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Thundershirt - how/when to use them?

  • 11-12-2020 2:59pm
    #1
    volchitsa
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,760 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    We have a pretty confident dog, but with a few things she hates, most noticeably being left in any sort of kennels, which is understandable TBF.

    So we need to take the boat to go home to Ireland for Christmas (complicated enough with Covid, but absolutely necessary at this stage) and I'm wondering if we should buy her one of these thundershirts, and if so what's the best way to use it - should we get her used to wearing it beforehand, when she's not stressed, like in the house, say, or should we put it on in the car when we start the journey, or whatever?

    She's normally perfectly happy in the car when we go anywhere, so we decided not to leave her in the ferry's kennels any more. Last time we left her in the car - but she doesn't normally spend a night on her own in the car, and it seems like the movement of the boat makes it more frightening than usual to her. Better than the kennels, where she cried her heart out so much that the kids sneaked her up to our cabin, but when we left her in the car overnight she didn't really eat or drink for a day or more after the trip, so it obviously wasn't like a normal car journey to her.

    I'd just like to make it less traumatic for her if I can, which is why I'm wondering about the thundershirt option.

    Thanks for any tips. Other suggestions welcome too of course.

    Reem Alsalem UNSR Violence Against Women and Girls: "Very concerned about statements by the IOC at Paris2024 (M)ultiple international treaties and national constitutions specifically refer to women & their fundamental rights, so the world (understands) what women -and men- are. (H)ow can one assess fairness and justice if we do not know who we are being fair and just to?"



Comments

  • #2
    aonb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    No experience of Thunder Shirts, but have travelled on ferrys with dogs. If you are going to leave her in the car for the crossing, would you give her a calmer of some sort? How long is the ferry crossing? When we took our stressy/anxious dog last time, we brought an old duvet that we had used on our bed before the crossing, and made a really nice nest for him in one of those sling things between the seats. Gave him a calmer (which NB! we tested on him at home - another calmer we didnt test on another trip made him NUTTY!) Luckily the crossings were calm - hopefully you will have an easy crossing too - good luck


  • #3
    zedhead
    Registered Users Posts: 603 ✭✭✭zedhead


    We use one for our guy to help with his separation anxiety. He used to bark non stop whenever we left and would ignore any kong/treats we left him. Like he would bark for the whole time we were gone, once for almost 3 hours. We had to stop leaving him for more than 15-30 minutes...just stopped going out together which obviously covis helped.

    Now we put the thundershirt on and he is mostly grand. We have cameras to monitor him and there had only been one time since we started using it that he's barked for any considerable amount of time and that was only 20 minutes. He'll eat his treats and go to bed until we get home and is happy out.


  • #4
    volchitsa
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,760 ✭✭✭volchitsa


    Thanks for that. It's an overnight crossing. Good idea to put something of ours that she can sleep on in the car. I always just assumed that she could smell all our stuff around her in the car anyway, ans we took her cushion out of her basket and put it in the car (it's a people carrier so it's where she travels anyway). I hadn't thought of a calmer as I'm generally not that keen on giving medication if she's not ill, but yes maybe it woudl be worth it for the journey. What was good (and which was the one that sent him a bit mad?)

    For the thundershirt, @zedhead, do you out it on just before you're going or does she sometimes wear it when you're there too?

    Reem Alsalem UNSR Violence Against Women and Girls: "Very concerned about statements by the IOC at Paris2024 (M)ultiple international treaties and national constitutions specifically refer to women & their fundamental rights, so the world (understands) what women -and men- are. (H)ow can one assess fairness and justice if we do not know who we are being fair and just to?"



  • #5
    zedhead
    Registered Users Posts: 603 ✭✭✭zedhead


    volchitsa wrote: »
    Thanks for that. It's an overnight crossing. Good idea to put something of ours that she can sleep on in the car. I always just assumed that she could smell all our stuff around her in the car anyway, ans we took her cushion out of her basket and put it in the car (it's a people carrier so it's where she travels anyway). I hadn't thought of a calmer as I'm generally not that keen on giving medication if she's not ill, but yes maybe it woudl be worth it for the journey. What was good (and which was the one that sent him a bit mad?)

    For the thundershirt, @zedhead, do you out it on just before you're going or does she sometimes wear it when you're there too?


    We did a bit of desensitising when we got it and put it in him when we were there and gave him nice treats. Wanted to make sure he was comfortable. But now its just when we go out.


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