Blamoms Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 We are starting to notice certain noises make Max anxious. We have had him a month. I asked someone at petsmart and they recommended the thunder shirt. He said a lot of customers have given great reviews. Has anyone on here tried on? What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I have not although I've considered it for Dan who shows some signs of thunder and gunshot sensitivity. I saw that they are selling them at Sam's Club although I forget the price. I have heard some positive comments about it and will be curious to hear what others have to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLW1 Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I have a dog I use one on. He's scared of thunder, fireworks, etc. It definitely seems to make him less anxious and worried. I've been using it for about 4 years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordercentrics Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 The shelter where we volunteer uses them on dogs that come in frightened, and it helps them a lot. Quite amazing, actually. When it thunders, I use Rescue Remedy for my own dogs. The storms here never last very long, and it is easier than getting three dogs "dressed." The oldest dog pays no attention to thunder or anything else. Â Kathy Robbins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I know of many people who have rousing success with the thundershirt. It did absolutely nothing for Dean, but he is truly noise phobic and the case seems to be particularly difficult. It does help Tessa, who is sound sensitive, but not noise phobic. Even with the thundershirt, it will take her a bit to settle during a storm, but eventually it does help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 A nice thing about Thundershirts is that you can return them if they don't work, so no money wasted on something that isn't helping. Â 3-6 mg. of melatonin also helps my noise sensitive dogs. It can be used with or without a Thundershirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 My daughter bought one for her Yorkie who is scared of thunderstorms and it did nothing to help him. The melatonin helped more. But it could just have been my daughter is also scared of thunderstorms and he could have been feeding off of her emotions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 The thundershirt I have for Kat doesn't particularly seem to make a difference for her. I use it anyway under the theory that it's certainly not hurting and maybe is helping in ways that aren't obvious to me. Â Then again, as Kristine said, Kat is way more than just a little anxious--she's truly thunderphobic, as in hurt yourself or run away scared, and that may be the difference. Â J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I tried one for Seamus, it made him MORE anxious. Melatonin did nothing. Xanax works like a charm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I know people who have used Thundershirts to good effect. I would like to have tried them myself on my current dog when she was younger and more skittish, but I couldn't afford one. So I tried putting a t-shirt on her, snugging it up around her body and tying a knot in the hem so it would stay snug. She did seem to take comfort from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simba Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I've heard that thunder shirts work by giving the dog something else to think about. You put something weird on thedog, the dog has less thought for being scared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Temple Grandin's work with cattle chutes and restraints (and her own, personal, homemade device that she used on herself) lead me to wonder if there isn't something soothing about the "swaddling" effect of the Thundershirt that is contributing to reduced anxiety. Now, if only my clothes being tighter was soothing instead of distressing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 I haven't gotten a Thundershirt, but when my border collie climbs up on my lap for comfort during thunderstorms I hug him tightly and it definitely helps. I started doing this after reading about Temple Grandin's work, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Sue, That is the basic principle behind the thundershirt--the calming effect of being squeezed. Of course a shirt really can't function entirely like a squeeze chute, but that is the idea.... Â J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 I have three customers who use thundershirts. I can't tell a real difference but I think it makes the owners feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizabeth Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 We spoke to the vet actually about the thunder shirt as 4th of July is soon and Orian is terrified of the fireworks as well as the dark. She said to try to wrap him in an ace bandage and see how that works before going out and purchasing one. so we will try that this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 I've heard that thunder shirts work by giving the dog something else to think about. You put something weird on thedog, the dog has less thought for being scared  I don't know. According to that theory, once the dog had worn it a few times, it would probably stop working since it would be something the dog is used to and likely wouldn't care about.  I think there is something to the idea that some dogs take comfort in being wrapped up like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 I have three customers who use thundershirts. I can't tell a real difference but I think it makes the owners feel better. Â I definitely feel better when Tessa stops waking me up every few minutes to let me know there is a storm coming and I'd better do something about it after I drag myself out of bed to put her thundershirt on her during nighttime storms and she is able to settle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 I definitely feel better when Tessa stops waking me up every few minutes to let me know there is a storm coming and I'd better do something about it after I drag myself out of bed to put her thundershirt on her during nighttime storms and she is able to settle. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medic09 Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 We used a Thundershirt with Hoshanah, our now 13 year old BCX. She only started showing anxiety during storms around age 10. For maybe the first two years of use we saw a real improvement with its use. This past year it hasn't helped much anymore, and her storm anxiety has increased; so we have finally resorted to a benzodiazipine sedative - alprazolam/Xanax. We had tried some other remedies before this drug, but none were effective. If I had another dog with similar anxiety, I would try the Thundershirt again, based on our experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway61 Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I've never heard of this before now so I googled it and at the risk of getting flamed for posting a Caesar link , found it informative: Â http://www.cesarsway.com/dogtraining/thebasics/Do-Thundershirts-Work-for-Dogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Right or wrong way, the thundershirt isn’t going to work for all dogs. Jake got to the point where he associated the thundershirt with thunder and would start stressing more when I would pull it out. Like Jennifer, Alprazolam/Xanax has worked for Jake better than anything we’ve tried over the years. All of the others things I tried helped a little. He went from eyes glazing over, heavy panting, lots of drooling and inability to walk to heavy panting and a lot of pacing and trying to find cubby holes to crawling into. (If we had afternoon storms for a few days in a row, he would give himself diarrhea.) Because of the meds, if I can get a pill into him an hour before the storm in over us, he lays calmly on the floor now when we have a storm. In the past, trying to get him to go out to use the bathroom soon after a storm passed used to be a headache. Now it’s a battle of the wills because he wants to go out the front door instead of the back door. Where Jake used to start stressing out at the first sound of thunder or saw it had started raining, he now barks at it. (I’m not fond of barkers but if that’s his way of dealing with the thunder I’m ok with it.) Depending on the dog, sometimes medication is the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Crikey! Does this guy just make things up out of his a$$? (pun definitely intended) Â Of course if you give a dog an anti-anxiety med or supplement when it's already highly anxious it's not going to help at that moment, but not because the dog's overruling it. Because it's a chemical that hasn't had time to get into the bloodstream and then affect the brain. Sheesh. Â And if he's right about the Thundershirt not working until you've created a positive, calming association with it, then why would hugging my dog during a thunderstorm (basically the same thing as what the Thundershirt does) work? Â Of course you might be able to create a negative association with it in the way he describes, but it's also possible that the Thudershirt itself would mitigate that association. Â It's really, really hard for me to understand how this guy holds so much sway over so many people . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody & Duchess Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Helps my dog settle, she is still REALLY unhappy with the thunder but she will settle in her bed or the bathtub. Without the shirt she cannot settle and paces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 I have used and recommended thundershirts for several years now. I use a thundershirt, and have used the lesser known calming cap for my thunderphobic for several years. I have used it in conjunction with medication and both the cap and shirt together. It has taken years, but the combo has worked (this dog has tried jumping out windows-extreme thunderphobic). Now if mild anxiety I can use the shirt and it helps her. I have seen the shirt used with great results and with little results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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