Denenberg, S., & Landsberg, G. M. (2008). Effects of dog-appeasing pheromones on anxiety and fear in puppies during training and on long-term socialization. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 233(12), 1874-1882 Lastly, two other specialist uses are worth mentioning. Adaptil diffusers have been shown to increase the quality of mothering behaviour in breeding dogs with young puppies 8,9. Adaptil as a diffuser 5.7 or spray 10 was also associated with reduced signs of anxiety in hospitalised dogs. They are the ideal treat for dogs before stressful situations such as vet visits, travel, fireworks, competitions, separation or “just as a nice bedtime treat”. Adaptil is a pheromone collar that can reduce the effects stress and anxiety have on our dogs and puppies by emitting a specific pheromone. The collar can last for 30 days before needing replacement and is typically activated by the dog's body heat. How does it work? This is especially true for puppies who have just moved to new environments, unfamiliar people, and new families. The puppy may go from saying goodbye to its littermates and its mother to starting a new family in one day. It is one of the puppy's most significant life stresses and changes. In that transitional phase, puppies who used Adaptil were 66% less likely to cry at night, and 75% of puppies were less vocal during the day than those who did not have Adaptil on their side. Puppies learn better in training classes when they feel safe, which helps them become well-adjusted adults in the future.

My view: as all of the placebo dogs and then all of the treatment dogs were assessed together, I would not be surprised if the researchers were able to tell which dogs were being treated with DAP and which were not. This is called a detection bias. I will say that intentions were good, and the researchers are well-respected in the field.

Formulated to help reduce anxiety during stressful situations, they can be used to ease the stress at bedtime, during puppy training or as a treat before grooming or a trip to the vet. Taylor, K., & Mills, D. S. (2007). A placebo-controlled study to investigate the effect of Dog Appeasing Pheromone and other environmental and management factors on the reports of disturbance and house soiling during the night in recently adopted puppies (Canis familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105(4), 358-368

There is no high quality evidence that DAP assists dogs who are anxious about car travel. As always, there’s no harm in trying but you might want to consider some of these options too.

Adaptil tablets - Dosage and instructions for use

Frank, D., Beauchamp, G., & Palestrini, C. (2010). Systematic review of the use of pheromones for treatment of undesirable behavior in cats and dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 236(12), 1308-1316 You’ll see that different studies used different products. I’ll try to make this clear as I go. Problems With The Evidence Mills, D. S., Ramos, D., Estelles, M. G., & Hargrave, C. (2006). A triple blind placebo-controlled investigation into the assessment of the effect of Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) on anxiety related behaviour of problem dogs in the veterinary clinic. Applied animal behaviour science, 98(1-2), 114-126 The basic idea behind Adaptil for dogs is - The collar contains a specific pheromone that is activated by the dog's body heat. The full name of this natural chemical is Dog Appeasing Pheromone or DAP.