Anxiety in Dogs Treatments Remedies What Works Might Work Dosen’t Work

My German Shepherd x Malamute Jordie

In this article...

1. Loving Dog Owners - the Vulnerable Consumer Trained to Trust not to Question…
2. A question that I am often asked - ‘Are you familiar with the Thundershirt?
3. Understanding Limitations
4. Setting Expectations
5. Commercially Available Products - Can They, Do They Really Help
6. Remedying Root Cause v.s the Band Aid Approach

Dogs acquire chronic anxiety for many reasons and with different outcomes. Anxiety may exhibit as localized to a specific situation or may be exhibited in multiple situations. Here are a few examples - 

• Anxiety around other dogs leading to aggressive-reactive behaviour that may result in dogs fighting with each other;
• Grief at the loss of a loved one;
• Obsessive compulsive disorder;
• Separation Anxiety;
• Travel Anxiety;
• Thunderstorm Anxiety, Fireworks or Gunshot anxiety;
• etc.

There are a lot of products marketed to solve anxiety but do they really work, and if the products dont work what does solve anxiety...

1.0 Loving Dog Owners - the Vulnerable Consumer  

Trainedto Trust not to Question…

In the pet-care industry there are so many products that are promoted as being the ‘solution’. But what if that product is not the solution? What if the person pushing the product is not truly educated in the limitations of the product? What if you purchase the product and it does not meet your expectations?

Products marketed for reducing or solving anxiety include a wide range of applications - for example:
The Thundershirt a garment that apply pressure to your dogs body;
Pheromone and herbal spray collars, and;
Veterinarian prescribed drugs such as Reconcile.

At best you may be disappointed.

At worst, failure of that product to meet its advertised goal can seriously and adversely impact on yours’ and your dog’s psychological and  physical well being, and can even cause death.

In the case of a chronic issue such as anxiety, a strategic and comprehensive approach that addresses immediate symptoms and root cause creates a recipe for success.

However when a single product is promoted as a ‘proven solution’ to a complex condition you should be suspicious and you should question the validity of the claim. This is so even if the product is recommended by your favourite pet store employee, your trainer/behaviourist or your veterinarian. 

I have seen much damage done to dogs and their people when trust was assigned without question.

Some products have only negative value - meaning that due to the nature of the product only an adverse result can be and will be realized. 

Other products may contribute great value when used in the context that they are really intended for or may be applied to a new situation with success as part of an overall strategy to address the situation.

Lastly - some products that are designed to and actually do provide helpful support to ameliorate a temporary condition do not provide the same quality of result when applied to a chronic condition. Regardless of a not-so-perfect outcome the manufacturer may decide to aggressively market the product becasue it is a good business decision when the priority is to make money. If the product finds a niche it can become very popular - but popular does not necessarily equate with appropriate, good or safe.

Sometimes a product migrates from its intended use as a means to address an emergency situation, into mainstream use for ‘treating’ a chronic condition. When a product has attributes that can be used in emergency, temporary and chronic conditions, multi-application is truly justified. When use is not justified but pushed for the sole gain of the company, the consumer may be ill served.

2.0 A Question that I am Often Asked...

‘Karen are you Familiar with the Thundershirt?’

When it comes to the topic of anxiety and dogs, people often ask me ‘Are you familiar with the Thundershirt’.

I cringe every time I see the product for sale in a pet store with the product packaging promoting it as the, to quote “proven solution for dog anxiety”.

I cringe when I hear sales people - who know little to nothing about dog and human behaviour advising customers to purchase the product to resolve the issue of anxiety. Resolve? Wait a minute, you must mean aid in the resolution of? Surly you dont mean actually resolve? The disturbing thing is that I do know that the person having the conversation thinks that the product can actually resolve the problem.

I cringe when I have people - now desperate and coming to me as a last ditch effort to save their dog, retell their experience with using that or another product. How did they and their dog end-up in such a desperate state? Because product manufacturers, sales people, trainers and behavourists that don’t understand the cause and effect behind the development of unhealthy behaviours, nor the real solutions required to right the condition push the Thundershirt as a remedy.

While the Thundershirt may have some value in some circumstances to ameliorate some or a single symptom of anxiety it is not the panacea for cure that is evoked by the product’s labeling as a "proven solution for dog anxiety”.

My Beagle x Fox Hound Willow

3.0 Understanding Limitations

The Thundershirt works on the theory that by applying pressure around the majority of the body a feeling of comfort will be triggered in the being wearing the shirt. An intervention that has been found to have varying degrees of success when dealing with a human that is in a state of psychological distress. While this may work for some individuals it has little to no effect on other individuals.

The Thundershirt was developed for use in slaughter houses with an end-goal of ‘comforting’ animals (i.e. cattle, horses) as they did their final walk to the slaughter room floor.

The Thundershirt was designed to treat a symptom in an emergency situation experienced by an individual animal once in his/her life

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