I know. I don’t do product reviews very often. And I’m not going to start doing them all the time. ButI really wanted to let you guys know about this one, especially on the 4th of July when fireworks are booming.
It’s called a Thundershirt and it’s almost magic. (Yes, that’s an Amazon affiliate link, but as seen below, I really, really love this product)
This is Archie.
(I know. He’s really cute. And looks terrified here for some reason. I swear we were going to the dog park.)
And this is Archibald during an event like a thunderstorm, fireworks, etc.
He is TERRIFIED of loud noises, big vehicles (buses, trucks, etc), and generally anything that he’s not expecting. Thunderstorms are a nightmare for all of us, and this week of the year when there are fireworks going off every night, he’s a basket case.
The Thundershirt is such a huge help. It doesn’t fix everything; he’s not calm and cool during events, but he goes from a shaking, panting mess that I can’t put down to something closer to this:
He’s wearing the Thundershirt, and he’s not very far away from me, but he can relax a little bit, he can be somewhere other than in my arms, and he shakes a lot less than he does without the Thundershirt.
How exactly does it work? It works on the same theory as swaddling an infant. It applies constant pressure to the dog, which makes them feel comforted. Apparently, constant pressure is a technique that’s been used to relieve anxiety for years. (Side note – I have no idea if this will help with my own anxiety, but I’m willing to try a Thundershirt in my size.)
I needed the diagram that came with it to put it on the first time, but I’ve gotten better at it, and it’s not that difficult now. It’s all fastened by velcro, and you just have to be sure to get it on there really tightly. Tighter than you think you need to. Once it’s on there snugly, you’re all set, and Archie seems to like it. My friend Stacie has 4 dogs and at least one of them needs the Thundershirt for anxiety, too, and her dog also appears to be comforted by it. To be honest, when Archie starts getting scared, he runs up to me and stares at me until I put it on him.
I can’t recommend the Thundershirt enough. If you have a dog who has any kinds of anxiety at all, you would be doing both of you a favor to get this shirt.
