How aromatherapy can help calm your dog.

Dogs love to smell things. They get a clear picture of their world through smell, and their odor acuity is 10,000 to 100,000 times that of humans!  Scent is also connected to the limbic brain, the seat of memory, emotion and learning, and so aromatherapy has the potential to calm your dog as well as facilitate bonding and behavior change. 

Aromatherapy is the art and science of using aromatic plants to restore or enhance health and well-being. Pure essential oils are the heart of aromatherapy, and their complex compounds are extracted from all parts of plants: flower, seed, leaf, bark, root or resin. Scientific studies in Germany and France regarding the medical effects of essential oils on animals and humans were quite advanced by the mid-1800s, and because of positive clinical results, the practice of veterinary aromatherapy was not uncommon in these countries by the mid-1900s.

Many essential oils, including lavender, rose geranium and bergamot, are known to have relaxing effects, and can be safely used to calm your dog, too.  Pure essential oils are highly concentrated (200 pounds of lavender tops are distilled to make one pound of lavender essential oil) and so it is accepted practice to dilute essential oils to avoid sensitization, skin irritation or overwhelming the dog’s sense of smell. It’s important to read labels and be sure products use pure essential oils rather than synthetic fragrance oils that can cause problems such as headaches, agitation or allergic reactions.

In 1999, I was approached by a kennel owner who wanted help with calming her canine visitors. The blend now known as Canine Calm is diluted by using fan-driven diffusers throughout the facility and is also applied to individual dogs in a water-based mist. Diffusing Canine Calm has an overall calming effect, starting in the waiting room – staff stays calm, dogs (and their humans) start to calm down, and other animals in the facility area are less prone to aggressive behavior when a new dog enters the facility.

Pure essential oils have a therapeutic physiological effect and enter the bloodstream when inhaled or applied to the skin. There are many blood vessels on the dog’s outer ears, and so gently massaging the aromatherapy mist into the outer ears gets things moving quickly, although depending on the dog’s health or level of distress, multiple applications may be necessary.

Thinking back to the limbic connection, it can be important for the first exposure to take place at a non-stressful time. For example, when introducing an aromatherapy mist, lightly mist your shirt or pant legs and hang out with your dog to see how the dog responds, and to associate the scent with a person of comfort at a safe time. Use it during training for quick calm focus and then to set the stage at home for practice; for making an easier transition from shelter to forever home; for scenting a familiar object such as a blanket or pillow to leave with the home-alone dog, a scent that reminds the dog of a person of comfort; for bonding with a new puppy (of note, the mists are safe for puppies as young as 8 weeks old).

I love receiving feedback from our customers. My current favorite Canine Calm success story is about a Jack Russell, who is afraid of vacuum cleaners and always runs away when the groomer needs to clean up. The groomer recently tried Canine Calm and left her dog for about 15 minutes; when she returned, the dog was chatting with the vacuum cleaner, holding the hose in her mouth! There are rumors of a video, which we are anxiously awaiting!

Help your dog have a calmer Halloween with Canine Calm.

To help calm your dog during the excitement of Halloween, Canine Calm is a safe, affordable, effective solution.

Pure essential oils traditionally used for relaxation can help soothe whimpering, cowering, trembling, panting, pacing, drooling, barking, shaking, vomiting and other signs of upset during Halloween activities.

Canine Calm natural remedy mist is easy to use. At the first sign of upset, spray 1 or 2 mists on your fingertips and gently massage the dog's outer ears. If you don't see results within 10 minutes, repeat as needed. You can also lightly mist the dog's favorite blanket, bandana or bedding, and repeat as needed.

   

Find a store near you here or order directly from Earth Heart.

Pet Poison Helpline is a valuable resource during Halloween season.

The Pet Poison Helpline reports that the week of Halloween is their busiest time of the year. Most calls are related to potential poisoning from eating chocolate or raisins; overeating of candies; accidental ingestion of candy wrappers, glow sticks or costume decoration; or burns from candles.

You can help keep your dog safe from accident and injury by keeping candles well out of reach of wagging tails, and keeping candies in closed containers out of reach on counters.

For more information on keeping your dog safe during the Halloween season, please visit Pet Poison Helpline here.

Canine Calm Halloween Combo...for a calmer, safer Halloween!

Whether you’re attending a Halloween dog party, taking your dog trick or treating, or just welcoming trick-or-treaters to your home, the busy activities, sights, sounds, and smells of the season can be stressful for the family dog.

Dogs can experience restlessness, drooling, panting, hyperactivity, and whimpering as a result of Halloween activities.


Earth Heart has teamed with K9 Bytes Gifts to offer you this Canine Calm Halloween Combo.

K9 Bytes Gifts offers cotton collars handmade in Eugene, Oregon.  Choose from one of three Halloween collars in your dog's size.

Earth Heart's Canine Calm is also made the USA, and combine pure essential oils to help calm your dog during unsettling times such as thunderstorms, fireworks, grooming, boarding, Halloween and other holidays. 

Simply place one drop of Canine Calm on the outside of the collar fabric that sits under the dog’s chin. if you don't see results in about 10 minutes, add another drop, and repeat as needed.

Order your Canine Calm Halloween Combo today!

The original Canine Calm natural remedy mist is available with 300 independent retailers in the US and Canada and on the Earth Heart website.

Create a calm zone for your dog with Earth Heart's new Canine Calm essential oil concentrate.

The Fourth of July is nearly upon us! What should be a fun family holiday weekend can be a very stressful time for dogs and dog loving families.

Many dogs have a great fear of the sudden loud noises that come with fireworks and sudden oncoming thunderstorms. In addition, during the Fourth of July weekend, animal shelters all over the country see a significant increase in lost dogs, as dogs try to flee the loud noises they encounter.  

  

With Earth Heart’s newly launched essential oil concentrate of their popular Canine Calm product, dog loving families and shelters can create a ‘calm zone’ to help ease dog’s fears. The 15 ml Canine Calm concentrate is perfect for adding to room and whole house diffusers that allows the calming aroma to permeate throughout the home and shelter.

  

Canine Calm natural remedy mist can help soothe dogs during thunderstorms, fireworks, parties, training, competitions, adoptions, Halloween and other holidays, bath time, grooming, and clinic or kennel visits. Canine Calm contains pure essential oils, including bergamot, lavender and geranium, from plants traditionally used in remedies for relaxation. Added to a diffuser, Canine Calm is a family friendly product and safe for children and puppies as young as eight weeks old.

Canine Calm also comes in a 2 oz spray that is made in the USA and packaged in a BPA free recyclable spray bottle. The ready to use spray is easy to use, and won’t stain or leave a sticky residue on materials or fur. Simply spray on fingertips to massage a dog’s outer ears or abdomen, lightly mist the dog’s favorite blanket or bedding, inside a crate or your home.

What Earth Heart’s customers are saying…

“We ran out of tranquilizers for our dogs last July 4^th, and they were flipping out during the fireworks,” shared Traci Noonan Reuter, Elgin, Illinois. “Fortunately I had a bottle of Canine Calm, and it was amazing how well it calmed the dogs. No more tranquilizers for my dogs!”

Heather Lenz of Ontario, Canada, has been a long-time user of Canine Calm, as her white collie, Sinjun, has frequent noise issues. “During fireworks and thunderstorms he paces, pants and drools constantly,” shared Lenz. “I tried many different things to calm him, but nothing worked until Canine Calm.”

You can find Canine Calm at a store near you or order online today!

Earth Heart founder featured in new pet industry catalog featuring top women pet professionals.

Vicki Rae Thorne, founder of Earth Heart can be seen in the just-released “Top Women in the Pet Industry Spring into Action Biz Book.” It’s an 85-page digital magazine-style resource guide to international services, events, products, gifts and facilities for pets, pet lovers and pet owners.  

To view the “Spring Biz Book,” or download it for free, click here.

These women serve the pet parents who spent more than $53 billion dollars on their pets last year, according to the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey.

Businesses represented throughout the Women in the Pet Industry Network's (WIPIN) "Spring Biz Book" are women-owned and operated. They range from pet product manufacturers and artists to groomers and veterinarians.

Sixty seven women are included with 26 profiled and talking about their business, their career and their pets: Many share heartwarming "the pet made me do it" tales. About this bi-annual directory WIPIN President Shawna Schuh says, "In addition to serving as a valuable directory for pet parents, WIPIN's Spring Biz Book allows us to showcase the talent of our members, further positioning us as one of the industry's leading professional organizations."

Vicki Rae Thorne operates Earth Heart Inc. in Dundee, Illinois. Details about her business can be found on pages 36 and 37 of the Biz Book. "We are thrilled to be featured in the WIPIN Spring Biz Book!" Thorne shared. "Our customers have been instrumental in helping us attain this honor. We want to thank them and help them get ready for summer storms, travel and the July 4th holiday by offering a 10% discount through June 1, 2013 when they enter the code WIPINSPRING at earthheartinc.com checkout."

For general questions about "Spring into Action Biz Book" content, contact Schuh at 503-970-5774 or visit the WIPIN website.

Join the Lyme Aid Benefit Event on May 22nd, 2013, at The Toyota of Manhattan Rooftop to Celebrate Lyme Disease Awareness Month. The event aims to educate people how to prevent Lyme Disease and raise money for two non-profits: LymeDisease.org and Stray From the Heart, a local NYC pet charity. More information here.