As a Mom, you likely understand how swaddling can help soothe an infant. They’re fussy, they’re fighting sleep, or they just want to be held 24/7 but you want a 5 minute break to shower. Am I right? Swaddling helps make them feel secure and calm.
Now, what if you could swaddle your dog and have the exact same benefits as swaddling your infant? What if there was a product that could take your anxious, overactive dog, and make them relax? Impossible, right?
I thought so too.
We rescued Roxy from a shelter just outside Montreal when she was 4.5 months old. As soon as she was brought out to us, the nice lady behind the desk said “We forgot to mention, she’s very hyper”. Hyper was an understatement, this was a 18kg jumping jelly bean with a very hard head (ouch!) As with most rescue dogs, she came with her insecurities and anxieties. Before they had found her, she was a stray. She was severely emaciated and about jumped to the moon over and over again, when she saw it was feeding time. Vet trips were a hassle, car trips; not happening without Gravol, night time was rough as she would wake up whining & then pee herself, and walking her was a nightmare.
Now, as she’s approaching her third birthday, Thundershirt was brought to my attention. We’ve done great improvements with her, but there are just some things that linger. Loud noises (fireworks, construction, moving furniture), exciting new people (everybody), car rides and walks near busy roads are no longer a problem.
We took Roxy to my Boyfriends parents and used the Thundershirt during the car ride. I can proudly say we did not need to get the car detailed, pair this with something like cbd treats for dogs and you’ll have the least erratic or anxious dog in the world.
Thundershirt has links to scientific support as to how the gentle pressure from their shirts relieve pet anxiety on their website, be sure to check them out!
All-in-All, I absolutely love these shirts on Roxy. The one thing I can really appreciate is that it doesn’t go over her head. She’s a bully breed mix, and as any bully-parents know, shirts never fit their chest and waist at the same time. If you want it to fit their large breast bone, it will be extremely loose around their bellies. I was worried that might happen with these Thundershirts, but was quickly reassured that it fits any body type!
Thundershirt graciously sent us the ThunderSpray for Dogs to use on Roxy’s shirt. It’s a pheromone spray that mimicks their mothers pheromones, but also smells like lavender and chamomile which are both known as calming essential oils. You simply spray the Thundershirt logo on their shirt, and voila! You can spray them directly, the air, their bed, anything really.. but the shirt is definitely a recommended spot.
Next, they sent us the Thunderleash! It’s a no-pull solution that works with any collar. It gently lets your dog know to stop pulling by tightening slightly around their torso.
Attach it to any collar!
Wrap it around your dogs torso, then loop it through the metal hook.
The gentle feedback encourages your dog to stop pulling. The “safety” stop ensures that the leash doesn’t tighten too tight. It’s safe, and efficient!
Did I enjoy the Thunderleash? Yes, it stopped Roxy from pulling… BUT, it often slipped town to her tiny waist because of the slope from her breast bone. So I had to stop often to adjust it, which got annoying after a while. When it stayed in put, it was wonderful, otherwise I would rather go back to our correctly fitted prong collar.
Oh, and here’s another photo of Roxy sporting a Thundervest, this time around the house! 🙂
I’ve had two dogs with thundershirts … my one dog had many panic disorders and the thundershirt helped greatly … so we bought the other dog one (he has excitable anxiety) and it helped him a little … but from our panic disorder pup my entire family bought a shirt for their dogs!
I’d love to try the leash … it looks amazing!