How It works

Thundershirt’ 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.

Based on surveys completed by over two thousand customers, over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using Thundershirt.

Thundershirt is already helping tens of thousands of dogs around the world, and is recommended by thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers.

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. Thundershirt is changing that! Thousands of veterinarians and dog trainers now recommend Thundershirts for their anxiety cases.

How To Use Thundershirt

Thundershirt is an excellent treatment for most types of dog anxiety and fear issues. For many anxieties, we recommend just putting on a Thundershirt and observing the results (No training!). You very well may see significant improvement for noise, crate, travel, barking and others with absolutely no training. For more complicated anxiety cases, we recommend using Thundershirt as part of a behavior modification program.

One thing is for certain, for a very large percentage of dogs, Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a terrific calming effect. This has obvious benefits for most types of anxiety. But Thundershirt is also a very useful tool for managing excitability or hyperactivity with strangers, on the leash, or in a training environment. Thundershirt’s calming effect helps a dog to focus (or refocus) her energies in a more constructive direction, allowing training to be more effective.

What Size?

Thundershirt comes in seven different sizes… XXL, XL, L, M, S, XS, and XXS. See the table to find the right size for your dog. Like people, dogs come in many different shapes and sizes, so if your dog has unusual proportions, you may need to go up or down a size versus the “standard” measurements. But the Thundershirt is designed to be very adjustable to accommodate different dog shapes and still be easy to put on.

Introducing Thundershirt to Your Dog, and How to Put It On

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4
Place the Thundershirt on your dog’s back and wrap the Short Flap under the torso.	Wrap the Long Flap under the torso and secure with Velcro onto the short flap. Make a comfortable, but snug, fit. You should be able to easily slide your fingers between the Thundershirt and your dog’s torso.	Wrap the Top Flap down onto the Long Flap and secure with Velcro. Adjust to improve the snug fit and keep Thundershirt securely in place.	Wrap the Chest Straps around the front of the dog and secure with Velcro. You should be able to easily slide your fingers under the Chest Straps and should not feel restricting around your dog’s neck.

Use

Noise Anxiety

Whether for thunder, fireworks, or any other sound, Thundershirt can help your dog’s noise anxiety. And no training is required! For noise anxiety, just put on Thundershirt and observe the results. Over 85% of Thundershirt users see significant improvement in noise anxiety symptoms. Most dogs respond with the very first usage; some need 2-3 usages before showing significant improvement. If you are aware of a noise trigger coming (e.g. thunderstorm on its way), put your Thundershirt on your dog prior to your dog becoming anxious. But… it is fine to put Thundershirt on AFTER your dog has become anxious; you will still see good results. In most cases, it is fine to leave your dog in her Thundershirt for extended periods of time. Many Thundershirt dog owners will put their dogs in their Thundershirts prior to going to work if a storm is forecasted during the day.

Travel Anxiety

Depending on the severity of your dog’s travel anxiety, a Thundershirt alone may be enough to solve your issues. The use of Thundershirt alone has eliminated or significantly reduced symptoms such as severe shaking, panting, excitability, barking and even vomiting. But there are also easy steps you can take to further help your dog to be a happy traveler. See below for a training program and training video. We have also provided answers to a variety of common questions for travel anxiety.

Problem Barking

Thundershirt is the simplest solution for fixing excessive barking. Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a tremendous calming effect, and this calming effect may be all you need to eliminate the problem barking. Or if necessary for your dog’s particular issue, Thundershirt can be an important part of a simple training program. See below for more information. But please don’t shock or spray your dog for problem barking… in most cases that will only bring about bigger problems!!!

Testimonials

“In my experience as a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and dog owner, the Thundershirt can dramatically relieve a dog’s anxieties associated with thunderstorms, fireworks, travel, etc. The even, gentle pressure of the Thundershirt can refocus the dog to a more relaxed, calmer state. Using Thundershirt to relieve the symptoms of anxiety is a good alternative to medications and at £28, it’s a terrific value.”

“ Pressure wraps are an effective, non-invasive way to help dogs to feel more at ease. I like the Thundershirt especially because of its soft material, easy-to-apply Velcro closures, and low cost. I recommend this product to my training clients for thunderstorm phobias, nail trims, and a variety of other fears such as sounds, riding in the car, and generalized fear of walking outdoors. I wish the Thundershirt had been around when my thunder-phobic German Shepherd was alive. I’m glad dogs everywhere can now reap its benefits.“