Target 11 Tests The Thundershirt

None — Does your dog tremble with fear during a thunderstorm? Mine does. In fact he's scared to death of thunderstorms. Besides medication, nothing really works.

When I heard about a new product, the Thundershirt, that is supposed to calm those fears without drugs, I was a bit skeptical, but I decided to give the it a try after hearing these stories from other dog owners.

"You can see how calm and relaxed she is," said Dick Skrinjar as he walked his Siberian husky named Mackenzie.

But when it storms, Mackenzie starts trembling with fear. The anxiety is so intense Skrinjar worries she might have a seizure.

"She's like Channel 11 Doppler radar. She's about five minutes in front of you guys in terms of knowing when it's going to rain," said Skrinjar during an interview at his home.

After seeing an advertisement, he decided to try the Thundershirt.

It's a tight shirt for dogs that straps on with Velcro. The pressure around the chest is supposed to relieve the dog's anxiety, but Skrinjar told me at first he was skeptical.

"I figured this baby's going back to the manufacturer. This baby isn't going to work," said Skrinjar.

Yet there is science behind it. Doctors have found weighted shirts help autistic children, by creating a calming effect much like swaddling a baby.

"The concept is that applying deep pressure around the body is calming for dogs" said Dr. Dave Sherer, a veterinarian.

His golden retriever, Roxy, gets anxious and even aggressive around other dogs. During a walk in the park with us she lunged and growled at another dog and was ready to bite.

The unacceptable behavior was embarrassing and could get Roxy in trouble, but Roxy isn't an aggressive dog. She just acts tough when she's scared, so Dr. Sherer has been doing a little behavior modification with the Thundershirt.

"I can tell when I take her for a walk with the Thundershirt on that she is definitely a lot calmer," said Sherer.

Without the Thundershirt Roxy was so excited she was jumping up and down and biting her leash, and nearly took off after a flock of ducks, pulling her owner behind her.

With the Thundershirt on she seemed like a different dog. Instead of chasing a squirrel she calmly walked by.

"It's like it turns her down, her volume, just a little bit. She's just not nearly as reactive," said Sherer.

But the Thundershirt was a miracle cure. Roxy still got worked up when she passed another dog, only this time she isn't as aggressive.

As for Mackenzie, her owner was pleasantly surprised. Remember how the husky's heart would race during a storm? With the Thundershirt I am told her fears are under control.

"It really delivers exactly what is says it will do, totally reduces the anxiety," said Skrinjar, who told me he would recommend the product to friends and family.

Over the weekend, I tried the Thundershirt on my golden retriever. He's also scared to death of thunderstorms and it was a pretty severe storm. While the Thundershirt didn't reduce all of his anxiety, his heart wasn't racing as fast as usual and he wasn't panting as hard.

In my opinion it made a difference, so I will give the Thundershirt a thumbs up.

WPXI