The Six Steps for Making an Aromatherapy Blend for Your Dog

In order to make our dog’s best blend, we need to really analyze the emotional and behavioral areas that need improvement. This means taking the time to observe the dog in the home, outside the home, on walks, at the veterinarian or other health care professional, at the groomer, at friends’ homes, at doggy day care, and anywhere else we take or leave him. What events trigger negative or troubling responses or behaviors? What events or circumstances create a happier, better adjusted pet? We can gather valuable input and feedback from others who see him in these situations as well. These outside observers can validate our conclusions, and add more insights that we may have missed. In order to assist us in our observations, look at Appendix A - Dog Behavior/Emotional State Assessment, which lists common observations that pet parents have shared over the years. Using this as a worksheet may help pinpoint the areas in which the blends you make will help your dog’s behavior and emotional well-being. Once we identify the areas for improvement, we need to prioritize which are the most important, and begin with those. When we use aromatherapy, we can create blends that create just one or several concerns. Sometimes the best solution is to create multiple blends. Now that we have identified what we thinks needs to be addressed, let’s look at some other ways to gather that information, or check our results. In my experience, there are four usual ways to find out: The first is the pet parent’s narrative of the dog’s needs based on his known history, and the pet parent’s experience and observations. But sometimes the dog’s whole history is unknown, or the pet parent may misinterpret the dog’s signals. “Anxiety” is great as a catch all description, but there may be one or more underlying issues. Is it fear based? Separation based? Anger based? Something deeper is causing the anxiety. The second is to use Applied Kinesiology, otherwise known as “muscle testing.” While there are various Applied Kinesiology techniques that you can use with dogs, using them will require some trial and error, and practice. The overall goal is to make sure you are getting the best answer. The third is to engage an Intuitive/Animal Communicator. These are practitioners who have developed an ability to communicate nonverbally with dogs and other animals. They may be able to tell you more about your dog’s history before he arrived at your home. The dog may convey how he feels physically, mentally, and emotionally. Armed with this information, you can now use your knowledge of the various essential oils to build your dog’s best blend. Then there’s the fourth way. Sometimes a particular dog tells us exactly what he wants. Although this is not the norm, it does occasionally happen. One such dog was Spencer.