# Thundershirt



## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

http://www.thundershirt.com/

With the 4th fast approaching and my soft Chloe, who hates the fire works and thunder, I was going to make the investment. The website is quite good and someone did mention the work done by Temple Grandin in this area. 

We watched the movie, "Temple Grandin," last month and found it fantastic. 

My wife had got it on Nextflix and I had no idea about what it would be about. I was on the computer doing something and got sucked into the movie in two minutes!

So I will try a Thundershirt out with our soft Chloe. The theory now makes sense.

Bailey could care less. He loves the sound of a bang!

As I type this, I see a Thundershirt ad on the right side. 

Rod
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

In case anyone is interested in investing in one, but either doesn't want to overnight one or orders one too late...

I know a local pet food outlet chain carries them--people might find similar stores in their own area that also carry them. For anyone else in the Twin Cities or Denver areas, Chuck & Don's seem to have them in stores. Some vets or training facilities may even have them. Good luck to all those whose dogs who dislike fireworks this weekend!


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

redbirddog--I can't wait to hear how the Thundershirt works for Chloe! Our mini dachshund goes to pieces in thunderstorms. It has progressively gotten worse, and she just comes unglued at the 1st sign--winds blowing etc. My MIL swears it works, but her opinion was not enough to sway a purchase just yet. Let us know


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

In the SF Bay Area we have VizslaWalk Yahoo group. I posted where I could get a "thundershirt" by tomorrow night. This was a response and my reply.


> Hi Rod,
> > I don't know of any place that carries Thundershirts, but a snug
> sweater/coat would probably work. Its the pressure from the "swaddling" that
> creates the soothing effect.
> Candace


Candace,
Good idea! I have a "brush busting bright orange dog vest" that I bought for Bailey when we went to hunting in South Dakota. It can be tightened to crate the "swaddling" effect.

I'll try it.

Thanks,

I'll post the results on redbirddog after the weekend.

Rod


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I loved that "Temple Grandin" movie so much that I ordered the DVD and made it part of my very small collection. Now I make all my friends watch it with me! The device that she (Temple Grandin) invented to calm herself was really based on the swaddling effect. Native Americans historically wrapped their babies very snuggly and carried them on their backs. My sister used the principle to settle her baby when he was distressed, but she just used a blanket. It works!


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

OK I'm curious now, I'll have to find that movie as well.

At the suggestion of my trainer who had mixed results with other dogs, I used a thundershirt on Merc for a while, not for storms or fireworks (which don't seem to bother him) but to see if it would help him settle during his over-reactive, over-excited phase.

It wasn't a magic bullet but it did seem to calm him a little. 

To explain, we went through a phase where he seemed to react to anything that moved, a plastic bag up a tree, joggers, people who got out of cars, cats that ran up trees etc etc His reaction could vary from just becoming fixated on whatever it was and staring at it, to planting his feet requiring me to drag him away from it to barking and if it continued to behave in a threatening manner to him (eg the bag continued to flap in the breeze) he would start growling and hackles would come up.... 

Prior to the thundershirt I would say this would occur maybe on 5 days a week. Bad walks something would set him off early on and the entire walk would be spent trying to get him to calm down and refocus on me. Good walks, something would startle him, he'd stare at it for a bit then come back to me within minutes.

After using the thundershirt for a couple of weeks we seemed to settle down to 2 maybe 3 outbursts a week. However they still ranged in intensity from a bit of a stare to a full on lunge to the end of the lead.

The story has a happy ending and he is now a much more chilled dog (with a much more chilled human on the other end of the leash). I don't really understand why, most likely a combination of training, maturing and the human learning to calm down and not transmit so much "oh my god what is he going to do today" anxiety down the lead.

I would be really interested in hearing other people's experiences with the thundershirt too.


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## lilhoosier32 (Feb 23, 2011)

My friend got a thundershirt for her very anxious 2 yr old dog. She did it for thunderstorms not fireworks, but her experience wasn't the greatest. She didn't put it on until it actually started storming though, so she recalls from her dog's point of view, "Oh god, thunder! ... Oh god, now their putting this THING on me!!" So of course the dog associated the thundershirt with bad things. For those of you investing in one, my advice would be to put it on and associate it with calm/good things BEFORE the fireworks happen!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Thunder or Fireworks or other anxiety bottom line dog must be desensitized by owner, trainer.

Thundershirt may be working in mild situations (perhaps during air transport) but still needs owner input if the aim is to have dog not fear fireworks and loud bangs.


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