Thundershirt
 - but as it was just mentioned in another thread it got me thinking..  So I was wondering who has experience of using a Thundershirt (or similar therapy) for their dogs and what the behavioural problem was that you used it for? I have read a lot of general information online.. and most testimonials seem good, but most dogs they referred to seemed to be short-haired breeds and I wonder whether a full sheepie coat will prevent it from working so well? (or whether I'm overthinking how it 'works'?  )I guess I would mostly want to use it for excitement when people come over to the house, and also to provide more focus on training walks to try and curb some of the over arousal at anything that moves quickly.. anyone use it for those kinda things? Would happily buy one if it has a chance of helping - but would appeciate any advice you guys have first! Inca's Human |
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| I had a student (a fearful, badly bred goldendoodle) who used one. His coat was about 2 inches of curliness. |
Inca's Human wrote: I guess I would mostly want to use it for excitement when people come over to the house, and also to provide more focus on training walks to try and curb some of the over arousal at anything that moves quickly.. anyone use it for those kinda things? Inca's Human We have one for each dog. It works wonders on both of them! Nola, the sheepie, gets nervous when new people come over and she stays calm and quiet with her thundershirt on. Sam, he's the crazy doodle, barks and jumps when people come over. The thundershirt keeps him calm as well. It's a miracle really!  I haven't tried the thundershirt on walks yet but plan on trying it in the spring when the bikes come out and Nola starts to freak out on them...  I would recommend them for sure!  |
New OES Mama wrote: I would recommend them for sure! This is exactly what I wanted to hear  Thanks!! It seems like a lot of people have very good things to say on other sites.. but really good to hear there is agreement here too..I did read some reports of dogs 'freezing' or showing signs of more anxiety when they first put them on but I guess that will depend on the individual dog..got sheep wrote: His coat was about 2 inches of curliness. Good to know longer haired dogs have used them too.. I'm pretty sure I'm overthinking this point.. but I wonder if it has implications for the appropriate size to get too..  |
nope, you're not really overthinking it, the thundershirt should be snug from others experiences and a trainer i know.   |
| They should be snug. Sam does the "freeze" thing but it doesn't seem like he's stressed out about it.... |
| I've never used a Thundershirt but I do use a TTouch wrap on Simon when I take him into a new situation or I'm using the "click to calm" training cause it seems to help him stay more calm and focused. All it is is an elastic bandage, 4 inch, may need to use 2 depending on the size of your dog, I use two with Simon. Here's a link explaining it and showing how to use it. I just use a half body wrap on Simon. When I did try to do agility with him the instructors noticed a huge difference in him when he wore it from when I forgot it... |
| Yes, I have experience with the Thundershirt. It is a pressure wrap designed to reduce canine anxiety, but a cheaper version of the original pressure wrap designed by Susan Sharpe, certified professional dog trainer and T-touch practitioner in 2001. The original, patented Anxiety Wrap has been shown in a recent clinical research study to be 89% effective in dogs with Thunderstorm phobia, whereas the reports of 80% effectiveness by the Thundershirt company are based on the company's own surveys of its customers. I have found the Anxiety Wrap to be highly effective and useful in the treatment of anxiety and fear in dogs but caution you that it will have no effect in dogs that are simply over-active. Over-activity is best treated with positive reinforcement training, particularly clicker training and plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP Owner, Canine Connection LLC Dubuque, Iowa |
| I agree with Cindy... not sure how beneficial it will be to control a happy, exuberant dog. I used the Thundershirt as part of a desensitization approach to thunderstorm and fireworks anxiety. Panda thought everyone had to be in bed when these noises occurred. She would pace, pant and drool, you could feel her heart pounding... she'd come out of the bedroom, then go back in, back and forth until we followed. Once there, she'd lie down and pant heavily... but she wouldn't put her head down. So... I figured I'd try to teach her these sounds marked when something good would happen instead. She's very food motivated so each time one of these "events" occurs, we immediately (and enthusiastically ) put the shirt on her, bring out the treats, and go through a series of training commands for 5 minutes or so. I also played YouTube videos of thunderstorms early on... loud and at different times. She sleeps on a Kuranda bed next to my desk so she couldn't predictable when it would happen.It's been probably over a year now? since I first tried this and she's improved. Not many fireworks or thunderstorms this time of year but last fall, she had gotten so she'd pop up at the first sound and come running to me because it signaled something good. I'd put her shirt on, go the kitchen and we do the training for treats. The sound now signifies something positive is going to happen rather than being something scary. She even went out to potty in a thunderstorm so we've made progress. Not sure what percentage is distraction techniques compared to the shirt but whatever... it works. |
| Thanks for the tip in regard to the Thundershirt. Ziggy a very confident dog at about a year old (14 months now) started getting scared with traffic although he had been exposed to it from a very early age. He would pull away if a noisy vehicle passed and the tail would be between the legs for this entire part of the walk. The second problem was when people came up to pet him in town he would go crazy and I would have to restrain him sit him down and when he calmed down treat him. Although a little sceptical at first I purchased a Thundershirt from Amazon at a very reasonable price and WOW what a difference he seems much calmer when near traffic, no pulling even and the tail is at least half way up, and occasionally it moves from side to side which is great news. In town he is very much better and generally people can pet him without the outbursts mentioned above. In summary a great result in a very short period of time and still working well two weeks later. This product is made well fits fine (size XL for a 37 kilo male) looks OK and for the price and effort it was a fantastic buy. |
| Just drop by to give a heads-up that the site I use to get my dog food is having a promotion for Thundershirt. $8 off on all size. They offer free shipping for over $45 order. I am not affliated with this company whatsoever. Just a happy customer who really appreciate their services. Their company is NY based but my food is shipped out from the West Coast, so I always get the food delivered the next day or two. www.petflow.com |
| I've been super busy at work the past few weeks so haven't been coming to the forums at all - just saw the responses here and wanted to say thanks for the info and give an update on our 'progress' Cindy Ludwig wrote: I have found the Anxiety Wrap to be highly effective and useful in the treatment of anxiety and fear in dogs but caution you that it will have no effect in dogs that are simply over-active. Over-activity is best treated with positive reinforcement training, particularly clicker training and plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. I was sceptical about the effects of over-excitement - however, it was one of the uses that the company said it could be used for and after I watched a lot of videos (posted both on the Thundershirt website, and indepentently by consumers on YouTube) that seemed to show it working for that purpose, I thought it would be worth giving it a go. I agree with your point about positive reinforcement - we do that a lot already, but I was hoping the shirt would help him to focus during training (that is often half of the battle  )Anyway.. progress so far is pretty mixed. I put it on him in a couple of situations that I would call moderately exciting ( e.g., OH coming home) and whilst he didn't jump up like he normally would, this was also after the OH had been upstairs and back down without greeting him, so his excitement could have worn off a little by then.. I also tried it on him one night when he was pacing.. and whilst he did get up on the sofa and fall asleep shortly after putting the shirt on.. I can't be sure this wasn't just because Inca left the room.. and when Inca came back in, he was straight off the sofa and wanted to play with her. I've tried using it when we are training, and one time he seemed super focused on me, but the next he seemed more distracted - so I can't really make a clear judgement. I forgot to take it along to our weekly obedience class this week, so couldn't see it in 'action' so to speak. But I do wonder whether the mixed effects are due to the size.. I'm not convinced the size is right.. Peter Barwell wrote: This product is made well fits fine (size XL for a 37 kilo male) looks OK and for the price and effort it was a fantastic buy. Hmm.. Saxon weighs 34.5kg and his chest is 31" so he technically does fit into XL (which is what we have got) however, I don't think I've put it on him the same way twice.. and sometimes it's tighter than others.. the first time I put it on it looked way too big, but when I follow the velcro it looks ok, but doesn't seem that snug of a fit.. he does look pretty good it in though, which I wasn't expecting!  Or the mixed effects could be that it doesn't really work for him.. but I'll persevere for another week or two before I give up on it.. |
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