ThunderShirt for Dogs, Large, Heather Gray Classic - Dog Anxiety Relief Calming Vest

I have a German Shepherd that would bark as soon as she heard a small crack of thunder. She would pace nervously and bark aggressively in the air. The first night she wore the shirt, she was calm and no barking! I highly recommend this item. This picture was taken during a severe thunderstorm.It is breathable material so she doesn't get overheated.Great value for the money!

Great item. We have lots of dogs. 2 really suffer from anxiety. The one ☝🏻 I believe his his anxiety is to severe. He is bothered by everything!! The other dog is loving 🥰 the jacket. She suffered from separation anxiety and doesn’t like thunderstorms 🌩️. She has always shivered. We put this on between storms and her shivering 🥶 has subsided. She is running around wagging her tail instead of hiding herself from weather. So we take it as a WIN!!!🏆

OK - currently I'm rating this 4 stars, but I may come back and change this depending on how things continue to go.For some background - I have a chihuahua mix who is deeply attached to me. He has issues with separation anxiety and a hyper-aggressiveness toward other dogs, particularly large dogs. If he so much as sees a dog or anything else that may be threatening (a person walking by or a noise downstairs) he will start barking as ferociously as a chihuahua can bark. It's problematic for me because he is an agility dog and I have to constantly be aware that he may try to attack the dogs near me at any moment he feels like they're encroaching on his territory (namely, me). I've done obedience training with him since he was 10 weeks old and he's a SUPER well behaved dog aside from these issues.After researching online, I came to realize that he may be suffering from some form of anxiety, which is causing him to act out because he feels threatened. Thus, I came upon the Thundershirt.I'm really not the type of person to purchase items that seem gimmicky, and admittedly, this shirt screams gimmick. However, with nearly 600 reviews on Amazon and a 4.5 star rating, I had to try it. Anything is worth trying if it will remedy a big issue in my dog's life. I don't want him to feel like he has to protect me all the time as that causes undue stress.So, after receiving the shirt, I opened the box and was greeted with a very cute plastic packaging for the shirt. Almost like a manilla envelope except see-through. The shirt was very well made and soft to the touch..but I was more concerned with testing it out rather than inspecting the intricacies of how it was made.I put it on my dog after taking a moment to think about the logic behind the velcro straps and it fit him nice and snug. I ordered an extra small - my dog is about 8 lbs but very lanky and it fit him perfectly. I opted to go with the sizing on the Thundershirt website vs. the Amazon website as I've been burned by Amazon having improper sizing info in the past.I was debating on an XXS vs. a XS.For example - on Amazon an XXS states:Size XXS for dogs less that 12 pounds and with a chese size of 9" - 13.5"Whereas the Thundershirt website states:Size Chest Size WeightXXS 9"-13.5" < 7 lbs.That's a HUGE difference. So I highly recommend using Thundershirt sizing to decide on which is best for your dog.-----------------------------------Here is the complete chart:Size Chest Size WeightXXS 9"-13.5" < 7 lbs.XS 13"-18" 8-14 lbs.S 16"-23" 15-25 lbs.M 18"-26" 26-40 lbs.L 24"-32" 41-64 lbs.XL 31"-40" 65-110 lbs.XXL 38"-50" > 110 lbs.-----------------------------------OK so regarding the efficiency of this shirt.I tested it outdoors with my dog on our front driveway just absorbing the sounds and sights of a normal neighborhood.My dog laid out in the sun and didn't seem reactive to much, whereas he normally would be. A neighbor walked their dog relatively near us, and my dog barked a little but he didn't run after the dog despite not being on a leash. Usually he won't leave my side but it can be unpredictable when it comes to dogs.The next day I took him out again and this time I forgot to put the shirt on. He was more on edge, and when a neighbor brought out their little dog, my dog went crazy and went running up to their dog barking. I grabbed him and took him straight inside.The next day, I tried it with the shirt again. This time children came running by, other dogs, etc. and he didn't move.. he actually just lay on his side and didn't react much. He might give a little bark here and there, but no where near his normal level of intensity.I tried his shirt during his advanced obedience training. He's in a class with all large dogs and the first day (without the shirt)he was shaking and just terrified. He would bark everytime the other dogs seemed to be a safe enough distance away, and wouldn't perform anything in front of the class since he was so scared. (sometimes I think my dog is bipolar). The second day of class (with the shirt) he was way more calm and less scared of the other dogs. We walked by 3 large dogs and he didn't make a peep. He performed in front of the class and was just more mellow overall, although he is still shakey and seems scared.I gave it 4 stars because I DO see improvement in my dog and it has only been about a week or so. However, I feel that although it takes the edge off him, I don't feel like the videos they post showing miraculous changes just by putting on the shirt are accurate. Perhaps there are dogs that this effect will happen, but I would consider it a rarity rather than the norm. I would have preferred more accurate marketing that really stresses the need to do behavioral modification in addition to the shirt. They do mention this, but its very brief compared to the marketing showing it as a miracle shirt.And after reading so many reviews, it seems I'm not alone in this shirt being part of a process rather than a fix.Overall, I recommend it and I'm going to try it with my friend's dog who is VERY hyper and see if it solves any issues with him.EDIT: The shirt worked miraculously on my friend's dog. The dog is high strung, paces, jumps up on people and overall just "starving" for attention. Won't let you pet any other dogs and has to be the center of attention constantly, which wears my friend out.We put the shirt on him and he just calmed down completely to normal dog levels. He lay down, relaxed.. yet, when the other dogs wanted to play, he still had energy to play. I played fetch with my dog in front of him and he just lay down and watched and didn't have the urge to go get the ball himself, which he normally would do.We took the shirt off him to see if maybe he was just in a mellow mood and he immediately got hyper and started pacing everywhere again. She's going to be buying one of these shirts because it made such a big difference in how he behaved.

This is the third ThunderShirt I have purchased over the last four years. None of the dogs I purchased the shirts for was afraid of thunder, but I have found these shirts to have a calming effect for other anxieties.The first ThunderShirt I ever purchased was a size XL for an elderly 84-pound labrador retriever to help her deal with the anxiety she experienced following a stroke. It also seemed to give some relief from the itching caused by her meds. She really liked wearing it, and would have gladly worn it 24/7, but I didn't think that was a good idea. I was concerned she would get chafing or circulation problems from overuse, so she only got to wear it for a few hours a day. Still, I think it was an important part of the various things we did to increase her comfort until she was ready to leave this world. After she crossed over, the shirt was donated to help rescued dogs in foster care, and it was much appreciated by the foster "mom".The second shirt was a size XS that was purchased for a rescued 11-pound rat terrier who has no issues other than sibling rivalry. He wanted to wear a ThunderShirt because his "sister" was wearing one. It also helps give him a little extra warmth in cool weather, which he really appreciates because he chills easily. And he looks really, really handsome wearing it.The third ThunderShirt was a size XXS purchased a month ago for a 5-pound chihuahua puppy I adopted two months ago. She was found abandoned in a storage container with three other dogs. She was rescued by the county animal control department and given veterinary care until she recovered enough to be adopted. She has issues. Many, many issues. She hadn't been socialized at all and was absolutely terrified of people. She hadn't been potty trained. She was not much more than skin and bones -- you could easily see the outline of every rib. She obviously had been badly abused and she has a leg injury that may never heal completely. She didn't know how to walk on a leash and was terrified to try. She shook with fright for fifteen minutes when shelter staff placed her in my arms. She screamed and screamed and screamed in absolute terror when a very gentle friend of mine tried to pet her.After a month of training and socialization, and lots and lots of love, my chihuahua had gained a whole pound, was starting to get the idea about where to go potty and where not to , and had learned how to use a doggie door! But she was still exhibiting a lot of fear and anxiety, so I got her the ThunderShirt. I forgot to go through the recommended training process to introduce her to the ThunderShirt, but thankfully it turned out to be one of the few things that didn't frighten her. She loves it! It doesn't make all her issues go away, but it definitely seems to reduce her anxiety. She doesn't have very thick fur, so she appreciates wearing any shirt, but this is the only one that helps to calm her. She, too, would love to wear it 24/7, but I won't let her. With lots of love and positive reinforcement and her new Thundershirt, she is getting a little braver. She can't tolerate a leash attached to her collar, but she loves to walk in familiar places with her Bright Mesh Heart Printed Dog Cat Pet Vest Harness and Matching Leash Set in Blue for Dogs Cats (Large) . She will cuddle with me for hours, but she cowers if I move suddenly or use a stern voice. She is afraid of anyone new, except delivery people. They might be bringing Dogswell Nutrisca Dog Food, Salmon and Chickpea, 15-Pound Package or GREENIES Dental Dog Treats, Teenie, Original Flavor, 130 Treats, 36 oz. from Amazon! :-)I wouldn't call the ThunderShirt a miracle, but I would call it an excellent tool for helping dogs with anxiety issues. It is effective, and it is well-made with quality materials. The latest version has three new features that were not on my original two ThunderShirts: a patch for using a calming spray, snaps for attaching a jacket, and some reflective trim to make your dog more visible at night. Unfortunately, I can't use the calming spray because I am sensitive to one of the ingredients. I would love to get the snap-on ThunderShirt Outerwear Raincoat, X-Small, but so far have not been able to locate one in size XXS. I do appreciate the reflective trim because it glows in the beam of my flashlight when I take my puppy out after dark.I will continue to use the ThunderShirt to help reduce my puppy's fear and anxiety. I will be using it when I introduce her to new situations, and I will update this review to report on how that goes.The first photo below shows what the ThunderShirts look like from the front, where they can be adjusted with the velcro that is under the front tab. Of course, the photo also showcases how adorable my dogs look in their (almost) matching ThunderShirts!The second photo clearly shows two of the new features on the chihuahua's ThunderShirt, the patch and the reflective trim at the neck. The rat terrier is wearing the older version of the shirt, which he has had for four years now. He even has his name embroidered on it.The third photo was taken with a flash to show the reflective trim doing its job.

It worked for about 10 minutes during a storm, and I was excited that it was calming down my shih tzu. But by 30 minutes during a storm, he was back to frantically climbing up my chest trying to make it to the top of my head. Something he does when he’s scared. Silly, I know. He also was back to pacing and jumping in and off the couch. I had hopes at first, but the “effect” quickly wore off.SIZING—-also I should mention if it did work, I would have tried a different size. I ordered the XS because he’s 12.3 lbs. but it barely fit. The Velcro was attached at the loosest spot. I didn’t want to order the S because the lbs minimum was 15lbs but shih tzus do tend to have barrel chests, so that might have fit better.I still don’t think it would have worked any better though, as it was wrapped appropriately for the 30 minutes he wore it.