THE THUNDERSHIRT? WHAT IS IT FOR? AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Thundershirt is The Best Solution for Dog Anxiety. 

Thundershirt’s patent-pending design applies a gentle, constant pressure to a dog’s torso that has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs. 

• Recommended by thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers.
• Over an 80% success rate.
• Completely safe and comfortable for dogs.

Use for:
•     Any anxiety, fear or over-excitement issue. Anytime calming may have a benefit, a Thundershirt may have a benefit.
•     Uses include fear of thunder, fireworks, separation anxiety, travel, general anxiety or fearfulness, reactivity towards other animals or people, problem barking, problem jumping and more.
•     Also an excellent training tool for at-home training or during multi-dog training classes. Wearing the Thundershirt will calm your dog. A calmer dog is a more focused dog. A more focused dog will learn more quickly.

 

Key Features:
•     Over an 80% success rate for a wide variety of issues.
•     Recommended by thousands of veterinarians and trainers.
•     Very easy to put on and take off.  Simply lay Thundershirt on your dog’s back and fasten the
hook and loop closures. No head or leg holes to struggle with.
•     Completely comfortable and safe for your dog. Safe to leave your dog unsupervised while
wearing a Thundershirt (e.g. For separation anxiety or storms while you are away).
•     Lightweight and breathable fabric. Overheating is not typically a concern, regardless of how much fur your dog may have. Dog’s cool themselves primarily through their mouths and paws. However, in extreme temperatures (over 30 degrees C) or in tropical climates, it is advisable to monitor your dog for overheating.
•     Machine washable in cold water. Recommend hang drying.

How Does Thundershirt Work?
Thundershirt applies gentle, constant pressure to a dog’s torso and this pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs. Anxiety experts believe that the pressure may release a calming hormone like endorphins or oxcytocins, but using pressure is not at all a new idea for relieving anxiety. Pressure has been used for years for:
•     Swaddling infants.
•     Dr. Temple Grandin’s work with people with autism.
•     Special Needs Teachers using pressure shirts for a wide variety of behavioral disorders.

Thundershirt is just the first product to make using pressure easy with dogs!

Sizing: Thundershirt is available in seven sizes for dogs from 3 lbs to 200 lbs. Chest size is the best measurement to use when fitting your dog, but weight may be used if chest size is not available  Please refer toour Sizing Guide page.

When fitting a Thundershirt on a male dog, the straps that go around the stomach area should not cover or push on the genitals or prepuce. If the Thundershirt rubs against the genitals or prepuce, irritation may result.

How Common Are Anxiety and Fear Problems for Dogs?
Very! Based on a comprehensive survey of the general dog population, 29% of all dogs suffer from fear and anxiety problems. That’s over 20 million dogs in the United States! 

Noise anxiety is the most common issue with 17% of all dogs. 

Separation anxiety is the next most common with 13% of all dogs.  

Some interesting facts:
•     Dogs suffer from more anxiety and fear issues as they age.  Dogs over 8 years old are more than
50% more likely to have an anxiety problem than dogs under 3 years old.
•     Female and male dogs are equally likely to have anxiety or fear issues.
•     Dogs living in multi-dog households are 50% LESS likely to have anxiety issues than dogs living in single-dog households.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions:

What training is required for using Thundershirt for anxiety and fear issues?
For many types of anxiety… none!  Just follow the simple introduction steps provided with the instructions for your dog to become accustomed to the Thundershirt.  Then simply put the Thundershirt on before or during the next anxiety-provoking event and you will likely see results with the very first usage.  

In addition, for many dogs, the benefits will increase with each following use. It may take three to five usages to see maximum results.  For more serious anxiety cases for which a Thundershirt alone does not provide the desired results, we recommend consulting with a qualified dog trainer for how to integrate Thundershirt into an appropriate training program.   Thundershirt’s calming benefits can be an excellent addition to any training program.

How tightly should I wrap the Thundershirt on my dog?
Comfortably snug around the torso and never restrictive around the neck area. The Thundershirt should not cause any discomfort for your dog, but should apply gentle constant pressure around the torso. It’s the pressure that provides the calming benefit. You can snug up the Thundershirt while pulling the flaps around the torso and as long as you can easily slide your fingers underneath, there shouldn’t be any issue. 

Can I wash and dry Thundershirt? Remove hair from the closure hooks?
Thundershirt is made with durable, washable fabric. When necessary, Thundershirt may be washed
in a regular cycle using regular laundry detergent and warm water. Hang to dry.  When washing in the machine, we recommend fastening the hook and loop fasteners to prevent them from snagging on your Thundershirt or other items in the wash.

If necessary, to remove dog hair from your Thundershirt’s closure hooks, we recommend using a
standard dog “slicker” brush. A couple of strokes and the hooks will be nearly hair-free.

How long can I leave a Thundershirt on my dog?
Thundershirt is designed to be safe to leave on your dog for extended periods of time when appropriate for the situation or issue that you are addressing. Thundershirt is made out of lightweight, breathable fabric, so over-heating is very rarely an issue. It is typically safe to leave a dog unsupervised while wearing a Thundershirt. However, in extreme temperatures (over 30 degrees C) or in tropical climates, it is advisable to monitor your dog for overheating.
  

How do I put Thundershirt onto my dog?
We designed Thundershirt to be very easy to put on your dog, even if she is already in a state of anxiety.  Nothing to pull over your dogs head and holes to thread legs through. Simply lay the Thundershirt over the dog’s back and fasten the adjustable fasteners.  Detailed instructions are in the package.

Are there any special sizing and fit considerations for male dogs?
When fitting a Thundershirt on a male dog, the straps that go around the stomach area should not
cover or push on the genitals or prepuce. If the Thundershirt rubs against the genitals or prepuce,
irritation may result. 

Is overheating a concern when using a Thundershirt?
Except in extreme conditions (e.g. >30 degrees celcius in the sun), overheating is not typically
a concern when using a Thundershirt. Dogs cool themselves primarily through their mouths and
paws, and a Thundershirt is constructed of a lightweight, breathable fabric.

The state of Florida is one of Thundershirt’s biggest markets. But if you feel that overheating might be a problem for your particular circumstance, please monitor your dog for any signs of overheating such as heavy panting or tongue hanging out of the mouth. Remove the Thundershirt if you see any signs of overheating.

Suggestions for when a Thundershirt appears to not be working?

Over 80% of dogs respond to Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure, but of course that means
some dogs do not.   A few questions and suggestions are below to perhaps get better results for
your dog:

•     Have you tried making the Thundershirt a little more “snug”?  But please note…it should never
be uncomfortable …just “comfortably snug” around the torso and never restrictive around the neck area.  You may be able to increase the snugness around the torso and see improvement.

•     Have you tried using a Thundershirt in combination with any other approaches?  Thousands of trainers across the country use Thundershirts as part of training programs. Thundershirt’s calming effect helps dogs to better focus during training…a more focused dog is a faster learning dog!  

•     Is your dog comfortable in the Thundershirt? Almost all dogs quickly learn to like wearing a Thundershirt.  We hear from customers all the time that their dogs will literally seek out their Thundershirt during times of stress! But if your dog is showing signs of not liking the Thundershirt, please take additional steps to help your pup learn to love it. After putting the Thundershirt on, will your dog eat treats?  If he is willing to eat with the Thundershirt on, that is usually a good sign that he is not too anxious. Try putting on the Thundershirt WITHOUT other stressors present (e.g. no guests over), and give lots of high value treats and engage in play.    

Will repeated use of a Thundershirt desensitize my dog to its calming effect?
We’ve already helped many tens of thousands of dogs, and we’ve seen very few cases where a Thundershirt appears to have lost its positive effects over time. In many cases, we’ve actually seen the opposite. Through the use of Thundershirt over time, many dogs learn to become calm during the circumstances that previously bothered them! 

Thundershirt allows many dogs to experience the problem in a calmer, less fearful state. Over time, this enables some dogs to learn to be less fearful of the problem situation even without Thundershirt! The underlying symptoms diminish, or in some cases are eliminated entirely.

Can a Thundershirt help my dog during agility or other competitions?
We have had very good results with dogs that have suffered anxiety problems in agility and other competitions. Thundershirt’s calming effect can help to get them focused on the tasks at hand.  Symptoms for which we have seen great results include reactivity, fearfulness, distractibility, and
excitability.

Couldn’t I just use a tight t-shirt or an ace bandage to apply the pressure?
Yes you could, but there are several major advantages to using a Thundershirt:

1. A Thundershirt is very easy to put on and take off. With Thundershirt, you don’t have to pull  
anything over your dog’s head or try to thread legs through leg holes. That can be very difficult
with many dogs, especially if they are already anxious!

2. The gentle, constant pressure is the key to Thundershirt’s success. Our patent-pending design makes Thundershirt very easy to adjust to get the proper pressure. With t-shirts and ace bandages, it can be very challenging to maintain the pressure.

3. The Thundershirt can be left on without supervision. It is as safe to wear as the typical dog collar. A dog shouldn’t be left unsupervised while wearing an ace bandage. And dogs can more easily get tangled up in t-shirts. 

4. And we think a Thundershirt looks better too! But of course, you can judge that for yourself…