So we're in the last leg of the big move, my housemate and I currently sterilizing the apartment (we have to be out by the time the office opens tommorrow). Ryuk is watching his puppyhood home disappear around him. He's actually been quite good, curious and a bit confused...but otherwise okay. He had a little trouble with my clearing out the bedroom though, the place were his crate has been for 2 years (keep in mind he's a little under 2.5 years old and I got him at 5 months) got vaccumed, pet freshed, resolved, scrubbed, the radiator near it cleared of all pet hair, wall washed, etc. That combined with no more crate, or bed over it (his crate was under my bed) made him a little uneasy. He wouldn't budge from the spot....he hasn't slept since we started the final purge, just sort of lurked and packed up toys (it's traditional that when I'm leaving for a convention that he's coming to I let him pack his toys and supplies in his bag....figured maybe it would help him realize he's coming with me....not sure if it works but it seemed to help a bit)

I had an extra ace bandage and remember reading something about wraps so I gave it a try....he's dead asleep in a ball, much more relaxed after I put it on....

Anyone else use these? I see there are many different styles of them. Have they worked for you? Is this "working" or maybe he just finally got tired and conked out with perfect timing....

I have heard of the Thunder Vest or whatever it is called designed for dogs who don't like storms. It doesn't work on every dog, but I have heard enough positive reviews on it for me to believe that the compression does do something to calm some dogs.

When researching the vest I know the company itself stated they had no science behind why it worked, but just results showing that it does work for a lot of dogs.

I am considering trying something like that for my beagle.

I have a girlfriend into the T-touch. Had her show me the proper way to do a wrap and practiced on Vince one night. He’d just been exercised and wasn’t the slightest bit anxious but he’s a sharp boy, always on edge. He actually curled up at the end of the hallway and closed his eyes.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There must be some truth to it or he was just extremely tired, but I doubt it.

I tend to think there's something to it also. (i.e. Temple Grandin's "Squeeze Machine.")

I know that when wearing a backpack or a cooling vest (both of which provide some sensation of compression around the chest) my dogs will seem calmer and more focused. Fanny actually goes to sleep every night under my pillow with the weight of my head on her. We call it "getting in the squeeze machine."

Even with my baby chicks--when they were hand-held size--would calm down if they were held tightly with both hands gently compressing their bodies. If you picked one up loosely with one hand, they'd flap and protest.

I think with many animals there's just a hard-wired pleasure response to being hugged.

Do you ladies know of somewhere that I can see exactly how to do the wrap?

The fireworks weekends are horrible for Tucker and i would love to try something to help him.

I can picture how i would wrap him....but want to make sure i have the right idea.

Maybe the actual technique doesn't matter much . . . my dog is also way calmer and focused simply when wearing any kind of clothes, t-shirts raincoats, pack vest. I think it's a combination of feeling "hugged" plus that she feels she has a "job" to do while we are on walks and she is wearing something.

You might also try the Bach Rescue Remedy. Some folks swear by it, others say it's voodoo.

We have a thunder shirt for Sara. Can't say I've noticed a difference in using it, vs not using it. (She's got some major anxiety issues) Then again, I've also used Rescue Remedy on her, and seen nothing change. She's tough.

Hey Wendy, had to post and run this morning so this is a bit late.

But like Cindy and Tracy have mentioned, it’s all about what works and with the wrap you’re trying to create what we might think of as a kind of a “Hug/Squeeze” type thing.

This is the best visual I could find kind of illustrating what my girlfriend has shown me but there’s a few differences in how she does it and what seems to work for Vince.

http://www.crvetcenter.com/ttouch.php

The number one thing she said is that you want to get it perfected BEFORE you need it. Struggling with a complexly woven bandage or putting on some kind of shirt/vest when they are already stressed will have very little effect, if not increase their anxiety. And much like Kelly's experience, she says different wraps work for different dogs, but they should always be experimented with when they are in a calm state.

You can see in figure 5 here what it’s “sort of” supposed to look like. In the picture it looks like the wrap is under the neck and over the shoulders. She actually showed me that this as a wrong way to do it.

You want to start at the center/middle of the chest and have it wrap around the upper thigh of the front leg, criss-crossing further down the back. And she showed me a brownie/girl guide type of knot so it’s not so bulky (left over right and under, then right over left and under).

Bob is out with Vince right now but when they get back (shouldn’t be long, some bears have finished being shown that all species can’t thrive in BC :grin I’ll do him up and take a picture of how it was shown to me.

I just bought a Thundershirt for my male who has a few issues with certain fears. It has been amazing how it calms him down.
Here is the site so you can see the fit and a short video, worth watching if you are curious.
http://www.thundershirt.com/

I too believe it is a similar technique to the squeeze machine idea Tracy mentioned ( Temple Grandin)
I put the vest on him at random times, given with all positive associated things, ie; treats and on days when there are no stress points, for introduction to the vest.
He now associates the vest with only good things.

I can say this technique is really effective for Kodi.