Calm Your Anxious Dog With These Vet-Recommended Treats (2024)

Kradle is Dr. Hammond's top choice for calming dog treats. "It incorporates natural ingredients such as passionflower and L-tryptophan [an amino acid], which have been shown to have calming effects on dogs," she said. The brand's soft Bliss Bars are in a dog-pleasing peanut butter-bacon flavor.

The brand suggests that you give a serving before a stressful event such as you leaving for work (separation anxiety is real!), a thunderstorm rolling in or a planned car ride. These can get pricey, especially if you have a big dog or intend to use these daily. For dogs who like to gnaw, the brand also makes hard chews.

Greenies chicken-flavored calming supplements has the only under-$20 pricetag on our list, and it's also an easy brand to find in many supermarkets, pet stores and mass merchants. The brand touts it for use in times of occasional (but normal) canine stress based on its lead ingredients, L-tryptophan and L-theanine (another amino acid), which may help reduce anxiety and stabilize mood, respectively.

These are relatively new for Greenies so there's not as many online reviews to read, but it's is a trusted brand that also makes some of our favorite cat treats.

Purina formulates this daily probiotic supplement for dogs that display general anxiety in the form of pacing, spinning, whining and/or barking. The brand says its proprietary strain of probiotics can help calm your dog, but there is no clinical study on it. We like that the powder is simple to sprinkle over your dog's regular food.

The brand cautions that it might take up to six weeks to see results, which can feel like a long stretch to dog owners, but some online reviewers report seeing much faster improvement. If you just want to calm your dog in a one-time stressful situation, such as a vet visit, you might want something more fast-acting.

Composure is a brand that Dr. Lippman trusts, and these chews are marketed as a way to calm a dog for a single stressful event that pops up from time to time, such as the need for a nail clipping or grooming session, fireworks or if you hear a thunderstorm rolling in.

Vetri Science says Composure will start working in a half hour, so you don't have to wait for weeks to see a behavior change — but these are not meant to be daily supplements, just as needed during stressful events. Like others, its powered by L-tryptophan and L-theanine, but the first ingredient is actually thiamine, a B vitamin, which, when deficient, can affect a dog's nervous system.

The right dose of melatonin can make an animal sleepy, so if that's what you're hoping to achieve — your dog napping in the car instead of whining at the window, or resting sleepily while visitors are over for dinner — this could be the calming dog treat for you. These chews also contain plenty of other calming ingredients such as chamomile, passionflower and L-tryptophan.

But note that an incorrect dose of melatonin can sometimes produce the opposite effect and increase a dog's heart rate or cause confusion, so dose carefully. If you want to further promote a calming atmosphere you might also try the brand's herbal calming room spray.

One pet owner with an anxious Spaniel swears these chews work wonders. "It's a vigorous chew experience, and he's always calm and happy afterward," they said. So as an alternative to giving your dog a treat with calming ingredients, you can give your dog a long-lasting chew treat that will calm his troubles. It keeps a dog busy and distracted! And bully sticks are pricey, but made with just one single, natural ingredient.

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Two veterinary experts weighed in on this story: Sylvalyn Hammond, D.V.M., a general practice veterinarian in South Carolina, and Lisa Lippman, D.V.M., veterinarian and director of virtual medicine for Bond Vet, a chain of veterinary offices up and down the East Coast. We also checked in with Katie Brenner, a compliance officer with the National Animal Supplement Council.

On top of that, we consulted our in-house Good Housekeeping Institute experts on this guide, including Sabina Wizemann, a chemist who substantiates claims and evaluates products for the Good Housekeeping Seal, and Stefani Sassos, a registered dietitian who directs the Nutrition Lab. Last but not least, we interviewed real-life dog owners and sifted through online reviews for a full picture of real-life use of canine dietary supplements.

"Supplements are not tightly FDA-regulated, and different things may work for different pets," Dr. Lippman says. "So it's really about looking for trusted brands and trying them out to see what works for your pet."

Dr. Hammond agrees. "Every pet is unique, and individual factors such as age, breed, health status and concurrent medications must be considered before starting any new supplement regimen," which is why it's smart to first check in with your vet. Then, when shopping, consider:

✔️ Ingredients, including but not limited to:

• Chamomile: A medicinal herb with relaxing effects in dogs. (And humans, who enjoy chamomile tea.)
• Passionflower: Also a calming herb used for anxiety and sleep issues.
• Ashwagandha: Traditional, medicinal plant used to combat stress.
• L-theanine: A natural amino acid that can promote relaxation.
• L-tryptophan: An essential amino acid that works with serotonin and melatonin to help reduce anxiety. L-tryptophan is not made by a dog's body so it can only be consumed as food or treats.
• Ginger: There is some evidence that ginger can help with motion sickness and vomiting.
• Rosemary: This herb is thought to possibly enhance a dog's mood.
• Valerian: A flowering plant known for its sedative qualities.
• Melatonin: A sleep-regulating hormone that can help with stress.

✔️ Made in the U.S.: Dr. Hammond prefers treats that aren't imported, because the FDA has established Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for American companies to follow that help ensure the safe composition of all dietary supplements, including ones for pets. All the treats on our list are made in the U.S., though some ingredients are globally sourced.

✔️ NASC-Certified: Both vets recommend looking for the NASC-Certified seal on dog supplements. Brands that are certified by the National Animal Supplement Council pay to be audited for quality so they can carry that third-party certification. Everything on our list is NASC-Certified except for the Bully Springs, which are not sold as supplements. (It's the action of chewing that is calming with those, not the ingredients.)

If calming treats aren't helping, there is more to try. "There are non-treat products to help calm dogs, like ThunderShirts, which provide gentle pressure to help reduce anxiety," Dr. Hammond says. "There are calming sprays containing pheromones, plus environmental modifications such as creating a quiet, safe space for your dog during stressful events. Regular exercise, mental stimulation and positive reinforcement can also contribute to overall stress reduction in dogs."

Need more help? Consult your vet about a prescription. "When the anxiety is really bad, see your vet because oftentimes, drugs are really helpful," Dr. Lippman says. "Drugs are a big part of a vet practice in that we want to do things that take stress off of our animals. It's better living through chemistry."

For more than 120 years, the Good Housekeeping Institute has been dedicated to helping consumers make sound choices, and helping families with all things pet care is a part of that. Many of our Lab experts are dog and cat owners and we test things such as dog jackets and cat carriers in the Lab, in our own homes and in consumer-tester homes as well.

Journalist Jessica Hartshorn has owned pets all of her life, though admittedly now has two cats and no dogs. Fortunately she shares a home with her dog-owning cousin and has many dog parent friends who share their wisdom and are willing to test dog products. She also leans on the expertise of Good Housekeeping Lab experts and the brand's consumer testers.