Thundershirt

[Janiece Young]

Over Thanksgiving while visiting family in Dallas I adopted a puppy from a shelter.  The shelter people had named my dog Jumbles because he was very hyper.  I hesitated to adopt him because he was so hyper but I went ahead and took him home.

On the way home from the shelter we stopped at a store and got a Thundershirt and put it on him in the store.  There was an immediate calming effect from the Thundershirt.  I kept the Thundershirt on my dog for a few weeks.

I renamed my dog Buddy because he is my little Buddy.  He's the sweetest dog ever and very smart.  I am posting this because I always wonder if some of those TV commercials are true and the Thundershirt really helped Buddy settle in.  He had been through a lot being in a shelter for such a long time with lots of barking dogs.  Now he has a calm home.  His only problems, two cats.  Oh, well, nothing's perfect.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I've never heard of the Thundershirt.  What's that all about, Janiece?  Is it the small that calms them?  How did you know to get the Thundershirt for Buddy in the first place?  Very interesting.

Just think how many dogs that get taken back to the shelters because they are too hyper and then get put to sleep.  They maybe could have been saved.  Good to know there is a product like that out in the market to potentially save our furry friends.

[Janiece Young]

Kelli, I should have posted a picture of the Thundershirt.  I assumed everyone had seen the commercial.  It helps with anxiety.

Here's a picture.

There's videos on the web showing dogs before Thundershirt and after Thundershirt.

My sister suggested getting him a Thundershirt.

I'm so glad we did.  I'm sure it really helped calm him down.  It made the transition easier for him and us.

I put him in a crate and drove back to Kansas City from Dallas with him in the car and he did just great.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I wonder what's the calming effect.  Do you know what about the shirt calms them?  Never, ever heard of it.  My dogs are 12 and calm FINALLY after all these years, but I would have loved that when they were younger.

[Janiece Young]

Kelli, something about the fact that they are wrapped up fairly tight is comforting to them.  I'm not sure if they know exactly how it works but it was amazing how it worked on my dog.  It was really instant.

The lady at the shop helped us put it on Buddy and she had sold them to people before but she had never seen one put on a dog.  Honestly, none of us could believe our eyes.  He was like a different dog after we put it on.

Now, don't get me wrong, Buddy was still hyper but he was definitely calmer.

[Deborah M.]

I think it's the same theory as swaddling a baby.  You swaddle them tightly, like a burrito, and they feel like they're in the womb and relax.  Works on almost all infants.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I think I'll probably at this stage of my life have more opportunity to use the Thundershirt than swaddle a baby, that's for sure.