Scooter's Thundershirt
A few weeks ago I got Scootie a Thundershirt. This is a dog shirt that is designed to provide a calming relief from stressful situations (such as thunderstorms, separations, anxiety, loud noises, etc...).
I figured I'd go ahead and get one (they're only $35 on Amazon) and give it a go. Scootie's vet Dr. Allison said she'd never had one of her patients try a Thundershirt, but has heard good things from trainers about them. I decided we could be her guinea pig for the Thundershirt.
If you live in or around St. Louis you know that lately we've had some crazy storms and rain; these are situations that make Scooter very anxious. Some dogs run and hide or shake with storms...not Scoots. He instead runs around the house barking hysterically at the storm (I'm pretty sure he thinks he can eat the scary noise coming from the sky). About 4 years ago I got him a PetSafe Bark Collar to try and stop the crazed barking when storms rolled in. The bark collar does work, but over 4 years it definitely has lost its effectiveness. Scooter knows he can't bark with it on or he'll get zapped, but he's smart enough to realize he can while and cry with the collar on and still be annoying but not get shocked. Anyways, I thought I'd try something new with the Thundershirt and give it a go.
After having the Thundershirt for several weeks now I'm a believer--it sure does work!!
As soon as we put the shirt on Scooter (which happened about 3am this very morning!) it seems like a sense of calm comes over here. He stops his barking and running all over the house and just plops himself down on the bed or chair. Sometimes he is "on alert" with his ears up when it thunders, but he doesn't bark or whine, he just remains laying down and essentially taking in everything that's going on around him. I'm not saying this shirt will work for every dog out there, but for the 13-pound very anxious pup I have, it definitely has worked thus far. The way it's designed is almost like a swaddle for babies; it wraps the pup in a snug-fitting jacket that gives them almost a "hug" feeling while they're wearing it. So if you have a crazy-anxious pup, I'd encourage you to give the Thundershirt a go. It's definitely worth a try!
Below is the link for the shirts on Amazon as well as the Thundershirt website. Give it a read and check them out to see if they're right for your fur baby.
Thundershirt Website: http://www.thundershirt.com/Default.aspx
Thundershirts on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thundershirt-Dog-Anxiety-Treatment-Large/dp/B0028QK6EY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309189449&sr=8-1
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I figured I'd go ahead and get one (they're only $35 on Amazon) and give it a go. Scootie's vet Dr. Allison said she'd never had one of her patients try a Thundershirt, but has heard good things from trainers about them. I decided we could be her guinea pig for the Thundershirt.
If you live in or around St. Louis you know that lately we've had some crazy storms and rain; these are situations that make Scooter very anxious. Some dogs run and hide or shake with storms...not Scoots. He instead runs around the house barking hysterically at the storm (I'm pretty sure he thinks he can eat the scary noise coming from the sky). About 4 years ago I got him a PetSafe Bark Collar to try and stop the crazed barking when storms rolled in. The bark collar does work, but over 4 years it definitely has lost its effectiveness. Scooter knows he can't bark with it on or he'll get zapped, but he's smart enough to realize he can while and cry with the collar on and still be annoying but not get shocked. Anyways, I thought I'd try something new with the Thundershirt and give it a go.
After having the Thundershirt for several weeks now I'm a believer--it sure does work!!
As soon as we put the shirt on Scooter (which happened about 3am this very morning!) it seems like a sense of calm comes over here. He stops his barking and running all over the house and just plops himself down on the bed or chair. Sometimes he is "on alert" with his ears up when it thunders, but he doesn't bark or whine, he just remains laying down and essentially taking in everything that's going on around him. I'm not saying this shirt will work for every dog out there, but for the 13-pound very anxious pup I have, it definitely has worked thus far. The way it's designed is almost like a swaddle for babies; it wraps the pup in a snug-fitting jacket that gives them almost a "hug" feeling while they're wearing it. So if you have a crazy-anxious pup, I'd encourage you to give the Thundershirt a go. It's definitely worth a try!
Below is the link for the shirts on Amazon as well as the Thundershirt website. Give it a read and check them out to see if they're right for your fur baby.
Thundershirt Website: http://www.thundershirt.com/Default.aspx
Thundershirts on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thundershirt-Dog-Anxiety-Treatment-Large/dp/B0028QK6EY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309189449&sr=8-1
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
