Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

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Hy-Rum
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Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Hy-Rum »

We have a 10 month old Papeagle (Pappion Beagle mix) who has separation anxiety (to the point of vomiting when I leave, we crate her). We have been working with her on desensitize training, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I talked with a trainer who suggested a DAP Diffuser and I am just wondering if any one has had success with one?
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Nettle
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Nettle »

I use them on occasion, and find them helpful with most dogs. SA is a big subject and there are many degrees of it. For sure a DAP can't do any harm, but you will need to do a lot more than that to help a dog that has SA. Sounds as if your dog has a severe problem, so do try the DAP but don't expect miracles because it is just one tool in a big workbox.
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ladybug1802
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by ladybug1802 »

I used one when I first got Dylan as a rescue....he was really stressed and didnt relax, and tried it to see if it helped....um, it didnt make a blind bit of difference really! For a while I thought it actually made him a little MORE restless, but that may well have just been timing!

Dylan had really bad separatation anxiety when i got him too...although not vomiting, just howling, whining, pacing etc. I spent a good couple of months building up the time I left him from 30 seconds to an hour until he was fine with it. Sorry if you have been doing this, but just wondered if you had tried this, or whether you go out for longer periods straight away?

Now I dont know as dont know much about crates, but could it be the crate makes him feel MORE confined and therefore more stressed? Be interesting to hear what others think?
Hy-Rum
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Hy-Rum »

I took Izzi in for an assessment with a trainer today. When we got there we took Izzi in room with windows and mirrors, another dog, the trainer, me and my youngest daughter. After a few minutes the trainer sent my daughter and I out. After a few minutes the trainer came out herself. We watched from the windows and Izzi did fine, played with toys, ate treats, lay in the doggy bed. After a few more minutes the trainer took her dog out and Izzi started flipping out. After about a minute she put the other dog back in and Izzi instantly calmed down. Her professional advice is to get a second dog! I wondered if Izzi would do better if we got a second dog, now to convince my husband. :shock:
junebug
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by junebug »

Well, I can tell you that one of my dogs, Lucy, has SA and is MUCH better when she is with my other dog, Juno. Which is actually rather ironic because she does not like Juno much at all. When we leave, we put them in the same crate, and Lucy is fine and just sleeps. However, if Lucy is left alone, she whines and howls and barks and feverishly scratches at the crate trying to get out.
The other interesting thing is that since we started doing this, Lucy actually prefers to sleep in the crate at night. For 4 years, I never saw this dog willingly go in a crate, and she slept in bed with me every night. Now, if I put her on my bed, she actually jumps down and goes to the crate. It's really odd. I'm not going to say you should rush out and get another dog, just throwing in my experience with that since it was mentioned!

I don't think a DAP diffuser would be enough to have an impact on what sounds like severe SA. Something else you could try is the Anxiety Wrap, or Thundershirt. They may not cure the problem, but would maybe help calm her enough that it's more manageable. I have an Anxiety Wrap for Juno, who's issues are more related to hyperactivity/general anxiety, I don't think she suffers from any SA... but she does settle down when I put it on her. I think something like that, paired with some behavior modification training (which you'd have to learn about from someone more knowledgeable than I am!), could be beneficial. Even if you were to get a 2nd dog, and being with that dog helped her, I still wouldn't give up on trying to train her through this because you never know how many times she'll end up being separated from that dog.
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Nettle
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Nettle »

Before you go in for the huge leap to second dog ownership, try these two things:

A big stuffed toy, preferably a dog. Make sure the stuffing is dog-safe in case it gets chewed up, and make sure your dog is well-acquainted with it before you leave her alone with it.

A safe mirror, maybe one of those made to put in horse stables.

In addition, you will need a full programme of de-sensitising her to your departure. It's a long job. Check out our other threads on SA for the feel of what you will be doing, and come back with your questions.
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randomjoy
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by randomjoy »

We use D.A.P diffusers in our veterinary clinic in areas that may have multiple canines. They seem to work well and keep them calm, but we've had more success with the D.A.P. collars for animals with SA and puppies with behavior problems.
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LinsB
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by LinsB »

I have used the DAP spray with my 2 eldest dogs when they were pups, and am currently using it for my new rescue pup. I spray it in the crate about 10 minutes before i leave them or put them to bed, it seems to have helped them settle quicker. :D
I have tried the diffuser and collar on one of my previous dogs but they had little effect on him, he did however have problems with his brain... so that may be why?
grnbutterfly17
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by grnbutterfly17 »

What's in a DAP diffuser?

Ninja just hates the crate, I can't even get him toput his head in it. I might give it a shot, the diffuser while I'm trying to work with him to accept it more. I think it's gonna take awhile with him though.

Good luck with SA, Toby (our 15yr old) had bad SA---we got a cat to keep him company and it totally calmed him.
nickmcmechan
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by nickmcmechan »

I've used a DAP collar in the past and have to say ut helped.

However, I would say that, for me, it wans't the total solution, but it certainly helped me get there and gave a bit of space to work on the behavioural training that was needed...in any case they're far to expensive to use all the time!
Liv
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Liv »

I have used the diffusers and didnt think that they made any difference at all. However, I have heard that they only work on some not all dogs so maybe it was just my 2.
My dog had horrible separation anxiety when she came to live with us. Crate training helped enormously. Lots of exercise, followed by being put in her crate with something really nice (so we never had to force her in there) for example a stuffed kong or something similar (I find a kong stuffed with meat and then frozen keeps them busy for ages). I then covered the crate to make it as secure as possible.
She still whined for a short time but much less, then over time it just went away as the crate was secure and she had something to do.
Also try putting a jumper of yours in there - dirty so it smells like you, that can help as they feel closer to you.
We dont even have to use the crate anymore as she is fine. She was really bad with it too.
Good luck!
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Nettle
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Nettle »

grnbutterfly17 wrote:What's in a DAP diffuser?

It's a synthetic pheromone said to mimic the scent of a lactating ***** and therefore to be calm and comforting
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jacksdad
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by jacksdad »

Hy-Rum wrote: Her professional advice is to get a second dog! I wondered if Izzi would do better if we got a second dog, now to convince my husband. :shock:
Yikes...it's not that simple...adding another voice to slow down on the get another dog "solution".

Yes, another dog MIGHT help your dog. but introducing a second dog to a household with one dog already can be be risky/tricky under the best of circumstances.

First, you need to be sure your dogs issue IS simply being left alone and NOT more about being separated from you or someone else in your family. I realize all dogs are their own individual and just because my dog is one way doesn't mean yours is too, but it illustrates the point. my dog has a touch of SA, but all indications its not so much being a lone as the overwhelming trigger, but be separated from first me as the most intense trigger, and my wife to a lesser degree. my kids...he could careless. If they are home, great, if they leave...who cares, not a big deal for him. When he takes a backwards step in this area, I can leave the house and soon as I am out the door he is pacing, whining, and even howling and my wife is sitting right there with him. So in this case s second dog most likely not help because adding the second dog does not address his realization I am no longer there and the anxiety/distress that produces.

IF it's simply being alone and anyone will do to easy that, strangers, family etc. then a second dog could make the difference. But even still, not something you want to rush into. what's to say that new dog and your dog will even get along? if they don't get a long to the point there is serious danger to leaving them alone together, are you willing to return that second dog for everyone's safety? what's to say that new dog also does not develop separation issues, a serious consideration if you get the second dog from a rescue. what if the second has other issues like dog or human reactivity? do you have the time and energy to address both these serious issues.

These are just worst case considerations. Please give some serious thought to this before rushing out to get a second dog as a cure.

Would you be willing to buy a book solving SA and reading it before going out and getting a second dog? if so, I could recommend a couple of good ones. one I have read, the other I have just bought, haven't had a chance to read it yet. but got good reviews buy the author of the one I did read. confused yet :P

SA has a good chance of being reversed, but it's not an easy nut to crack and there are no short cuts. but you can help your dog even if you do not end up getting a second dog.

Finally, please understand I am not trying to scare you out of a second dog, but I want you to be sure to know there are risks, it's NOT a for sure cure, it could make things worse or not make any difference at all. So again, please, please do some thinking on this and additional research before you decide this is the best course of action for your dog and family.
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Nettle
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Re: Has anyone used a DAP Diffuser?

Post by Nettle »

Just adding another voice to say please don't get another dog just now. It can be the final straw to a dog with issues to have to endure another dog in the home also.

And SA is almost always a human/dog issue, as Jacksdad says. I know families with several dog where one is out of its mind with SA when its 'safe human' is away, while the others couldn't care less.

Think of a dog (I'm sure you know one) that howls and barks in distress all the time its person is out. Do the other dogs in the area respond? Not one of them.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
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