Thunder Shirt

[Amanda Joy]

Just saw a commercial for a Thunder Shirt... thoughts? Has anyone used it?

www.thundershirt.com/

[RealPitBull]

Yes, I use them and think they are helpful for dogs with fear issues.

[shay19]

Hmm.. I wonder if that would work for Aida. She hates going places (even sometimes on walks) and will try her hardest to crawl on the ground.

But I wonder if it can be used to get them comfortable in a situation then be removed and still have them succeed??

[sugar]

I've heard good things, but it sounds so badass. "Honey, get me my Thundershirt, the zombies have gotten loose again!"

[suziriot]

Works great! We use one for Dharma.

[Amanda Joy]

Is it something that they wear all the time or only in situations where they are scared?

Sugar, when I saw the ad I thought it sounded like it came super doggy powers. Put on Buddy's Thundershirt, we are off to rid the world of stupid people. I can only hear my neighbors "They got a bullet proof vest on that man eating dog" LOL We are the talk of the small town morning coffee group. We moved to a crazy small town from Memphis, are both covered in tattoos, dont go to church, listen to music that isnt gospel, have big rims and tinted windows on my truck, and have Buddy. When he was 8 weeks old, they called one of the two cops this town has and said we have a vicious dog that tries to eat people. The cop came over and when I leashed him up and brought him onto the porch, the cop laughed so hard he was crying.

I am seriously considering getting one for Buddy to help with his anxiety in certain situations that I cant seem to get him over.

[catstina]

What a town! Sounds like an interesting place to live. It seems like a neat product and I'd definitely try it if I had a fearful dog.

[RealPitBull]

It can be used in situations where your dog is most fearful.

It is a tool like anything else - it can be used as a crutch or as a legitimate means of helping your dog overcome a problem. With a fearful dog, the first thing to do is help the dog calm down in the face of the fear-inducing stimulus; you do that in a variety of ways, including use of food rewards, massage, anxiety wraps/Thundershirt, etc. Then gradually expose the dog to the thing that scares him or her - the goal is to help the dog overcome the fear totally.

If I felt a dog was overly reliant on a TS, I might gradually wean her off it by putting on and not cinching it up as tightly, then leaving one of the straps undone, then just draping it over the dog, and eventually just not using it at all.

Key is to expose the dog to a low-level of the fear-inducing stimulus and "pull out all the stops" to help the dog remain relaxed, then work up to where the dog can deal with the scary thing all by him or herself. Then move onto the next level, again using all necessary tools, gradually weaning off, and so on.....

[Dave]

How does it work? Like, a continuous, neverending hug?

Hugs are good...

Or does it use pressure points?

[michele5611]

believe it has something to do with pressure points...pretty sure the website explains it greater detail.

[suziriot]

We only use it to help calm Dharma when she is facing her worst anxiety triggers... fireworks and, to a slightly lesser extent, bad thunderstorms. We have also used it when we have had to take her in the car to travel long distances.