Dogs

Thunderstorm Season in Florida: Time for ThunderShirt

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Florida's thunderstorms, however, are sneaky. They're scattered; they're spotty; they're not terribly predictable. And Florida's dogs, by and large, have a terrible fear of thunder, lightening and fireworks.

Our little Oliver, a 10 lb. Papillon is fortunate to have only a mild version of this phobia. His dear departed Xena, a Retriever mix, would head for the highest table she could get onto whenever the noise started. We suspect she felt the vibrations in the ground. But no matter what your dog's particular reaction, we have found a healthy, non-toxic way to reduce the fearful reaction with Oliver. We'll share it here today.

The Thundershirt works much like swaddling a baby. For those of you not familiar with this term, it's similar to a snug wrap that, by nature of its tight fit, has a calming effect thereby allowing the dog to relax a bit.

The day may start sunny and pleasant, but as mid-afternoon arrives, Oliver seems to know that the storms will also. He hangs closer to me, checks the windows often, and will begin to snuggle up just about the time the sun disappears or the wind kicks up. That's my signal to put on his shirt.

There's just one thing he always does first. He checks on Tanner. It's sort of cute, this brotherly love business. Oliver watches through the door as Tanner swims, even as I've already put his Thundershirt on in preparation for the coming storm.

As Tanner finishes his swim, Oliver heads outside to gather his brother into the house. He barks at Tanner in the pool as if to say "Get out you nut! It's going to storm."

Back in the house, Oliver finds solace in a bed near my desk, and as the thunder begins and rain pours down, I can't help but notice that there is a subtle shift in his behavior. When he used to hop onto my lap and shake, he now will lay up to 10 feet away from me, rarely raising his head to acknowledge more than the loudest of bolts.

It has become clear that Thundershirt's effect is successfully helping Oliver to calm himself. He's more of a 'take charge' guy now, even while wearing the outfit that my family sometimes teases (lovingly, of course) about.

Oliver's Thundershirt is the classic, original heather gray model. Now the company has gathered their fashion sense and decided to begin offering the shirt in cute styles for the more fashion savvy.

Whatever your style or size, Thundershirt works. It's not a night and day difference, but it does have an affect on Oliver's behavior. No more lap snuggles during storms. Like right now; he's napping peacefully in his bed during a loud and long thunderstorm. Can you hear him snoring?

Okay, so let's see if there are some other pups out there who need a Thundershirt. I've got a mission to give away 3 of these soothing, classic gray Thundershirts to help your pooch wear a happier demeanor during rainy season.

PLEASE NOTE One Change:
A quick note to those of you who enjoy entering photos. In the wake of higher volume pictures, I'm asking you to post your own photos to Thundershirt's Facebook page, thereby allowing them to leave YOU their comments. You can do the same at my page if you wish, so my comments to you will appear in your own FB stream. Email photos will continue to be accepted if you are not a Facebook user or if you'd like a chance at seeing your photo featured on the blog. Send them to [email protected]. Here's more on how to enter our giveaway:

Entries all come back to comments. No matter what the form of entry, you must still leave a comment here to register that entry for the drawing.
Tell us about your dog's anxieties--storms? separation? travel? crating? barking? Thundershirt has been shown to help many types of anxious behavior.
"Like" All Things Dog Blog and Thundershirt on Facebook. Be sure to leave a comment and tell them All Things Dog Blog sent you! Leave a comment telling me you've "Liked" us.
For 4 entries to this drawing, print a photo of your dog, or a photo from this post. Add some words like "I Like Thundershirt and All Things Dog Blog" or "Thank You Thundershirt and All Things Dog Blog" to the sign and post it at both of our Facebook pages. Don't forget to tell us your dog's name, and follow up with a comment here to register your entry.
Subscribing to All Things Dog Blog gets you another entry, whether by email or RSS. Leave a comment telling me you're a subscriber.
Follow @AllThingsDog and @Thundershirt on Twitter. Be sure to comment about this!
Tweet this great giveaway: "Thanks @AllThingsDog 4 hooking us up to your @Thundershirt Giveaway", and don't forget to comment that you've completed this entry.
Hit the Tweet/Retweet button at the top of this post for another entry.
Surprise: You can even watch a YouTube video about Thundershirt and comment there, as long as you let me know here.
Want to know more? Visit the Training Center or the How it Works page.

Are you considering ordering your own Thundershirt? Keep in mind that they offer a 45 day money back guarantee if the product does not help your dog. What have you got to lose?

You can order through their website or many other online locations such as Amazon. You'll also find Thundershirt at many stores like Pet Supermarket; that's how popular this great product has become, with its veterinarian backing and tons of testimonials. Oliver adds himself to that list!

Entries may be made once daily for each method. Entries close at 5 PM, Thursday, July 28, 2011. Winners will be selected by Random.org. The winners will be announced on Friday afternoon, July 29th. A method of contact is required to win: Twitter handle, email, blog URL.

Good luck to everyone who enters. Be sure to check back on Friday afternoon, July 29th, to see who the winners are. Happy tails!

Full disclaimer: Thundershirt provided their product for Oliver to try and us to review on All Things Dog Blog. We have not been paid to give our opinion and the experiences we shared are true and actual.

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