Thundershirts - any good for fear aggression?

[futuramafan]

Hi everyone

Yes still having problems with Molly. She still won't stop lunging and barking at other dogs and it is driving us crazy. We are currently on a break in norfolk and there are dogs everywhere so as you can imagine it is a bit stressful. I have recently contacted another behaviourist and he suggested a thundershirt. He will also be working one to one with Molly but just wondering if anyone has tried a thundershirt? She is currently also injured and wearing a cone and so as you can imagine she is very miserable indeed!!

Jane

[ginge]

I would recommend them, I volunteer with grwe, and have seen them used on a variety of dogs. Have a look a the info on the website www.thundershirt.com/




Joy
X

[Deleted]

They can certainly help. For a quick fix while you're on holiday, try popping a child's tee shirt on her (cheapo from Primark or somewhere) - needs to be a snug fit to sort of 'hug' her - it does help for some dogs but may depend on how stressed she is.

Hope she can relax enough to enjoy the break with you.

[emmajane]

They are brilliant a part of a multi pronged package to help reduce stress. I was also going to suggest trying a small tight fitting t-shirt first, it works best if you let her wear it for short periods of time when she is relaxed before you extend the time she wears it, and then start letting her wear it when her stress levels start to rise.

I've been playing about with Seamus wearing one (he is also fear aggressive) and I think the combination of scullcap & valerian, thundershirt, BAT, T-touch and general keeping-stress-to-a-minimum tactics (like only taking him for a short spin round the block on a very familiar route if he is having a worried day) have been working very well.

The biggest help though is allowing him to watch whatever he is scared of (in Shay's case strange dogs) from a distance he is very comfortable with - I work very hard to try and make sure we stay far enough away from other dogs so he doesn't get panicky - if needs be now I can distract him if a dog is too close but that has taken loads of work to get to this point and tbh my first plan of action is always to get him away. The other thing that has worked really well is letting him get enough hard running exercise - I think without being able to run out the adrenaline it hangs around in his system so that the next day we see a dog and he will already be on a higher arousal level than normal and therefore his coping distance is increased massively. Not easy with dogs that aren't safe to let off lead in public, but there are ways round it.

Last point is to be very aware of "trigger stacking" ie if it is strange dogs that set her off (the trigger) then if she sees one in the distance then her stress levels will rise a little but she can still cope with it, then she hears a dog out of sight barking which she would normally be able to cope with fine BUT combined with the stress of the dog in the distance it pushes her stress levels higher so she is now right on the point of reacting. Then another dog enters the field but very far away (again she would normally cope ok with this sort of distance) but because her stress level is already high this sends her over the edge.....BAM you have a screaming lunatic on the end of a lead.

I might be telling you things you already know but this topic comes up so often on here I thought I'd add my 2 pence worth.

BTW if anyone is in the NW and fancies meeting up to do some BAT setups and/or a chat about coping strategies for reactive dogs I'm always up for it. I find it very helpful to speak to people going through the same thing as me - keeps me off the gin for a bit LOL

[futuramafan]

Thanks for the advice. Tried thundershirt this morning and no difference at all. Barking and lunging at every dog we saw. I have tried one behaviourist who was lovely but talked at me for three hours and based everything on rewards which I am sure works for most but Molly is so hyped up when she is out that she will never take a treat even if there is no stimulus nearby. I am now trying another chap who seemed on the phone very in tune with my problems with Molly. He will also go out with Molly and uses his own dog for confidence building so I am a bit hopeful! I really hope this works as her behaviour does get me down and I can't let the children walk her as she is so strong when she kicks off.

Jane

[jodav]

Hi Jane

I really hope that your new behaviourist can help you. In all honesty, it's not easy when your dog is reactive out on a walk and I do sympathise when you say her behaviour gets you down as Molly is so strong and walks can be stressful. A harness may be something to consider to give you extra confidence when she pulls. Emmajane gives good advice - a multipronged approach is probably the best way to proceed, unfortunately there isn't one easy solution like the thundershirt alone. Rest assured, lots of us are wrestling with the same concern. Personally I have found that the very first thing you need to do is build a meaningful relationship with your dog and read their body language, TTouch helps with this. Believe me they will let you know when they feel uncomfortable with the approach of another dog. 'Understanding the Silent Communication of Dogs' Rosie Lowry and other reading can help. Teach a reliable check-in command 'watch me' or whatever you prefer to encourage her to look at you during a walk. Good luck and please let us know how you are getting on.

Jo x

[julies]

Hi Jane

Like has been said the combination of the Thundershirt/teeshirt/body wrap plus the TTouches from TTouch Tellington Training can be magical .. plus a harness and a double ended lead to take the pressure off the head and neck I work with a lot of fear aggressive dogs and use this mix tho of course different things suit different dogs - for me I love being able to use the TTouches to calm and relax the dog when I find its 'critical distance' so it becomes able to think rather than just react as it watches what was very scarey Have a look at the TTouch Head Offcie at Tilley Farm (just google Tilley farm) and there's a list of national Practitioners and details of Workshops they hold so you could go along with your dog and learn TTouches and the Groundwork

Best wishes

Julie