Doggos are the best! They’re faithful companions, good friends and can be excellent, goofy comic relief. But like humans, dogs can have all sorts of issues in the mind and body. They feel stress and anxiety, they get overly excited at times, and they feel aches and pains just like we do. Knowing how well CBD works for calmness and wellness with humans, I decided to try it on my own dogs, to help them live their best lives. Here’s how it went …
Let’s start with the obvious: I have the two cutest dogs in the world — objectively.
They are Meiko and Kiba, and they are awesome (again, not up for debate).
Real Quick, What Is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol. It is the most prevalent of the active ingredients of hemp and is derived directly from the hemp plant. CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which regulates several crucial functions, including sleep, control of movement, motor coordination, immune response, learning and memory, mood balance, pain tolerance, and more. Oh, and it’s non-psychoactive — so it won’t get you or your dog “high.”
This Is Meiko
At the age of 7 or 8 — I’ll be honest, I don’t know his true age (like any great figure) — Meiko is a Shiba Inu champion. With dashing good looks, a model-esque physique, and the heart of a lion, he’s basically James Dean in dog form. While not the most emotive dog — he’s too cool to run up to you or even lick you, and you respect him more for it — he isn’t the easiest dog to make comply.
The Problem?
Due to his intelligence and IDGAF attitude (Google it), it can be hard to get him to respond to basic commands. In essence, he’s a diva.
This Is Kiba
With a namesake that’s Japanese for “Fang,” Kiba has the power of the grey wolf he’s descended from, but none of the stoic coolness. He’s a loveable but spazzy goofball, in nature. As a Siberian husky, he’s born brimming with boundless energy. But in the clustered confines of Los Angeles, it’s extremely difficult for a dog to “run wild.”
The Problem?
He pees when he’s excited … and he gets excited ALL THE TIME.
Needless to say, that’s a lot of pee. And when you have an inside dog living in a carpeted apartment, that combination is a no-go.
So, when faced with two dogs in need of a desirable and calming reward, what did I — as a thoughtful owner — do?
Meiko the Addict
There’s a bit of old wisdom that says you shouldn’t give a dog table scraps. The reason being is that once you’ve elevated their taste buds to human food, they’ll never eat dog food again. What I found out over the next month is that the same is true of a good pet treat.
For this experiment, I used two types of pet treats:
Now, as we remember, Meiko’s big problem was the fact that whether he listened to your commands or not was completely dependent on his mood at the time.
If he felt like throwing you a bone, a “come here” command would be respected. If he wasn’t feeling it, a “sit” command could just as easily be ignored.
What Meiko needed was proper motivation.
Thankfully, that motivation smelled like bacon.
Using the bacon-flavored CBD Oil Pet Tincture, I began retraining and reinforcing commands for Meiko armed with the delicious taste of bacon and calming effects of CBD.
If he obediently followed my commands, he’d get a lick from the tincture.
If he consistently disobeyed them, I’d put the tincture away for the day.
The result?
Within a week, Meiko had gone from a charismatic “problem child” to my best student. Every time I even walked to the kitchen — where the pet tincture awaited — he would lick his snout and stand at the far edge, eyeing me.
Within two weeks, Meiko had become a full-blown addict. Sitting in front of me as I watched TV, performing the tricks we had rehearsed without commands in order to earn a few more licks from the tincture.
It was beautiful and strangely sad at the same time — but I allowed it.
A full month later, Meiko’s attitude has made a complete 180. Now, he’s amiable, more friendly, and most importantly, obedient.
Next up…
Kiba the Buddha
As I stated earlier, Kiba was an uncontrollable mess, both physically and emotionally. If I walked into the house, Kiba would lose control of his continence, and piss all over the carpet.
While this started as mildly cute — “look how much he loves me” — cleaning it up every day off of my pants legs was wearing thin.
Kiba needed to chill the f*ck out.
Enter CBD Pet Treats for Stress and Anxiety.
With less of a need for training — Kiba was moderately obedient already — the focus was simply to calm him down. To aid in this effort, I’d get him into the habit of eating a few CBD pet treats with his meals. Since he’s a large dog over 60lb, I’d give him two or more pet treats and wait for a response.
Over time, I learned that he responded best to about two and a half pet treats, without getting too groggy or sluggish from the inclusion of CBD. Thankfully, the true benefit of CBD is in its continued, long-term use, as it builds up in the system.
Within a few weeks, I was able to get Kiba into a consistent, chilled-out mindset. The pee stopped, and my dry cleaners wept with joy.
Final Thoughts
CBD is the real deal — especially when it comes to dogs. Facing two completely different problems, I was able to use the varying forms of CBD (pet treats and tinctures) to alleviate significant long-term problems in both animals.
So, whether you’re looking to teach an old dog a new trick, or simply get your dog to be cool, CBD can be a godsend to any owner or trainer.
Ready to introduce your dog (or cat) to the wellness benefits of CBD? Explore our full line of CBD for Pets!
