duke’s nails myself. Of course, that was a no-go. He struggled and tried to bite me.

I turned to the internet to read the reviews of all the groomers in my area, and then I started calling them. One by one, when I explained the situation to the groomers, the groomers told me that they don’t take dogs like Duke.

The whole situation was giving me as much anxiety as Duke had!

Finally, I called a groomer called CeeCee. CeeCee’s website didn’t have much on it, and looked like it was built about a thousand years ago, but she had great reviews from people saying she was able to groom their reactive dogs when no one else could.

CeeCee answered the phone herself and was very understanding–letting me book an appointment in a slot that someone canceled.

When I dropped Duke off, I was still skeptical. All I could do was cross my fingers and pray.

Hours passed and I kept expecting CeeCee to call and say, “Sorry, actually, he’s too much to handle, please pick up your bad dog.”

When my phone finally did ring, I was practically sweating bullets when I answered.

“How was he?” I tentatively asked.

“He was fine, you can pick him up now,” was all CeeCee would say.

When I walked into the grooming salon to pick up Duke I was shocked by how he danced out to greet me, not frantic, but calm, with his toe nails cut to less than half the length.

“Holy guacamole!” I exclaimed as I tried to get Duke to stop his enthusiastic greeting of me. “How did you manage to clip his nails when no one else could?”

Ceecee gave me a secretive little smile. “To tell the truth,” she said. “He wasn’t the most cooperative, but I was able to make it work because of my secret weapon: Relievet Zen Calming Chews.”

“Relievet Zen Calming Chews?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of those.”

“Relievet Zen Calming Chews is the only calming dog treat I’ve found to work for all the dogs who’s nails I clip. It helps calm them in about twenty minutes, and they all love the taste.”

I thanked her and vowed to research Relievet's Zen Calming Chews more when I got home.

What I found blew me away.

It turned out that Relievet Zen Calming Chews was developing a cult following online. There were hundreds of 5-star reviews.

Here's a couple from google and one from the Better Business Bureau:

Sure the reviews were great, and sure CeeCee managed to clip Duke’s claws thanks to them, but I wasn’t born yesterday. Maybe the reviews were fake and maybe CeeCee just had a special knack with dogs.

I needed to do more research. After spending as much money on Duke as I already did, I couldn’t afford to pay money for something that wouldn’t help.

Looking into the ingredients, I could see why they would help. Here is a short explanation of them:

So, Ashwagandha – try saying that five times fast after a night on the town – is like the veteran actor of the herbal world, known for its stress-busting chops since the dawn of time. It’s the herb that looks stress in the eye and says, “Not today, pal.” Then we’ve got Chamomile, the same stuff in your grandma’s bedtime tea, working its magic on our four-legged friends, whispering, “Chill out, buddy,” in the gentlest of herbal tones.

And who could forget Tryptophan? Yes, the same stuff that's blamed for your Thanksgiving food coma is also a secret weapon in calming down our canine pals. It’s like the body’s natural chill pill, converting into serotonin and melatonin to dial down the anxiety and up the Zs. Then there's Valerian Root, stepping in like a sleep guru for pups, ensuring they're not just chasing sheep in their dreams but actually snoozing soundly.

But here’s the kicker and what really started to convince me. According to Relievet , it is not just about tossing these ingredients into the mix and hoping for the best. Oh no, it's the how, the proportions, and the delicate dance they do together that makes Relievet's Zen Calming Chews the bee's knees. Like each part works with the other to bring on a full calming effect, hitting every part of the body’s calming system.

It's like a meticulously crafted recipe where every ingredient balances the others. It isn’t a one-herb wonder; it’s a finely tuned ensemble, each element playing off the others to hit the sweet spot of calm without tipping into snoozeville.

Truthfully, what really sold me was the money-back guarantee. Pretty much, I figured, I’d have nothing to lose if I bought the Relievet's Zen Calming Chews and they didn’t work. I could always get my refund.

Ordering was easy. They arrived a few days later. The packaging was really nice too.

But would Duke eat them? Would they calm him? I looked at the usage recommendations on the package and didn’t hesitate. And Duke didn’t hesitate on eating them either! He clearly thought they were tasty and wanted some more, wagging his tail like crazy and nosing at me.

Now, all I had to do was wait.

About an hour later, Duke was laying peacefully on the floor, taking a nap. But that wasn’t that odd for Duke. He is a dog after all and dogs do nap anyway!

To give the Relievet Zen Calming Chews a real test, I decided to take him on a walk and see if he acted any differently. I hooked on his leash and headed out the door, expecting Duke to pull my arm out if its socket as usual.

But that’s not what happened!

Yes, Duke still pulled, but this time, for once, he came back to my side when I reprimanded him. He wasn’t so crazy focused on everything else that he couldn’t focus on me, he was even calm enough to take a treat out of my hand.

He was far from perfect, but the Relievet Zen Calming Chews achieved something that nothing else had: progress!

They calmed him down enough that all my hard work and training with him could finally start to sink in. I could cry out of gratitude and relief.

For the next few weeks, I kept giving him the Zen Calming Chews and he kept improving in his behavior. He stopped being so destructive and limited his ripping apart of things to his own toys and bones.

He stopped pulling so crazily on walks (except when he saw a cat!)

He stopped his panting and pacing around the house.

He was way more relaxed during car rides.

And perhaps best of all, his separation anxiety started dissipating as if he were always just a good boy who was fine with being alone.

My sister was as shocked as I was by his transformation. “I guess we can all keep living together after all,” she said. “I heard it is good for kids to be around dogs anyway.”

And it came true: Duke became a great ‘big brother’ to my sister’s son when he was born. He loves just laying by the bottom of the baby’s crib.

And it is all thanks to Relievet 's Zen Calming Chews.

I put the Relievet's Zen Calming Chews on subscription after my first order for a couple of reasons: 1. So I wouldn’t forget to re-order and 2. Because putting them on subscription means good savings (plus you can cancel your subscription anytime.)

If you decide to buy Relievet's Zen Calming Chews for your own dog, I recommend you do the same.

Anyway, thanks for reaching about me and Duke! You can click the link below to get up to 50% off Relievet's Calming Chews if you’d like.