Calming a Hyperactive Pup

You know about my neighbor's puppy, Freckles... She's 8 months old now and as hyper as ever... bouncing off everyone and driving my dogs nuts with wanting to jump on their heads, kiss them, chew their feet, etc.

Yesterday she came to visit out at the shop, and although she was tied to a post, she was being her wild self. Then one of the men got up and set her in the hammock. (Yes, my husband has a hammock in the shop - just in case he needs a nap.)

After moving around a bit too much and dumping herself out, she decided that was a scary place, so when she got set back in the hammock a second time, she didn't move. She whined a bit when my dogs went over to her person to be petted, but she didn't take any chances of falling out again.

I sent my neighbor home with a bottle of Feel5ive - the Bach Flower Essences blend that acts as a calmative. It's all natural - no narcotics and no side-effects - so safe to use. I'm hoping to hear that it was exactly what she needed to calm down and start paying attention.

Feel5ive is usually used for times of stress - for both humans and pets. We use it in animal rescue for critters who come in fearful, depressed, or angry. Humans benefit by taking it when they know they're going into a stressful situation - a visit to the dentist, a job interview, etc.

The reason I thought Feel5ive might help Freckles was a report I got from another friend. I had given him a bottle to use when he needed to take his dog riding in the car - because she always got upset about that. When his dog got over her fear, he still had half a bottle, so he passed it along to a friend of his with a hyperactive puppy.

The report that came back was "Relief!" The pup calmed down and the friend was able to enjoy her company instead of yelling at her.

Let's hope it gives Freckles the same benefit.

Help for traumatized dogs

You probably don't know that I sometimes write special promotions for FeelBach! - the company that sells Bach Flower Essences. Because I've studied the use of Bach Flowers, and because of my history with animal rescue, I also get to help people who write them with dog-related problems.

This week a woman wrote to ask how to help her friend's dog. It seems the dog had killed some chickens, so the man had picked up a dead chicken and beaten the dog.

The dog hasn't gotten over it. It barely eats, has diarrhea, and cowers when people go near.

I won't say how I felt about that. Since you're a dog lover, you already know.

Anyway, my job was to help find relief for the dog. In most cases, dogs who are upset or fearful can get relief from the "shelf blend" called Feel5ive.That's the formula I've used on rescue dogs who were having a hard time adjusting to their new life in a kennel cage.

But this dog was more than just upset, so I went through the attributes of each of the flower essences and chose those that address problems with trauma, fear, anger, rejection, and loss of trust.

My hope now is that this owner will be diligent in giving the dog the treatment. And I hope he'll look inside and realize that his mis-treatment of that dog was an outward sign of his own emotional problems. Bach Flowers can help him, too.

I also recommended that the man sit down with the dog and apologize. I don't know how many of our human words dogs understand, but I know they understand emotion. If he's genuinely sorry, the dog will know. And maybe the Bach Flower Remedies will allow him to forgive, and to trust that human again.

What would you have advised? Did I miss anything?