Hello all, I was considering trying a Thundershirt for Lily to see if it makes any difference to her exuberant behaviour. Has anyone tried these and had any results with it? Thanks folks.
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? Sister in law swears by them for her collie. She uses them when they have tropical storms come in - they are all about giving a sense of security and thus calm. Not sure your application is quite as intended. But you never know.
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? I too have never heard of these so just had a quick Google. They are very interesting and seem to get great results for anxiety related issues. Fireworks, thunder etc. Like the previous post I am not sure if you would get the same results but an interesting concept
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? An article that looks at the evidence for pressure as a form of anxiety relief Pressure wraps for anxiety in dogs
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? I wouldn't have though that they would work for general boisterous behaviour but it can't hurt to try. They can be fantastic for anxiety and stress though.
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? Thanks all, it is indeed an interesting concept... the website has more info on excitability/boisterousness and the Thundershirt: http://www.thundershirt.xtradog.com/official-uk-thundershirt-supplier/other-uses-for-a-thundershirt.html [quote author=editor link=topic=8110.msg114481#msg114481 date=1412336890] An article that looks at the evidence for pressure as a form of anxiety relief Pressure wraps for anxiety in dogs [/quote] I checked this out and to get an alternative view I looked at this study and survey results (right at the bottom of the webpage) at: http://www.thundershirt.xtradog.com/ I think the thing is to just try it and see. If it doesn't work, there is a money back guarantee . I am thinking it isn't the solution to the problems we are having, just something to try to calm things down alongside training. Thank you all for replying so promptly
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? I mention this as more of "a possibly interesting point" rather than a considered view, or anything to put a lot of weight on... I am a bit doubtful about these and if they work, why they work. Debsie, who has a nervous dog and has tried one, shares some of my suspicions. We had a discussion a while back on the effect of these on Cuillin and the likely effect on super excitable Charlie. One thing we had both noticed about our very different dogs is how some types of body constraint (harnesses) can make them "close down". Putting body a harness on Charlie removes his excitability - but I do not believe it's a desirable effect. I think a thunder shirt would make him "close down" almost completely, and if I didn't know him as well as I do, could think this a great result. There are some videos online that show this "closing down" thing when people put head collars on dogs - and it does make me wonder what's behind the claims they are able to calm dogs too. It probably hugely depends on the individual dog though. This was part of our discussion: [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3657.msg43129#msg43129 date=1388160001] [quote author=debsie link=topic=3657.msg43128#msg43128 date=1388159732] Maybe a totally long shot, but when Cuillin was wee and got stressed and hyper about something (and she would get very stressed when wee!) I used a Thundershirt on her a lot. Now, Cuillin as a super sensitive dog, so all her reactions to things seem times a million compared to other dogs, but putting a Thundershirt on her had a hugely calming effect on her, in fact I only used it sparingly because she almost went into a trance with it on, she would stand stock still and then after a wee while just lie down and go to sleep wherever she was. Never had any reason to use it on Brods so I dont know how it would effect a less sensitive dog, but I'll pop one on him over the next few days when he is hyper and bouncy and tell you what happens.... [/quote] This is also interesting. A harness has that effect on Charlie - but I believe it's because it makes him fearful (I'm sure this isn't the case with Cuillin). We can feel his heart starting to pound, and his breathing increases (not to panting stage, but the rate definitely goes up). But we did put his harness on him to get the calming effect at one point over Christmas, and it did do the trick. For a while, then he "recovers". I've never figured out why harnesses do this to Charlie. I suspect the Thundershirt would have a similar effect. I'm not sure about using it though. I'll have a think. [/quote]
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? JulieT, I didn't even think about the possibility of the Thundershirt being a negative thing really, I thought it was more like the idea behind swaddling a baby to make it feel secure. Lily has walked quite happily on a harness but has never experienced a head collar so I don't know if there would be any negative physical effects on her using either that or the Thundershirt. I would hate to cause her unnecessary distress. Actually, thinking about it, my mother's dog sat perfectly still when she tried his little coat on. Wouldn't move or walk at all, so he hasn't worn it since. This is, I think, the shutting down you are referring to. Thanks for flagging up.
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? [quote author=amandamumma link=topic=8110.msg114576#msg114576 date=1412363178] JulieT, I didn't even think about the possibility of the Thundershirt being a negative thing really, I thought it was more like the idea behind swaddling a baby to make it feel secure. [/quote] It might be, for all I know. Although the only swaddled baby I ever saw looked desperately uncomfortable to me - but what do I know? Haven't got kids. I just have a dog that I think would hate a thundershirt, but would appear calm when wearing one. So it just makes me wonder...
Re: Thundershirts... do they work for exuberant labs? Aha, yes I see. I swaddled both my babies when they were very young, they did settle down well.... and I think they've turned out alright : ;D. But I don't know about with dogs....
