Why Use Essential Oils in a Behaviour Program
You're probably wondering why I am talking about essential oils when you are here looking for information on behaviour and training for your dog. Most likely if you have found my site, you are really struggling with severe or extreme behaviour such as reactivity, anxiety, fear, separation anxiety, aggression, arousal and/or extreme excitement. Maybe you are even considering pharmacological medication for your dog because it just seems like training alone won't be enough.
I feel you. I know that you are lost, frustrated, worried and just want some help! You've probably tried everything at this point. Trainers, tools, tips and tricks. But your dog is still chasing, attacking, lunging, running or otherwise behaving unpredictably.
Over the years I have helped hundreds of families with their dogs. As much as I love applied behaviour techniques, I've always known that there was more I could do for the dogs to help them on a deeper level. It is amazing to watch dogs learn and grow through training, but wouldn't it be great if we could help them overcome their fears faster?
I witnessed the powerful benefits of essential oils for calming when I used vetiver to help my own dog fall asleep during a thunderstorm - her biggest fear! I was AMAZED! So then I started to learn more about aroma science so that I could one day share this with all of you. In 2018, I incorporated high quality essential oils into my behaviour practice to give extra help in calming the dogs I work with (and their people too), balance hormones and improve overall health and wellness.
The essential oils I use in my programs are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade and act as natural supplements to help calm the central nervous system, balance out stress hormones such as cortisol and allow for the brain to actually absorb and process the training information. (Actually, they are so amazing, Blue Cross actually has just announced that they will cover doTERRA Essential Oils as part of their extended benefits plan!!)
These are far beyond just things that smell nice, they can actually alter the biochemistry in the brain by correcting any imbalances and without any side effects. In my experience, animals struggling with extreme behaviours such as aggression, anxiety, reactivity or severe hyper-arousal are basically living in a chronic state of stress and really benefit from natural supplementation to help balance their internal environment.
There is intriguing new research that recognizes the benefits of aroma extend far beyond just emotional regulation, such as how they can improve moods and make us all feel happier. In addition to activating the limbic system of the brain (the part of the brain that regulates emotions), olfactory nerves are also intricately linked with the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that controls physiological functions throughout the whole body. The hypothalamus interacts directly with the pituitary gland, or “master gland,” a small gland also located in the brain that is responsible for secreting many important hormones.
Hormones affect every function, organ and tissue in the body directly or indirectly. They react to each other as well as respond to conditions in the body in an intricate and highly sensitive balancing act. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone that is produced in and released by the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands work closely with the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in a system known as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).
Normally, the adrenal glands release cortisol on a diurnal rhythm, referring to the process of boosts of cortisol throughout the day that help wake the body up and then declines in the evening to help the body fall asleep. This rhythm can be disrupted when there is external stress present. The adrenal glands play a huge role in the stress responses of fight, flight or freeze.
First, the brain registers a threat, whether emotional, mental or physical. Then the adrenal medulla releases cortisol and adrenaline hormones to help you respond to the threat (fight, flight or freeze), rushing blood to your brain, heart and muscles. Research has shown that higher levels of cortisol can impair cognitive function and may actually have toxic effects on the parts of the brain that are important for cognition. And chronic stress, or trauma can cause adrenal fatigue which comes with a variety of symptoms in dogs such as allergies, anxiety, poor inflammatory response in the body and and an inability to cope with stress.
The great news is that because of the link of the olfactory system to these other systems, aroma is capable of interacting directly with the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenals influencing neurochemistry throughout the body, and, in turn, creating the potential for amazing health outcomes.
I firmly believe that changing the dog's internal environment and their biological response to the trigger both through classical counterconditioning and through phytoessencing, is the most effective approach to healing at a soul-level and thus, changing their operant and associative behaviour.
Without addressing the biological and biochemical mechanisms, I fear the applied behaviour techniques will not yield the results you need. And this is the very reason that I have incorporated plant compounds into my practice to address the whole of body, not just the situational response to stress through training techniques.
If you are ready to learn more about The Essential Connection Method, click here to read about the programs and how to book your enrolment call today!
I feel you. I know that you are lost, frustrated, worried and just want some help! You've probably tried everything at this point. Trainers, tools, tips and tricks. But your dog is still chasing, attacking, lunging, running or otherwise behaving unpredictably.
Over the years I have helped hundreds of families with their dogs. As much as I love applied behaviour techniques, I've always known that there was more I could do for the dogs to help them on a deeper level. It is amazing to watch dogs learn and grow through training, but wouldn't it be great if we could help them overcome their fears faster?
I witnessed the powerful benefits of essential oils for calming when I used vetiver to help my own dog fall asleep during a thunderstorm - her biggest fear! I was AMAZED! So then I started to learn more about aroma science so that I could one day share this with all of you. In 2018, I incorporated high quality essential oils into my behaviour practice to give extra help in calming the dogs I work with (and their people too), balance hormones and improve overall health and wellness.
The essential oils I use in my programs are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade and act as natural supplements to help calm the central nervous system, balance out stress hormones such as cortisol and allow for the brain to actually absorb and process the training information. (Actually, they are so amazing, Blue Cross actually has just announced that they will cover doTERRA Essential Oils as part of their extended benefits plan!!)
These are far beyond just things that smell nice, they can actually alter the biochemistry in the brain by correcting any imbalances and without any side effects. In my experience, animals struggling with extreme behaviours such as aggression, anxiety, reactivity or severe hyper-arousal are basically living in a chronic state of stress and really benefit from natural supplementation to help balance their internal environment.
There is intriguing new research that recognizes the benefits of aroma extend far beyond just emotional regulation, such as how they can improve moods and make us all feel happier. In addition to activating the limbic system of the brain (the part of the brain that regulates emotions), olfactory nerves are also intricately linked with the hypothalamus, an area of the brain that controls physiological functions throughout the whole body. The hypothalamus interacts directly with the pituitary gland, or “master gland,” a small gland also located in the brain that is responsible for secreting many important hormones.
Hormones affect every function, organ and tissue in the body directly or indirectly. They react to each other as well as respond to conditions in the body in an intricate and highly sensitive balancing act. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone that is produced in and released by the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands work closely with the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in a system known as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).
Normally, the adrenal glands release cortisol on a diurnal rhythm, referring to the process of boosts of cortisol throughout the day that help wake the body up and then declines in the evening to help the body fall asleep. This rhythm can be disrupted when there is external stress present. The adrenal glands play a huge role in the stress responses of fight, flight or freeze.
First, the brain registers a threat, whether emotional, mental or physical. Then the adrenal medulla releases cortisol and adrenaline hormones to help you respond to the threat (fight, flight or freeze), rushing blood to your brain, heart and muscles. Research has shown that higher levels of cortisol can impair cognitive function and may actually have toxic effects on the parts of the brain that are important for cognition. And chronic stress, or trauma can cause adrenal fatigue which comes with a variety of symptoms in dogs such as allergies, anxiety, poor inflammatory response in the body and and an inability to cope with stress.
The great news is that because of the link of the olfactory system to these other systems, aroma is capable of interacting directly with the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenals influencing neurochemistry throughout the body, and, in turn, creating the potential for amazing health outcomes.
I firmly believe that changing the dog's internal environment and their biological response to the trigger both through classical counterconditioning and through phytoessencing, is the most effective approach to healing at a soul-level and thus, changing their operant and associative behaviour.
Without addressing the biological and biochemical mechanisms, I fear the applied behaviour techniques will not yield the results you need. And this is the very reason that I have incorporated plant compounds into my practice to address the whole of body, not just the situational response to stress through training techniques.
If you are ready to learn more about The Essential Connection Method, click here to read about the programs and how to book your enrolment call today!
