Cockapoo anxiety after new kitten

A new kitten joining the household is one of the most common triggers for a dog to suddenly lose their settled routine — and Cockapoos, being sensitive and people-focused, can take it particularly hard. The anxiety here is situational rather than deeply ingrained, which is actually good news: the right product can make a real difference while your dog adjusts. Before I point you in a specific direction, can you tell me a bit more about what you're seeing — is it restlessness, pacing, attention-seeking, or something else? And does it happen all day or mainly at certain times, like when the kitten is active or in the same room?

That's a really clear picture, and it tells me a lot. He's not scared of the kitten exactly — he's just lost his sense of security in his own space. The kitten's unpredictable movement and energy is disrupting what used to feel like a calm, predictable home. This kind of ambient, environment-driven anxiety responds well to pheromone therapy. Has he ever used anything like that before, or is this the first time you've looked at calming products?

That's actually reassuring. Dogs who are generally easy-going and have a stable baseline tend to respond well to pheromone diffusers because you're not fighting against a deep-rooted anxiety pattern — you're just helping to restore a sense of calm that was there before. My recommendation is the Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser. It releases a synthetic version of the natural calming pheromone that mother dogs produce, and it works continuously in the background, which suits your situation perfectly — you want something that's active during those evening hours without you having to do anything specific. Plug it in the room where he spends most of his evening time, ideally not the same corner the kitten tends to dominate. You should see a noticeable difference within one to two weeks, though some dogs settle sooner. It's not sedating, won't affect the kitten, and doesn't interact with anything. One refill lasts about a month.

Yes — and that's exactly what it's designed for. It doesn't remove the stressor, it lowers your dog's baseline stress response so he can cope with it better. Think of it as turning down the volume on his nervous system rather than changing the situation. Over time, as he gets more used to the kitten's presence and they establish a kind of shared routine, he'll need the pheromone support less. Most owners find they still use the diffuser for a couple of months, then phase it out naturally. You can find the Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser Starter Kit on Amazon UK — it comes with the plug-in unit and a 30-day refill, so you're set straight away.

A couple of small things that make a real difference: give him a dedicated space — his bed, a crate with the door open, or even just a corner — that the kitten doesn't have access to. Dogs settle much better when they have somewhere that's unambiguously theirs. Also, try not to over-reassure him when he whines, as it can accidentally reinforce the anxious behaviour. Brief, calm acknowledgement and then redirecting him to his space works better. But honestly, the diffuser plus a safe space covers most of what he needs right now.