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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Thundershirt Redesigns Anxiety Solutions

by Carrie Boyko, CEB
© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Oliver Models Thundershirt's Polo
Thunderstorms have continued here in central Florida beyond their normal Summer schedule. Oliver is snoozing peacefully at my feet while a storm powers through with all the noise of a Wizard of Oz twister. Thankfully Oliver has learned to associate his Thundershirt with calm. As soon as he hears the first sign of thunder he gives me eye contact that speaks volumes: "Mom, it's time for my Thundershirt!"
© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Front Velcro for Easy Wear

Recently at a pet industry conference I met with one of the representatives for Thundershirt who offered to send Oliver one of the newest designs, complete with his name embroidered on it. Wow! Is this ever cool!

As I prepare this review I'm thinking of the Halloween hoopla that is just around the corner. Trick or Treating kids, fire crackers, and scary faces are just some of the many reasons that your pup may be frightened during Halloween evening. A Thundershirt could very well be your best solution to help your pup calm his nerves.

How does it work? Here's my layman's terms version: With a fit much like a wetsuit, the overlapping Velcro flaps allow the Thundershirt to fit very snugly around your pup's ribcage area, gently encouraging him to slow his breathing. This has the effect of calming your pup, as slower breathing allows for relaxation. I liken it to swaddling a baby. In time, your dog will associate wearing the Thundershirt with that same relaxation response, and he'll more quickly calm himself during anxiety.

Thundershirt initially introduced a classic heather gray version which is the standard for their 'look'. But now, with more and more people using the Thundershirt for social anxiety and car anxiety, for example, dogs are wearing their Thundershirts outside of the house. Thundershirt has responded with more fashionable designs to suit your pup on the go.
© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Snug Fit=Calm Oliver

Oliver's new polo Thundershirt is an adorable blue and with his name embroidered in a contrasting orange on the side. You can have this too when you order from their website at this link. The polo comes in blue for boys and pink for girls, but go ahead and be risky;  why not embrace your favorite?!

You can learn more about Thundershirt and how it works at their website, Facebook page and on Twitter. The uses for this product seem to be growing each day. Join the club and let us know what new solution you find with yours.

 
Thundershirt has provided a shirt for Oliver to test. This review was done without compensation and the opinions included are my own. 

4 comments:



lifewithbeagle said...

I didn't have much luck with the thundershirt on Lulu. How much of it depends on the individual dog?

christie from lifewithbeagle.com



Dorothy A. Tansey said...

is there any style of Thundershirt's Polo?

Thanks!



Carrie Van Brunt-Wiley said...

This is an awesome idea! I've got to try these on my two pups- they are scared to death of thunder!



Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP said...

The Thundershirt is a knockoff. The original Anxiety Wrap was invented in 2001, eight years before the introduction of the Thundershirt by Certified Professional Dog Trainer and TTouch Practitioner, Susan Sharpe. Sharpe experimented with over 90 different prototypes before coming up with her patented design. The Anxiety Wrap is not only the original and only patented pressure wrap but it is the only pressure wrap proven in a research study at Tufts University to be clinically effective and the only pressure wrap that uses both maintained pressure(http://anxietywrap.com/files/pdfs/TheTechniqueOfMaintainedPressure.pdf) and acupressure to achieve its calming effect. The Anxiety Wrap provides much more coverage and is an overall much better design than the Thundershirt. I highly recommend it. I have used it on my own dog and regularly recommend it to my clients with fearful and anxious dogs. For more information about how the products compare, see this article: http://anxietywrapsays.blogspot.com/2012/02/comparison-of-anxiety-wrap-thundershirt.html

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