Best Calming Treats for Dogs: Tested on Two Very Anxious Morkies

Last Tuesday Georgie ate my sock and acted like I’d wronged him when I took it back. He gave me this look, like I was the monster for interrupting his delicate digestive process. Anyway, you asked about calming treats for anxious dogs. Lemme tell you, Georgie and his brother Teddy are basically a two-morkie case study in anxiety. Georgie thinks he’s a wolf trapped in a tiny, fluffy body, so he’s constantly on high alert for squirrels, the mailman, or really, any sudden movement of air. Teddy just gets swept up in Georgie’s dramatics. It’s a whole thing.

Early Attempts: Chewy and Zesty Paws

Okay, so first off, I went for the obvious stuff. You know, the big names you see everywhere. I started with the VetriScience Composure Pro Chews, because everyone online raved about them. They’re about $30 for 60 chews on Chewy. The ingredients looked good – thiamine, L-theanine, colostrum calming complex. Sounded legit. Georgie, of course, was suspicious. He sniffed it like it was a tiny landmine. He eventually ate it, but I swear he had opinions. Like, “Is this what you feed a noble wolf, human?”

The problem? Absolutely nothing happened. Zero chill. Georgie still barked at the wind. Teddy still shadowed him like a tiny, nervous intern. I tried giving them a double dose, which the vet said was fine, but it just meant I was spending twice as much for the same amount of frantic energy. After about two weeks of no noticeable difference, I figured these were a bust. My wallet felt it, too.

Next up, I tried Zesty Paws Calming Bites, the ones with hemp and chamomile. You can find them for around $25 for 90 soft chews on Amazon. Again, good ingredients, good reviews. Georgie actually liked the taste better, which was a win. Teddy, the less discerning eater, gobbled them right up. For a brief, shining moment, I thought I’d cracked the code.

Nope. Same story. Maybe a tiny, *tiny* edge off the frantic edge, but not enough to justify the cost or the effort. It was like giving a sugar pill to someone who needs serious meds. Georgie was still convinced the Amazon delivery driver was a personal affront, and Teddy was still his anxious little sidekick. These just didn’t cut it for their particular brand of morkie mayhem.

What Actually Worked: Honest Paws and a Surprise Find

After those duds, I was ready to give up on calming treats altogether. Then a friend, whose pug is basically a ball of nerves, swore by Honest Paws CBD Calming Soft Chews. I was skeptical about CBD because of the price point – these are around $40 for 30 chews, so definitely more expensive – but she said it was a game-changer for her dog. I got the ones with organic full-spectrum hemp with naturally occurring CBD, L-theanine, and tryptophan.

The first day, I gave Georgie one in the morning. He still gave it the wolf sniff, but then he ate it. About an hour later, something… shifted. He wasn’t zonked out, but he wasn’t pacing. When the mailman came, he barked, but it was like, two barks instead of a full-blown canine opera. Then he went back to his bed. This was revolutionary. Teddy, meanwhile, just seemed generally more relaxed. He actually napped longer without twitching at every little sound.

The Honest Paws chews aren’t a miracle cure, but they take the edge off in a way the others didn’t. Georgie still thinks he’s a mighty hunter, but the volume on his internal monologue has definitely been turned down. He’s less reactive, and honestly, less stressed overall. It’s not like he’s a different dog, but he’s a less stressed version of himself, which is all I really wanted. We give them one a day, and it seems to keep things manageable. The cost stings a bit, but for the reduced anxiety for both of them, it’s worth it.

Now for the surprise find, and this is probably going to sound weird. One time, I ran out of the Honest Paws and was waiting for a reorder. Georgie was getting antsy, and I was desperate. I remembered reading something about valerian root and chamomile being good for dogs. I had some Vitacost Valerian Root capsules (1000mg) and Traditional Medicinals Organic Chamomile tea bags for myself. I checked with my vet first, who said a tiny bit of the valerian (like, 1/4 of a capsule mixed into food for Georgie’s size) and a cooled, unsweetened chamomile tea could be helpful for acute situations. So, not a treat, but a DIY calming solution.

I steeped a chamomile tea bag, let it cool completely, and mixed a tiny splash into their water. Georgie was immediately suspicious of the new aroma in his bowl, but Teddy drank it without a second thought. I also opened a valerian root capsule and sprinkled a minuscule amount, maybe a tiny pinch, onto Georgie’s dinner. He ate it. And you know what? For that night, it actually worked. He was noticeably calmer. Not as sustained as the CBD, but for a one-off panic attack (like during a thunderstorm), it was surprisingly effective. It’s not something I’d do daily, and you absolutely *have* to check with your vet first on dosages, but it was a lifesaver in a pinch. Plus, it’s way cheaper than any specific dog treat.

Final Thoughts

Georgie is still a drama queen, and Teddy still thinks Georgie’s toys are actually his, but the Honest Paws CBD chews have genuinely helped dial down their constant low-level anxiety. They don’t turn them into zombies, which was my biggest fear. They just make them a bit more comfortable in their own skin, which for a morkie who thinks he’s a wolf, is a pretty big deal. The DIY valerian and chamomile is good for emergencies, but you have to be careful. The key with all of these is consistency and giving them time to work.

Honestly, I’d just buy the Honest Paws again.