FAQS
How tight is “too tight”?
Thundershirt should only have comfortable pressure on your dog. How do you judge “comfortable”? You should be able to easily slip you fingers under the Thundershirt. For the next straps, they should only be gently stretched… no pressure is needed around the front chest area; the benefit from Thundershirt comes from the pressure around the torso behind the front legs. When securing the torso straps, you should be stretching the fabric, but it does not require any strenuous force.
Can I wash and dry Thundershirt?
Thundershirt is made out of durable, washable fabric. When necessary, Thundershirt may be washed in a regular cycle using regular laundry detergent and warm water. Hang to dry.
How long can my dog wear Thundershirt?
Thundershirt is comfortable and safe to wear for extended periods without owner supervision.
Is Thundershirt a good solution if my dog is deaf or blind?
In many cases, yes! Deafness or blindness can cause some dogs to become “problem barkers”. They may be barking due to fear, boredom, loneliness or some other issue. But we have seen terrific results with Thundershirt for these cases.
Will my dog eventually no longer need Thundershirt for problem barking?
That’s very possible. As your dog learns to react to what stimulates his or her “problem barking” in a different manner through the use of Thundershirt and any training you undertake, she may no longer need Thundershirt’s help to calm down. Over time, your dog may be able to be a welcome and quieter member of the family all on her own!
With its patent-pending design, Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited. It is this pressure that has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited. From real world experience, we know with certainty that Thundershirt DOES WORK. That is why we are able to offer a money-back guarantee. Based on surveys completed by over 1,000 Thundershirt users, over 85% of dogs show significant improvement in anxiety symptoms when using Thundershirt.
As for WHY Thundershirt’s gentle pressure works to calm a dog, experts such as Dr. Temple Grandin believe that pressure has a calming effect on the nervous system. Using pressure to relieve anxiety has been a common practice for years.
For example:
- Touch dog trainers use pressure to address a wide variety of anxieties.
- Veterinarians use pressure to relax cattle when they are administering vaccinations.
- People with autism use pressure to relieve their persistent anxiety.
- Children with certain behavioral problems use pressure shirts and weighted vests to relax and focus.
- Parents use swaddling to calm an inconsolable newborn infant.
- Until now, there just hasn’t been a well-designed, inexpensive pressure wrap commonly used for dog anxiety.
2011 Dog Anxiety Survey:
Here are the results of the 2011 Thundershirt Dog Anxiety Survey.
A few highlights:
Over 23 million dogs in the U.S. are suffering from anxiety or fear issues.
Dog owners are spending over $1 billion each year coping with anxiety and fear issues. They are spending over $240 million per year on damaged property alone!
Thundershirt was reported to provide significant improvement for symptoms for over 82% of dogs that have used Thundershirts.