For Cooper's 5th birthday he got a 'Thunder Shirt'. This shirt was designed to calm nervous reactions in dogs. I know most people think Cooper is the most well adjusted dog around but it's not true. He is a VERY nervous boy in the car. Unfortunately I kind of traumatized him when he was little by leaving him in the car alone when I brought Andy shopping in Wal*Mart. This resulted in Cooper becoming a very nervous car passenger almost right away. The damage was done before I realized what I was doing to him. I really think I need the Dog Whisper's help, but since that probably won't happen, I just did my best in dealing with it while trying not to make him worse.
A couple of months ago I heard about this shirt that puts pressure on the dog's torso. I know this to work well with people with Autism, so I understand the concept. I tried my own little experiment in the car and it seemed to help a little, so I decided I would get one of the shirts for Cooper.
I looked at the local pet store where I get Cooper's food. They carried them but were out of his size so I ordered one for him. When I got the call that Cooper's shirt came in, I stopped on the way to Andy's to pick it up. I put the shirt on him before we left the parking lot. There was an immediate improvement, though not drastic. Each time I use it now he becomes calmer more quickly than the time before. He actually will lay down on the seat now when he would NEVER do that before. So far I recommend this shirt for dogs with nervous habits. Take a look at the web site. It shows video of other dogs who have also benefitted from this shirt.
Aw, sweet boy. . .!
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