Welcome!

Welcome to the January issue of Aldaron Animal Essences Monthly Newsletter. Each month's issue will feature information and general tips about the use of flower essences in dog behavior improvement, and any new products or developments (including sales!) at Aldaron. For this first issue, the feature article discusses what sounds like a simple subject - how to know if your dog's Bach flower essence formula is actually working. These energy therapies can work quite subtly, so knowing some of the telltale signs can help you track your dog's progress.

As always, if you have questions or feedback regarding your dog's formula, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me anytime at juliec@aldaronessences.com.

I hope you find this newsletter useful. If you do, please tell your friends! And until next time, enjoy your dogs!

Sincerely,

julie

Julie Cantrell BSc, CPDT-KA, CDBC
www.aldaronessences.com

How Do I Know if My Dog's Flower Essence Formula is Working?

One of the challenges I encounter when suggesting Bach flower essences for excesses of canine behavior is helping others understand that what to expect when giving flower essences. Evaluating the signs of emotional balancing in the dog can present a challenge for pet owners, as Bach flowers work subtly, on an energetic level, modifying behavior quite differently from possibly more familiar therapies like herbs or prescription drugs. They don't sedate, hype up, or dull the senses. They do not create "artificial moods". Knowing the range of what to look for (and when) can help you better evaluate whether a flower essence remedy is helping your dog.

• Particularly in dogs who are troubled by high-stress, high-energy (and therefore costly) emotional responses, it's not an uncommon first sign to see a distinct softening of the eyes, followed by the muscles of the body, within minutes of a dose of the right flower essence formula. The dog may even lie down and go into a deep sleep. This is not due to any sedative effect but, I believe, is more a response to the lifting of severe stress, that allows for relaxation in what is typically a very stressful situation for the dog. While this does not necessarily happen every time a formula is "spot on", when it does occur, I always consider this a solid indicator that further positive changes are in store.
• More commonly, there will be no striking change for the first day or two, sometimes longer. This is likely while subtle energy shifts are taking place below the surface of visible, everyday behavior. When changes do begin to occur, it's important to note that the shift will be in the dog's perspective. That is, how he perceives certain situations will be changed, and therefore his response to the situation will be different. What you will see is that the negative reaction you have come to expect simply doesn't happen or, if it does occur, the level or duration of response is reduced. Because Bach flower essences balance out negative behavior, they often result in the absence of unpleasant, unwanted behaviors. Now, some people are better than others at noticing the absence (or reduction) of behavior. Frankly, even for experienced observers of canine behavior, it is simply human nature to take greater note of what's present than what's not. If you're not sure if you are seeing results after at least two weeks on a particular formula, try asking a friend who is familiar with your dog if s/he notices any difference in problem situations. I can't say how many times people have initially reported they didn't feel a formula was working, only to contact me later after friends spontaneously remarked how much better their dog seemed lately! Another option is to stop giving the essences, and note if there is an increase in the frequency or intensity of the problem behavior. Sometimes this is how people discover the formula was actually working - by observing the increase in problem behavior when they stop giving the flower essence formula!
• Certain changes take just longer. My experience in using Bach flower remedies with dog behavior, as well as using them personally for myself, has taught me that occasionally, for whatever reason, some shifts in perspective take longer to be worked through than others. I have seen dramatic changes happen weeks after a formula was stopped, given up as having no effect. The responses seen were so dramatic, unexpected and out of character that it was highly unlikely to be attributable to anything other than the flower essence formula. So, I encourage you to keep track of responses, even weeks after stopping a formula. You may still be in for unexpected results!
• Of course, in some cases, you will simply, truly see no changes because the essences had no effect. While it's reasonable to assume there are some dogs that are resistant to the effects of flower essences, I haven't seen a lot of them. Maybe it's my "never give up, never say die" attitude showing itself, but I tend to feel that most often, when flower essences truly have no effect, it's because the emotional source of the problem behavior wasn't correctly identified. I find this can actually be useful information, since if the motivation behind the behavior has been misunderstood, then any training approaches being taken to help resolve the problem behavior may also benefit from re-evaluation and possible adjustment.

JANUARY SALE!

Through January, our 3 most requested formulas will be on sale for 30% off!

Fear & Suspicion
30% off!

Very helpful for dogs who are fearful and suspicious in general, but also useful for dogs who are fine in everyday circumstances, but who become overwhelmed and defensive in stressful situations, such as boarding, moving, meeting new people, starting new training regimens, etc.

Very Scary Things
30% off!

For dogs with moderate to severe fear and anxiety related to specific triggers, including fears related to traumatic events.  For the dog who becomes severely anxious, even to the point of shaking, when they encounter their own "very scary thing". An ideal formula for fear of thunderstorms and fireworks, and other specific fears such as beards, glasses, men in hats, baby strollers, canes and sticks, etc.

Poise
30% off!

To assist dogs who exhibit fear and anxiety accompanied by panic, and/or a desire to flee. May aid in separation anxiety cases where the behavior is marked by panic and loss of control.