my dog + thunderstorms = a doorless house

Get a thunder shirt for them. My girlfriend and I have a pitbull/rhodesian ridgeback mix and she is a nervous wreck. Always jumping on people, clawing the shit out of people, etc. So we got her a thunder shirt and it really calms her down. A lot. Like she is a different dog when she is wearing it.

 

Shirt or shit?

 

Or better yet- Use it long enuf to get them crate trained.

 

Another good idea, thanks! I'd imagine i'll need a prescription for that so i'll talk with my vet and see what i can do. I'll probably try the "thundershirt" first and see if that helps before i medicate her.

That was my first reaction as well. Checked the dogs mouth and paws and didn't find any cuts whatsoever. My dogs have been known to chew on rocks, so i bet a door really didn't phase her.

Really, never would have thought a "shirt" would calm them down so much. Do you think it would be ok to leave it on for 9 hrs unsupervised at a time? I'll check ebay for one, definitely a good alternative before using medication.

 

Well I mean I can't speak for your dogs but it sure works for mine. For example, I worked 15 hours yesterday and put her shirt on and came back and it was like I never left. She didn't get up to great me in her ususal "OMFG I AM SO FUCKING HAPPY YOU ARE HOME" routine (which includes lots of scratching and testicle smashing) and just laid on the couch when I walked in. Plus I feel like giving her drugs every time I leave will cause some serious health problems down the road.

 

This is your best bet.

 

^^This start with leaving the door open and feeding them in there, playing fetch throwing the toy in there etc they will get used to it being a nice place. Then pop them in with a biscuit clost the door for a few min let them right back out give them a biscuit or a toy and play with them. Though, , make sure they are QUIET when you let them out if they start to whine you wait till they are quiet to let them out or you will teach them making noise is the way to get the door open. See http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/crate_training.html, http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/92/Weekend-Crate-Training-.aspx , http://www4.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/lib-SpecTrain.htm#crate

Cypher

 

Crate training and the thunder shirt are you best options out of those suggested thus far. My dogs are crate trained and they LOVE going in there. I have to call them out because they are always trying to go to their crates. They definitely associate it with a safe place.

The thunder shirts...I don't have any personal experience but I have a friend with dogs with anxiety issues and he seems to think they work. It's the constant pressure around their chest area that calms them down. You can try applying constant pressure to them with your hands in the same area and see if it has an effect. It should be immediate.