Posted on 05/30/2015 4:27:41 PM PDT by ken5050
Same here, it really calms my girl down...
We tried it with a puppy who had separation anxiety. It didn’t work.
I returned it to the pet store where I purchased it. No questions asked, no problem.
They return it to the manufacturer. If I remember correctly, he said the returned ones are donated to shelters and rescues.
So really, you have nothing to lose. If it works great. If not, easy to get a refund.
I had a dog that was afraid of thunder and firearms.
The jacket when fitted tight prevented him from hyper ventilating. kind of like breathing into a paper bag for humans.
It was not perfect, but at least I could get a nights sleep.
wORKS GREAT FOR MY MIXED BREED!
I have had them for three dogs and they do work well. After you put it on the dog, reassure him to help him associate calm with the coat.
I let mine wear the coats during calm times before storms. You really want to build that association.
They should work both because they are snug and because the dog associates the coat with good things.
Yes.
They work.
My preferred method, however, is exposure.
I babysat a severely thunder phobic Ibizan Hound for a year and by the end of three weeks, she was no longer scared of storms.
Every time one came, I took her and my other non-phobic dogs right out into it and we stayed out there, playing, until the lightning was so close it was too dangerous.
Once she *saw* what was making the noise, she no longer feared it as some great unknown threat.
Unfortunately, she eventually went back home and her stupid owner went right back to babying and coddling her during every storm and the dog returned to her phobic state.
:-\
If my dogs react fearfully to loud noises, I totally disregard them and go on about my business like nothing is odd or wrong.
They take a cue from my body language and settle down almost immediately.
They will still feel the vibrations.
My sister’s family used the thundershirt for their collie and it really helped him a lot.
Thank You.
I will recommend it to my friends.
-JT
The Thundershirt helped our female Silky Terrier/Pomeranian mix with her fear of thunderstorms and rain, but only, I would estimate, 30-40%. And she didn’t like it. The expressions she gave us when we put it on her were priceless.
What we found worked best for her was giving her a weight adjusted dose of theanine, 5-HTP, and GABA. That usually put her to sleep, albeit not always. Even with that cocktail, she would sometimes cower and hide when a thunderstorm came.
However, again, the Thundershirt definitely seemed to help, just not 100%.
I read an article couple months ago about a vet who wraps colts who exhibit behaviors like an autistic child. Shortly after they’re born, the colts won’t nurse and are oblivious to the mare and surroundings. The vet wraps the colts to the point of them passing out and when they come to, the social instinct kicks in. They think it replicates the experience of the colt passing through the birth canal.
I told a lady I work with about it and she told me about these jackets. She said they worked.
LOL
I bought one. We have put it one her, but it hasn’t really been put to the test. Ginger looses it with thunder, fireworks and gun shot on New Years. She will hit our bedroom door until we either open it or she breaks it down while injuring herself. The first time this happened I seriously thought that she had broken our bedroom door. Once she is “with us” she then joins us in bed, or lies next to it with one of our hands touching that quivering shaking mass of dog. This 4th of July will be the acid test, unless they ban fireworks this year due to the drought. One time she climbed into bed with us and shook the whole bed until the thunderstorm passed.
And I did try the towel idea as a precursor to see how she would respond and it seemed to work, that is why we decided to at least give it a try.
Once storm season over you can work. On desensitization. Get a recording of a thunderstorm. Put it on as low as possible. Give dog lots of treats. Over time increase sound level. Talking week or so. Play when feeding. If dog shows anxiety turn volume down 2 steps and continue working up slowly. That’s basically how the British trained war dogs in WWI they got it up to continuously firing artillery batteries right next to dogs
That was our German-Collie mix. He once came incredibly close to jumping through our second-floor bedroom window. The only thing that stopped him was the window air conditioner, and he knocked it out through the window. He was going next, but my husband stopped him.
The vests work well, but in severe cases like ours and sounds like yours, owners should take the added steps of acclimating the dog during non-stress times. My dogs love the car, so I’ve driven them in their vests for a hamburger. We’ve played, walked and rested them in the vests, too. Anything to add the association with calm and fun.
We put our vests on them when it clouds over or before if it may storm while we are out and can’t take them.
I cannot believe the difference it has made.
We use one for a small Papillon who has often had motion sickness while traveling. the shirt and accompanying spray have helped a LOT.
We use one for a small Papillon who has often had motion sickness while traveling. the shirt and accompanying spray have helped a LOT.
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