Have you tried the Thundershirt on your dog?

gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
We'll here's a new one for me. Our dog was just in for her annual checkup last week and the vet suggested we try the Thundershirt for anxiety problems. Huh? I've heard of Thunder Cats, Thunderstorms, Rolling Thunder, but Thundershirt was a first for me.

A little history. Our Yellow Lab started out like all others, full of energy with plenty of chewing, scratching, digging, and cat chasing. But over the years she's become anxious during storms, high winds, and fireworks. Then last fall, she had a fit the first time I lit the fireplace. Went upstairs and pee'd on the bathroom floor followed by lots of panting, pacing, obviously anxious & uncomfortable. Generally speaking, when someone pee's on the floor I tend to get a bit excited myself which didn't help matters. After that episode the wife wouldn't let me use the fireplace which brings us to the present.

The vet says the Thundershirt has a 80% success rate for calming dogs for anxiety problems. So I bought one at Petco for $40 with a 30 day return policy/guarantee. I'm going to give it a try this weekend, if there's another Pee Party then back it goes, but if it works I think it's easily money well spent. I'll try to followup with results.

Anyone with experience with the Thundershirt?
 
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phazerpilot

New member
i've been useing one for about 2yrs now on my aussie,had the same issues as your lab and it helped greatly. now he just lays on the couch by me and is much calmer during during storms .
 
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windingtrailgal

Active member
Can't wait to find out if this works. I guess my question is what's with the shirt that would make it work? How does it work? Our yellow lab is NOT a fan of storms AT ALL! We had a thunderstorm here a few weeks back - I know! Winter?? Hello!! We couldn't find him ANYWHERE in the house - thought maybe one of the kids let him out. Was hiding under the blankets in our spare bedroom!!
He has anxiety issues with other stuff too...neurotic lil turd! A friend of mine suggested flower essences. Let me know if this shirt works out. Interested - $40 not a bad price if it works!
 
LoveMyDobe

LoveMyDobe

Active member
It works like a security blanket. Never had to use one, but I guess it is worth a try since it has a 30 day return policy
 
gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
I wish I had better news but the Thundershirt did very little to help with our dog's anxiety. As I mentioned earlier, as she gets older she's become afraid of the fire in the fireplace. Saturday night we trialed the Thundershirt per instructions by our vet and packaging. It was easy to put on and the dog seemed to like wearing it. After about 30 minutes of quiet and calm, I lit the fireplace with pretty much the same results. She became anxious, panting, pacing, tail between the legs, etc. I let her outside for awhile and that seemed to calm her down more than anything and this morning all is back to normal.

I suppose it's no great stretch that some animals are afraid of fire, wild animals are frightened by it. Maybe our dog thinks the house is on fire, who knows how dogs think unless you're the Dog Whisperer.

So I'll wrap up the Thundershirt and return it to the store. I still think it's worth a try if you have problems with your pet. If it works in 80% of anxiety cases and you can return it within 30 days, you' ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Now...... what am I going to do with all this wood for the fireplace?
 
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phazerpilot

New member
don't return it yet keep useing it ,it is not an instant fix . with my dog it took about a month but he was also a rescue dog with issues.
 
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russholio

Well-known member
Gary, have you previously used the fireplace with no issues, and now suddenly your dog has a fear of it? Or has she always disliked it? I know our dogs (and the last one -- all of them basenjis) HATE smoke and would rather run outside and freeze than put up with it -- and this is a breed that hates the cold, too. In our case, I don't think it's the fire that is the issue (since any smoke in our house comes from cooking mishaps and they don't seem to be bothered by campfires when we take them camping).

Our male has some anxiety issues, too -- separation, storms, fireworks -- so I've though about trying this Thundershirt as well.
 
gary_in_neenah

gary_in_neenah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Hmmmm, hadn't considered using it over a longer period. A good point.

Russ, she's developed other anxieties over the years and she never trusted the fireplace. As a pup she was sleeping in front of the fire and a log rolled off sending sparks up the chimney and that's all it took. In the past she would simply go to another room, now she's a basket case whenever we light the fireplace. Fireworks and storms I can do nothing about but I sure miss using the fireplace.
 
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Dbqdogtrainer

New member
Yes, I have experience with the Thundershirt. I hate to tell you but I recommended the original, patented Anxiety Wrap to one of my customers and she accidentally bought the Thundershirt by mistake. It had absolutely no effect on her dog's anxiety.

However, we added the Face Wrap, marketed by Animals Pkus LLC, the same company that makes the Anxiety Wrap, and the dog had a marked reduction in anxious behavior. The Face Wrap consists of an elastic strap that fits across the muzzle and around the neck like a neck collar

As a professional dog trainer I recommend the anxiety Wrap to my clients with Anxious or fearful dogs. Its unique, patented design is superior in several ways to the Thundershirt. In a recent clinical research study completed at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine the Anxiety Wrap was found to be effective inn 89% of study participants. Thunderstorms 80% effectiveness rate is based on surveys of their own customers!

I highly recommend you return the Thundershirt and order the Anxiety Wrap! It also comes with a 100% money-back guarantee, and you will really like the company and its people. With the Anxiety Wrap you also get FREE professional guidance from certified professional dog trainers on how to implement behavior modification with your dog - an outstanding value, in my opinion.

Also, please be aware that there is no panacea for anxiety or any other behavior disorder. I recommend you consult with a professional reward-based trainer, preferably a certified clicker trainer, or a certified dog behaviorist to assist you in developing and implementing a comprehensive behavior modification program for your dog - or, you can purchase the Anxiety Wrap and get FREE assistance! I also recommend Through A Dog's Ear music to calm canines to my clients - they recently came out with a CD of thunderstorm sounds. I have not tried it and so cannot fully recommend it, but I have used the music DVDs and recommend those. Good luck!

Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP
Owner, Canine Connection LLC
Dubuque, Iowa
 
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