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Natural Solutions to Help Pets Overcome Fear

| Modified on Aug 22, 2024
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Fear and anxiety can be challenging emotions for pets, leading to behaviors like trembling, hiding, or even aggression. Whether your pet is afraid of thunderstorms, fireworks, strangers, or other animals, it’s important to address these fears to ensure their well-being. Fortunately, several natural remedies can help calm your pet’s nerves and reduce fear-related behaviors.

Understanding Fear in Pets

Fear in pets can stem from various sources, including past trauma, lack of socialization, or even genetic predisposition. Recognizing the signs of fear—such as cowering, excessive barking, trembling, or destructive behavior—is the first step in helping your pet overcome it. Natural remedies can be an effective way to manage your pet’s fear, especially when combined with positive reinforcement and gradual desensitization.

Top Natural Remedies for Fear in Pets

Here are some of the most effective natural remedies and tools to help soothe and calm pets experiencing fear:

Gelsemium

Gelsemium is a homeopathic remedy commonly used to address fear and anxiety in pets, particularly when their fear is accompanied by trembling or nervousness. It is especially effective for pets who become paralyzed by fear, unable to move or react. Gelsemium works by calming the nervous system and reducing the physical symptoms of fear. Administer Gelsemium in a homeopathic form as directed by a holistic veterinarian to ensure proper dosage and effectiveness.

Flower Essences (Rescue Remedy)

Flower essences, such as Rescue Remedy, are gentle yet powerful natural remedies that can help alleviate fear and anxiety in pets. Rescue Remedy is a blend of five different flower essences specifically formulated to calm pets in stressful situations. You can add a few drops to your pet’s water, food, or directly onto their tongue to help them relax. Flower essences are safe for long-term use and can be particularly helpful during events like thunderstorms, vet visits, or car rides.

White Noise Machine

A white noise machine can be an effective tool for reducing anxiety in pets, especially during thunderstorms, fireworks, or other loud events. The consistent sound helps to drown out sudden noises that may trigger fear in your pet, creating a calming environment. Place the white noise machine in the room where your pet feels most comfortable, and use it during stressful situations to help them stay calm.

Thundershirt

A Thundershirt is a specially designed garment that applies gentle, constant pressure to your pet’s body, similar to swaddling a baby. This pressure has a calming effect on pets, helping to reduce anxiety and fear. Thundershirts can be particularly helpful for pets who are afraid of thunderstorms, fireworks, or separation anxiety. Be sure to introduce the Thundershirt to your pet gradually, allowing them to get used to it before stressful events occur.

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is known for its calming properties and can be used to help reduce fear and anxiety in pets. Diffusing lavender oil in your home can create a soothing environment for your pet. You can also apply a diluted mixture of lavender oil and a carrier oil (like coconut oil) to your pet’s fur, avoiding the face and sensitive areas. The scent of lavender helps calm the mind and body, making it easier for your pet to relax in fearful situations.

Valerian Root

Valerian root is a natural herb that has been used for centuries to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. It can be particularly effective for pets who experience severe fear during specific events, like fireworks or thunderstorms. Valerian root can be given as a supplement or in a tincture form, but it’s important to consult your veterinarian for the correct dosage based on your pet’s size and needs.

Chamomile

Chamomile is a gentle herb that can help soothe a nervous or fearful pet. Chamomile tea can be brewed, cooled, and added to your pet’s water or food. Alternatively, you can find chamomile supplements designed specifically for pets. Chamomile’s calming effects can help reduce anxiety and promote a sense of peace and security for your pet.

Final Thoughts

Helping your pet overcome fear requires patience, understanding, and the right approach. By incorporating these natural remedies and tools into your pet’s routine, you can help them manage their fears and lead a more relaxed and confident life. Remember to pair these remedies with positive reinforcement and gradual exposure to fearful situations to help your pet build confidence over time.

Have you tried any of these natural remedies to help your pet overcome fear? Share your experiences and tips! Continue reading below for advice from Earth Clinic readers who have successfully managed their pets’ fears with natural treatments.

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Earthquake Fears

Posted by Ruby421 (Crescent City, Ca) on 01/12/2010

We just had 6.5 earthquake on Jan. 9 here in Northern California and for 24 to 48 hrs. before it struck my dogs were whining and inconsolable .After the quake , they seemed to calm down , now 3 days later they are doing it again . They whine at my feet , carry their favorite toy around like it's a puppy they are trying to save and they are doing this until they finally pass out from exhaustion all day long . They follow me everywhere around the house & yard until I pick them up and put them underneath my sweater or a blanket on my lap. It's obvious to me now that they did feel the earthquake coming , and so now I feel like they feel another one coming or they are feeling aftershocks > To make matters worse I also live 6 blocks from the ocean and so I am living in a Tsunami zone . When an earhtquake happens , we are supposed to move to higher ground in case of a tsunami . This is awful , I feel bad for my dogs , they are shaking and crying and have a look of panic in their eyes and nothing I do with the exception of holding them tight to me helps , and I cannot do this all day long . I have a sling meant for babies that i put one of them in at a time and carry them around while I do chores!!So although I'm amazed they can apparently predict quakes ... I need to find a way to calm them down and restore some peace here . Typically chihuahuas are high strung but this is way over the top . Any suggestions anyone ??? I am taking them on long walks , but today it is pouring rain and I have to deal with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia and so I often am too sore to walk them very far but try to do so at least once a day . Please , anybody got any suggestions for stressed out chihuahuas and their equally stressed human?? Love EarthClinic , it's my "bible" of healing and what's "hot and what's NOT !! I send an average of 3 people a week to EC who need GOOD advice . Alright , thank you in advance to anyone who responds to my plight .... In Joy Ruby

Fear of Loud Noises

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Posted by Vince F (Philadelphia, PA) on 09/20/2006
 ★★★★★

I have worked with the most scared Afghan hounds you could imagine. First, I would make sure there are no physical ailments. Animals may over react when they don't feel well. I had a dominant male go completely bonkers with dog aggression when he had gone anemic after antibiotics. He faded fast but really came on strong.

What I have used with great success is letting the animals see me making the noise that spooked them, if at all possible. Taping on a windor AC that spooked one as we walked by it was enough to keep her from walking into the street as we passed them. I did it to mine. I have thrown snaps for ones spooked by fireworks. One ran from me for the first 5, and jumped on me for the rest. One would bang her tail on the front of the washing machine as she wagged it as I would get food ready, and the sound would scare her and stop wagging, and start over and stop. I worked the brass mail slot that would make one upchuck when home alone and mail came. I had the situation happen to me as I slept on the sofa and my heart liked to stop from the startling noise, that with big items the door would bang on the frame as the mailman forced them in. Working the slot and letting her see me make the noise, must have made her think it was me, after that when the mail came.

Experts swear that all I do is reinforce their fears when I say that I rub their ears and body, and speak softly to them when the noise is occurring or I am making it. If I can't let them see me make the sound, and then get them to go sniff the item as I make it, and rub and talk to them, just rubbing the ears and talking works just as good. Once I can get them to go to the source of the noise, they have been cured!

Fear of Loud Noises
Posted by Vince F (USA)
★★★★★

We wrote Vince asking him for more information about curing skiddish dogs (since we have one)... Here is his wonderful response:

Let me give you a little more background. I favor Afghan Hounds, considered to be a very sensitive, skiddish breed. I live in a big city, and most breeders live in the burbs and country. My first challenge was a 3 yr old female that though she came from the country, the breeder lived fight across from a dragstrip starting line that was across a road, and it faced the house. The breeder was very good with their dogs. The wife was a vet tech, and they bred and showed, But they had a 4 kids and just lost a son to a brain tumor. The female I took, because they were moving far, and wanted to place ones they weren't showing. She was a very sweet, but sensitive girl, and got little attention with all they had going on, and was kenneled. When the jet dragsters were in they said they would loose a few windows from the pressure. I delayed taking her for one day on NY'ers eve because of all the noise and a long parade that would be the next day, since I live near the street the parade is on. I was told it wouldn't matter because of where they lived, but I was bringing a dog to a new home in a big city, so wanted to make it as easy as possible on her.

I didn't know she was afraid of sounds, but she was a basket case!! She wanted to bolt when someone stomped their boots to get snow off them on a walk, loud cars and motorcycles freaked her out. She would bolt and spin at the end of the leash. One time she hit a piece of heavy sheet metal in the trash, and and wound up on her back, spinning like she was break dancing as the metal fell and clanged. I Didn't know how to help her, but felt sick seeing her SO bad. I knew about fears. I grew up loving dogs, and where we spent summers in the country, a friend's dad's Cocker type hunting dog used to stay outside our house because I gave it SO much attention. When I was 11, I had a bad scare by a dog and fell off my bike. The next yr we stopped going there and I didn't have Widdles to get me over my fear. For 12 yrs I couldn't go near a dog till a friend got a Collie pup who got car sick in my lap as we drove on an expressway where we couldn't even pull over for a few miles, and in my lap was unchewed Cherroes and cut up hot dogs, which boggled my mind that someone would feed that. The sensations that were similar to what happened when around dogs. I say the incident cured me, but I think it was really being around a harmless pup.

With Shena, my super scared girl, the first time I tried to help her was when we got caught at a park, under a canopy, in a severe thunder storm. We would have gotten drenched getting to the car so we waited it out. Of Course she wanted to run out of her skin every time the thunder and lightening happened, and All I could think of was to Try to comfort her. I rubbed her ears and spoke softly to her, and run my hands all over her body, to Try to reduce the tension in her. Now bear in mind that eXperts claim that ALL I did was reinforce her fears... BBBBB SSSS!! It took 20min for the storm to end and by the end she was hardly reacting to the light and sound, and after that, NO fear of storms! She liked to lay on her back with her legs spread, A very vulnerable position for them. They have to feel very secure to lay that way. When a storm would come through while we were in the house, all I would do is ask her if she was OK, and all she do was would look over, and not move. She was never afraid of storms again...

This girl had many fears that had to be worked on. She would wag her tail as I got their food, and it would hit the front of the washer that sounded like a bass drum. The sound would make her tense and stop waging and tuck her tail. It would happen over and over as I was getting their food. Being the type of person that likes to give the fearful confidence, and mellow the aggressive, I couldn't stand her being afraid. One day I thought about how to cure her. I went to her, squatted down to her height, started stroking her head and ears and speaking softly, asking her what the problem was, and made sure she saw my hand as I banged on the washer and made the sound that her tail did. It took a few times to get her not to react, but when she didn't, I made her go to the washer as I banged on it. Cured!!

I had to do it to a few things, and even a similar thing when she ate and my male would bump her as they ate, since she would tense and not be able to eat. When I talked to her and stroked her, she would attack her food. She liked me to rub her face while she ate. Maybe it felt like being against her mothers stomach when nursing as a pup. I would run my hands down her back to see if that bothered her. It didn't and I decided to see how good she was, and patted her lightly like playing bongos. Didn't bother her. The real joy was seeing her look in my male's bowl and something extra that I had put in, that he hadn't finished, and get up, go around the back of him, and if he didn't move to her bowl, PUSH him over like in those cat food commercials and eat out of his bowl.

There are a few more things but the REAL Joy was walking by a playground that had an 8' high stone fence, so you couldn't see inside, and kids set off a gigantic firecracker, that sounded like a BOMB. It made my hair stand on end as I felt the concussion on my chest, and my Super Macho male Jumped. My sweet formerly sensitive girl, didn't even flinch!! She was sniffing a tree for a long time and I was wanting to move on so I was looking at her, but I don't like to rush them or stop their enjoyment, since they aren't free. I Thought she had gone deaf, so I jingled my keys on the side of her head, out of sight, and she reacted, so she Wasn't deaf.

OK, first I would make sure the dog has no ills, like digestive problems, like my male did. BTW, when I first went to see him he wouldn't come near me, being Afraid of men. I knew the breeder and had a female from her, so Don't know why she offered him to me, unless a mutual breeder friend told her of my others. It took 3min to become buddies, offering him food, and putting it down and backing off a few times, and then sitting holding a piece, and waiting for him to come get it. I gave him a hug and took him.

Next, I would try to make the animal see YOU making the sound that bothers them. This same male picked up an incredible fear to fireworks, the week after I took him. It was Chinese NY'ers, and they set off a Whole pack of firecrackers, and he had tensed on a walk hearing them a block away, and bus blew by that compounded his fear, and he tried to bolt. He wouldn't go into the yard alone for a week. I decided on a cap gun to work with him but couldn't find one and bought Snaps, the things you throw on the ground and explode. he was SO bad I bought 6 boxes of 100ea, and wondered if That was enough. It Took 10!! He ran from me the first 5 I threw, and jumped on me for the 2nd 5. I threw 10 more to make sue he was cured. He didn't have a problem for 5yrs, till kids lit some outside the yard while he was out there. I threw 10 more and he never had the problem again. Making sure the animal sees you creating the sound, and talking softly and rubbing their ears is what I would do if possible. In a T storm, I would work with them rubbing and talking softly. I might even Hug them if it was Real bad. If they run from you in the house. I might put a leash on them as soon as I heard the storm coming, so you could control them, and keep them close.

Remember, they don't understand what the sound/storm is and try to get away from it. My macho male climbed the yard cinder block fence 2 days in a row and walked the length of it to try to get away from storms. I never worked with him since he never showed a fear of sounds. In those cases he was in the yard alone, and I was at work. After that I got a 2nd dog, so maybe that helped him.

Sorry for writing so much. I do go on, but maybe something else will give you other ideas that will help or work. Even though the dog is 12, it is Never too late. At least they get Some relief. You say that yours only has problems during storms, but maybe every sound they are tensing, expecting loud ones. With my male I cure with cayenne, he was 10 before I figured it out, so 8 yrs after I got him. He came very food sensitive and very lean for a VERY lean breed. The yogurt and tripe Cured and Bulked him up to Normal weight in Days, which I still can't believe. He did have some minor digestive problems that I didn't understand till he got the diarrhea, and sometimes his stools would be soft, but Not after the cayenne. He lived to be 14 so had 4 Confident, calm years with No food or other sensitivities at all for his last years, and he would fine a New one on Every walk, that I would cure the usual way, though just talking usually worked.

Go Outside During Storm

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Posted by Anna (Usa) on 07/13/2020
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

When my dog got nervous during a thunderstorm, sometimes I simply took her outside the house and just sat next to her on the front porch. Hard to believe but being outside the house during the storm would clear up most of her nervous behaviors. She was a yellow lab.

My husband shared this solution with his coworker, who tried it too with his black lab and it greatly helped his dog too.

Homeopathic Chamomilla 200c

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Posted by Rw (Tazewell, Virginia) on 07/03/2016
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Homeopathic Chamomilla 200c (the white pellets not the herb) has been the only thing to calm our dog during thunder or fireworks.

One or two large pellets crushed or 4 or 5 of the tiny pellets is one dose. Just pull out the dog's "cheek" and slip it in his mouth unless your dog is more cooperative than ours. It needs to dissolve in his mouth. If I know fireworks or thunder are coming, I go ahead and give a dose, and you can dose again if needed during the noise.

When the remedy is working, do not give any more. If you give a dose and it doesn't seem to help, try again in about half an hour, and if no improvement, it may not be the right remedy for your situation. This is for a dog who just goes crazy during the noise and doesn't know what to do with himself or one that would be destructive if left alone.

Replied by Suseeq
(Sydney, Australia)
07/04/2016

Also, a thunder shirt has good reports on them. Very good for dogs who suffer with anxiety.

Replied by Julie
(Sw Florida)
07/12/2016

Despite years of use, the Thundershirt hasn't helped my pitbull Mocha, who's so afraid of rain, thunder & fireworks, she squeezes her trembling 80 lb body behind my platform bed. Not even drugs calm her down. We've tried everything: massage, lavender essential oil, Thundershirt, Anxiety Wrap (the original), and streaming music from the Relax My Dog channel on YouTube. We even have a dog CD called "THROUGH A DOG'S EAR" based on scientific research. The piano music relaxes humans just as well. (It cured my oldest dog in one playing after a neighbor accidentally threw a firecracker into my yard.)

Mocha was abandoned as a pup at a community pool in summer (rainy season). That was years ago, but she never got over it. We'd do ANYTHING to help her - she's really a great dog.

Replied by Suseeq
(Sydney, Australia)
07/13/2016

Julie, for years I have had dogs that I had bred and shown and I have yet to have a dog that is scared of fireworks or storms. I have turned the situation into a game throwing ball, hiding treats, etc and they soon forget the nasty that they were scared of, hope this helps

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
07/14/2016

Hey Julie!

Pit bull fan here! Are you going to try the chamomilla? If so please let us know how Mocha reacts.

I passed this year's 4th holiday with watermelon. When the loud bangs started up a week prior, I went outside with the pack into the noise and diced up a watermelon and started tossing it to open mouths; the distraction worked, they were more eager to eat than bark and stress about the loud noises. We had a week lead up to the big day and so when we heard noises outside we all dashed outside to eat watermelon, and so we had watermelon every day that week. When the 4th came I was out of watermelon, but by that time the pack had accepted the loud noises and so we had a calm holiday. It sounds like you have tried many ways to desensitize, so if your girl is not food motivated or too far into fear mode this won't work. One thing that people sometimes miss is how *they* can reinforce the fear by babying their dogs - so at the first loud bang the human is there comforting the dog, which then assures the dog there really IS a threat out there, and then they stress all the more. I am sure you have already tried rescue remedy, but try some for you too! Now that the holiday has passed you can purchase the inexpensive kids fireworks and let them off for Mocha - maybe let her see you light one from a short distance and watch it snapple and crack, and then allow her to approach and sniff when it is out. Have something super yummy on hand if she is food motivated to reward inquisitive and confident behavior. My other thought, if this is simply something that cannot be overcome, is to make a nice TV room in the basement and hunker down on the 4th in your basement bunker - it helps if you have good food cooking.

Magnesium for Car Fear

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Posted by Hoa Ly (Woodstock, GA) on 02/12/2008
 ★★★★★

My Great Pyr always seemed to fear the car and would drool when going for a ride. I was told that magnesium deficiency was leading him to have motion sickness. Just adding a magnesium supplement helped.



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