thundershirt review

Ever since Hampton was a young pup he has had pretty bad car sickness which included excessive drooling, puking and whining. We tried everything from treats, positive reinforcement, favorite blankets / beds, short rides, etc etc. but nothing seemed to work.

About a month ago we were introduced to the thundershirt via Hampton's beagle friend Dukey whose Dad runs When Hounds Fly! Positive Reinforcement Dog Training (they also sell the thundershirt). We were pretty excited about trying it out.



We first let Hampton wear it around the house. Almost immediately we saw a change in him. He was much calmer and relaxed. We were pleased with that. We also let ZuZu try it out on our walks (she yaps quite a bit and gets excited very easily). We didn't see a great deal of change in ZuZu but noticed she wasn't as yappy.

After a few weeks of letting Hampton wear it around the house doing different activities (so he didn't associate it with car rides) we finally decided to try it out in the car and...success!  We drove to a nearby dog park / beach (about a 20 min drive away) and there was no drooling or puke! He usually pukes right on the 12 min mark of a drive. He was even able to sit and lie down in the car (usually stands). It was so nice to actually drive them somewhere and have a nice day with them without worrying about Ham's car sickness.

So, we are pretty happy with the results so far. Fingers and paws crossed for more success in the future on extended car rides! We would really love to take them on a road trip soon!