Would a thunder shirt help Buddy?

[Dogdragoness]

How should I use it, I have read that they shouldn't wear them all the time but he is only skiddish when it's thundering & only if it's really loud & close, if it's distant he doesn't pay much attention to it, so... Should I only put it on him when I see he's getting skiddish from thunder? He is quite happy-go-lucky without a care in the world as long as its not thundering.

[PWCorgi]

I would put it on when a storm is supposed to be coming.

No, they are not supposed to wear them all the time, or the dog can get worse just by not having it on (happened to Frodo). But he will still wear it for 10 hours a day on the days that I have I work an odd shift, and a friend's dog wears hers if a storm is supposed to be coming and she has to go to work. It's just not good to have the dog wear it 24/7.

[shazbot]

I use one for my girl who freaks during storms or vet visits. It's worked wonders for her. We put it on when we know a storm is about to roll through and right before we're headed to the vet. I've used it when there wasn't anything going on so she associates it with something good. She's worn it through the night with no problems.

[Doberluv]

I've heard good things about them. I'm thinking of getting one for Chulita. In her old age, she's gotten so much more fearful of storms and firecrackers. She never use to be this nervous. I think it makes sense to not wear it all the time. Yeah, if it feels weird to them at first, it would be a good idea to associate it with good things like tasty treats and then take it off, then on again a while later....kind of condition them to it first. Well, give it a try and let us know how it works out.

[PWCorgi]

I thought for sure I would have to condition it with Frodo but NOPE! Within ten minutes of putting it on he went from reactive mess to asleep on the couch. I had to hand deliver his food dish that first night, LMAO, I think it was just such a relief for him.

[shazbot]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

I thought for sure I would have to condition it with Frodo but NOPE! Within ten minutes of putting it on he went from reactive mess to asleep on the couch. I had to hand deliver his food dish that first night, LMAO, I think it was just such a relief for him.

This. I was really surprised at how well it worked.

The only reason I condition her to it is because I don't want her to associate it with thunder storms and the vet.

[monkeys23]

It only took a few minutes to get Scout used to/into it... buuuut as far as I can tell it doesn't do a darn thing for her. We've tried it two or three times (usually in a week long stretch). So yeah.