It‘s a Thanksgiving tradition. Ira and I fly to Oakland and JoAnn, our good friend, picks us up and away we go to Gualala, a marvelously
Sam and Penny Lane in her Thundershirt
funky little town situated on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean about 100 miles north of San Francisco. This year Sam, JoAnn’s daughter, joined us with her dog, Penny Lane.
Penny Lane is an anxious little Pekinese and Beagle mix. Riding in the car sends her into paroxysms of panting and pacing. So I was delighted when Gigi, our wonderful trainer, lent a Thundershirt to me to try on Penny Lane. Maybe being all wrapped up would ease Penny’s suffering and help her to travel more comfortably.
At Gigi’s urging, we once used a makeshift anxiety wrap on Sadie that we fashioned out of a long stretchy scarf. For reasons I didn’t understand at first, Sadie began to cower with every step. The bright pink wrap seemed to help put a spring back in her stride. But, then we also had finally found and dislodged a goat’s head thorn that had burrowed deep between the pads of her paw. So, I was left wondering about the legendary benefits of anxiety wraps.
With Penny all dressed up in her Tundershirt I asked Sam if Penny was behaving any differently. She still looked on edge to me all curled up at JoAnn’s feet in the front passenger seat.”Yes!” Sam answered. “She’s not panting, jumping around, and shaking. She’s definitely calmer.”
I was thrilled for Penny Lane. Being tormented by fear and anxiety is horrible for any living creature. To experience some relief is sublime.
Why does gentle pressure on the body help us and our dogs to feel calm? Good question. According to the Thundershirt site, 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:
- T-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.
So now Penny Lane proudly sports her new fashion statement and Sam enjoys a calmer dog on those long drives up and down the incomparably stunning coastline of northern California.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your canine loved ones!
Hi, I’m glad you wrote about the Thundershirt! I’ve been putting tight T-shirts and anxiety wraps on my dogs (although one chewed through hers) for years–they help in many situations. I bought a Thundershirt at Nicole Wilde’s presentation in Boulder, but alas, it’s too small. Yet it’s sturdy enough to withstand chewing, and so easy to put on! Really does help calm fearful dogs. I also noticed that the anxiety wrap helped Frisbee deal with other dogs better. He just lies down and ignores them instead of lashing out, his usual MOO.
Thanks so much or sharing your story. I do believe I’m becoming a believer in anxiety wraps. The concept behind them certainly makes sense.
Happy T-Day!
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Penny Lane is just too cute in her thunder shirt and her name has got me singing Beatles songs. I must be getting into holiday mode! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Deborah, with Penny et al.
Hey Edie, thanks! Happy T-day to you and Frankie too.
I’m so glad you wrote about the Thunder shirt and that it worked for your dog to the extent that it did. I love Temple’s writings. Her research on the effects of gentle pressure was revolutionary.
Crystal Saling, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP
Y’know the other time we experience a feeling of tight compression on our bodies is in the womb. (?)
I’ve been so curious about the Thundershirt ever since I first read about it. My dog can suffer from separation anxiety if we leave her alone at a time that is not part of her usual routine. She is fine during the week when we’re at work but any other time can cause her some stress. I wonder if this idea would help with that as we’ve tried everything else. She can’t be happy this way.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear this method has helped Penny Lane live a more relaxed life.
The Thundershirt has been a blessing for me and my Daisy. She is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks, but if I put on her Thundershirt she goes and falls asleep in her kennel. I love it!!!
Glad it helped Penny Lane (love the name BTW). 🙂
The Thundershirt is a great item, isn’t it? Good to hear it helped Penny Lane (and the eponymous song is now stuck in my head) with her fear of driving in the car, too! Funny you mention the beauty of the CA coastline – just watching Nat Geo’s Big Sur:)) Stunning!
Good to know! I’ve been wondering about these shirts and thought I might try one for Buster to help him relax in the car.
Hi Amy
I’m not one to believe in miracles—but—-and I say this cautiously—-The Thundershirt seemed to really help Sadie too! I’m going to write a post about it. It was sorta like a miracle.
You know, I think it’s funny how amazed we are at how well this works! I got one for my reactive girl and I, too, was pleasantly surprised.
It sounded like hocus-pocus but then when I sit and think about it, I realize, hmmm…”applying pressure” = HUGS! When I get a (welcomed) hug after or during a stressful event, it is extremely stress-relieving!
While I am certainly NOT suggesting that a hug would remedy a dog’s anxiety, I think it’s interesting that we humans may very well feel the same effects from a warm hug 🙂