Fireworks night, the groomer's table, the nail grinder, the car journey to the vet — most dogs have one or two situations that reliably undo them, and they tend to be the same ones every year. A calming chew is something you can give ahead of a known event rather than trying to manage it in the moment.

Bugalugs make these as soft duck-flavoured chews, 120 to a tub, formulated for daily use rather than as a one-off. Their own wording is careful and worth repeating exactly: daily use may help reduce stress for both you and your dog. They are aimed at exactly the situations above — bonfire night, grooming, nail care and travel.

• 120 soft chews per tub
• Duck flavoured
• Formulated for daily use
• Aimed at fireworks, grooming, nail care and travel

What a chew can and cannot do, and what we cannot tell you. Bugalugs say may help, and so do we — this is a supplement, not a sedative, and a dog with real noise phobia or separation distress needs a behaviour plan and often a vet, both of which work far better started weeks ahead than on the night. Bugalugs also publish no composition list and no analytical constituents to us, so we cannot tell you what is in these or in what quantity, which is a genuine gap on a product bought for an effect.

Who it's for: owners with a fireworks night or a grooming appointment in the diary, who want to try something simple alongside the practical measures.