Crystal Healing for Dogs: Does It Work?
Yes, I was just as skeptical as you! For thousands of years, crystals and stones were said to protect the wearer and change energy, but crystal healing never crossed my mind with dogs. That changed when my beloved holistic veterinarian mentioned calming crystals for Sobek’s (my Rottweiler) anxiety. Hmm, could it hurt? I was willing to give it a try.
Sobek’s Crystal Healing Story
As many Dog Training Nation followers know, Sobek has anxiety issues and his holistic veterinarian recommended trying a few healing crystals that would reduce his anxiety. At first, I scoffed at the idea, but as the days wore on, I thought it wouldn’t hurt, right?
Pursuing a crash course in calming crystal healing for dogs, I found a local metaphysical and spiritual store in my city with a quick Google search and decided to give it a try. I purchased a few crystals and stones that our holistic vet recommended, and headed home.
Healing Crystals Recommended for Anxiety
Our vet recommended magnetizing hematite and blue lace agate. Hematite is a shiny gray-black metal that absorbs negative feelings of worry and fear. In alternative medicine, magnetic therapy has been used for hundreds of years to restore physical and mental health balance as well as reduce swelling and pain. Hence, magnetizing hematite. Blue lace agate is considered the powerhouse of calming crystals, and highly recommended to decrease panic attacks and reduce overall anxiety.
While using crystals with dogs may seem new, the practice has been around for many years. To benefit from healing crystals, they must be worn or have some type of contact with the dog. Many pet owners hide healing and calming crystals in their dog’s bedding or attach them to their dog’s collar. Dogs don’t understand that crystals should not be swallowed (that would be contraindicated for healing and calming :)), so wrap crystals in metal and attach to his collar, especially if he enjoys destroying his bedding.
RELATED: New Dog Anxiety Medication for 2016
The Crystal Therapy Experiment
Now, understand that I was completely skeptical about healing crystals, so I conducted an experiment. Sobek has two beds that he equally adores, so I placed these crystals within the bed stuffing of a randomly chosen bed and watched his behavior. On the first night, and every night afterwards, Sobek would only sleep on the bed with crystals. Still skeptical, I moved the crystals to his other bed, and then he slept in that bed every night afterwards.
Wait, did he see me move the crystals or was it my scent left behind? I know I’m grasping at straws, but I had to rule a few things out. The next day, I asked my husband to move the crystals to the other bed, and Sobek slept in that bed every night going forward.
Okay, so this was not a controlled experiment, but Sobek’s sleeping choices were certainly interesting–he followed the crystals.
Did Crystal Therapy Work?
Honestly, I don’t know. Sobek still has anxiety, but his bed choices totally baffled me. One thing I did notice was Sobek finally slept soundly through the night, so I decided to keep crystals stuffed in his favorite “crystal” bed. Interestingly, I found my other dog sleeping on his “crystal” bed too, which is totally odd. I also noticed her sleeping right on top of the crystals (she’s a small dog).
While it didn’t reduce his anxiety, calming crystals definitely had an impact on his sleep and both dogs still seek them out to nap on.
If crystal therapy has worked for your dog, I would love to hear how crystals were used and which ones were chosen.