Adaptil (aka DAP) collar opinions

tk123

Has anyone used an Adaptil collar? I've heard mixed reviews but wonder if the bad reviews were for people trying to use the collar to solve some ridiculous problem in place of training? Bailey got a bad fight yesterday from fireworks in the park and decided he was going home(!) - I managed to get him back on lead the second time I asked him to stay - just before the gate. Luckily we live around the corner with no roads to cross but it was still scary! I'm thinking of trying a collar for him as well as diffusers in the house. He was fine with fireworks up until last year

minipink

Oh tk123, poor Bailey, lola too is terrified of fireworks since last year. She turned 3 yesterday and has heard fireworks before last year but she reacted so badly last year. I've tried the playing fireworks in the background from my laptop which she is fine with but it's not the same. Dreading halloween, between barking at the doorbell and freaking at the fireworks it will be a long night. She did get her halloween bandana in the post yesterday though so at least she will look cute! ��

tk123

minipink wrote: »

Oh tk123, poor Bailey, lola too is terrified of fireworks since last year. She turned 3 yesterday and has heard fireworks before last year but she reacted so badly last year. I've tried the playing fireworks in the background from my laptop which she is fine with but it's not the same. Dreading halloween, between barking at the doorbell and freaking at the fireworks it will be a long night. She did get her halloween bandana in the post yesterday though so at least she will look cute! ��

Oh I'd forgotten our halloween bandanas lol!! :pac: I've been streaming the cd to the tv and he definitely takes more notice of it but just listens to it and doesn't really care about it. I haven't played it yet today so maybe the scare yesterday will make him believe the cd is real now if that makes sense?!

minipink

A few bangers went off when lola was in the garden today and she freaked and ran in and under the bed, so my playing sounds mustn't be working. Like bailey, she listens to it but doesn't make the link. I even put my laptop outside the window to have the sound outside but it had no effect. My neighbours must think I'm crazy!

Millem

tk123 wrote: »

Has anyone used an Adaptil collar? I've heard mixed reviews but wonder if the bad reviews were for people trying to use the collar to solve some ridiculous problem in place of training? Bailey got a bad fight yesterday from fireworks in the park and decided he was going home(!) - I managed to get him back on lead the second time I asked him to stay - just before the gate. Luckily we live around the corner with no roads to cross but it was still scary! I'm thinking of trying a collar for him as well as diffusers in the house. He was fine with fireworks up until last year

One of our dogs is not great with fireworks. She has improved but was so bad she wouldn't even go to the loo outside for almost a week!!! We brought her to dog training ireland behaviourist who suggested "the fear of fireworks cd" the "dap collar" and a "thunder shirt". That was around 5/6 years ago! We don't have to use them anymore but on Halloween night I know she will either get into a wardrobe/shower shaking! I think we started it either in August/sept! You can also buy a dap diffuser

tk123

well I made the ultimate sacrifice yesterday and got the collar in the vets for €5-10 more than buying online with express shipping! He was very interested in the box sniffing it and wagging his tail for some reason lol?!? I didn't hear anything going off and he snoozed for the rest of the afternoon/evening which is normal for them both so don't know if it's going to do anything but worth a try. I'll be using a diffuser downstairs and one beside his crate upstairs and have the thundershirt for him anyways as we get closer to Halloween.

BTW I had the cd blaring out of the tv yesterday and he went asleep!

minipink

So another element to add to the lola mystery, I was up at my dads, he lives in the skerries countryside and his neighbour has a crow scarer in his field. It freaks lola out to no end she will look to hide anywhere got into the boot of my car today. i can never let her off the lead up there when I'm collecting his dogs to bring for a walk. However, today after the jumping in the boot event, I brought his 2 dogs into the garden (it's about 10 acres of land) so we did a lap to encourage toileting before getting into the car and when the crow scarer bang went off, lola looked at suzy and dulcie and saw they were not reacting and kept going ignoring the bangs for the rest of the toilet break! So random.

Thanks for the tips milliem, what do you think of the thunder shirt? I suppose I just have to settle with the fact that it's ok for lola to want to be under a bed or in the smallest confined space she can find for the 31st and also for New years once I've exhausted all human interventions to help her anxiety

Millem

minipink wrote: »

So another element to add to the lola mystery, I was up at my dads, he lives in the skerries countryside and his neighbour has a crow scarer in his field. It freaks lola out to no end she will look to hide anywhere got into the boot of my car today. i can never let her off the lead up there when I'm collecting his dogs to bring for a walk. However, today after the jumping in the boot event, I brought his 2 dogs into the garden (it's about 10 acres of land) so we did a lap to encourage toileting before getting into the car and when the crow scarer bang went off, lola looked at suzy and dulcie and saw they were not reacting and kept going ignoring the bangs for the rest of the toilet break! So random.

Thanks for the tips milliem, what do you think of the thunder shirt? I suppose I just have to settle with the fact that it's ok for lola to want to be under a bed or in the smallest confined space she can find for the 31st and also for New years once I've exhausted all human interventions to help her anxiety

Tbh I think time was the biggest healer for her. (She is a rescue). She doesn't cope well in bad weather either Before you buy a thunder shirt you could try a tight t-shirt on the dog first?
Another thing that the behaviourist raved about was "tellington touch".
Tk123 all of our "training aids" (cd, dap etc) were covered by Allianz back in the day but I think they may of cut that now?
There are also homeopathy drops you can get for their water. Their is a vet in cork I think who I got them off (this was 6 years ago). Or else you can buy Kalm aid in every vets but I never tried it

minipink

I used rescue remedy for Lola after the summer holidays last year i put it in the peanut butter in her kong, she had been eating the wall in anxiety for my return. Must look into the drops. Lola snored throughout he storm last week that had me lying with eyes like saucers on the pillow next to her. She's a real puzzle! I'll try a tight t-shirt. I know that I have a raincoat for her - to save the car from getting totally ruined with mud and she's less bouncy on her walks with that on. Must try it, thanks!