I really don’t like to medicate my dogs. I prefer to use natural remedies as much as possible. Thankfully, we haven’t had many occasions where I’ve needed to utilize medication. Mauja tends to have anxiety in new places, but we have found a natural product that really seems to take the edge off. It wasn’t until recently that I needed something for Atka.
As many of you know, Atka got neutered last week. Pyrs are very sensitive to anesthesia, so I assumed he would be out of it for a few days (it took Mauja a week for the effects to wear off). Boy, was I wrong. The next morning, Atka was his normal, bubbly self and I could not get him to settle down! We tried training, puzzle toys, and calm outings, but nothing seemed to work. As I was fumbling through the closet to find something else to occupy him, I remembered I had an Anxiety Wrap that I had yet to review. Perfect!
We have tried other brands of the wrap on Mauja when we’re at home and something makes her anxious, but they just don’t work with her. Instead of calming her down, the wraps tend to make her more anxious. She’ll pace around the house, rub herself against the walls, and just look absolutely miserable. This is why you’ll probably never see Mauja in a Halloween costume!
So how does the Anxiety Wrap work?
The Anxiety Wrap works by using gentle pressure to alleviate symptoms of “fear, anxiety, hyperactivity, insecurity, and shyness”. It is intended for short term use to lessen these symptoms and prevent habituation of the product. If you have ever read Temple Grandin’s autism research, the anxiety wrap works much in the same way.
What were our thoughts on the wrap?
First of all, I love the design of the wrap because it is much more “involved” than most other wraps. The wrap goes over the head, has front leg holes, and has straps that wrap around the back legs. This adds calming pressure and keeps the wrap from bunching up. There are also elastic bands that can be tightened in two areas of the wrap ensuring a comfortable fit.
However, I can’t say confidently that it worked. It seemed to take a bit of an edge off Atka’s energy level, but nothing too dramatic. I’d be curious to see if it would work better for a dog with thunderstorm fear or another phobia. I do plan to take the wrap with us on our upcoming trip to hopefully lessen any stress associated with the drive.
Have you used an Anxiety Wrap on your dog? Did you see any improvement?
Disclaimer: We received the product mentioned above in exchange for our honest opinion. However, It’s Dog or Nothing only share products we believe in and feel would interest our readers.
Thanks for showing the underside of the wrap. I’ve often wondered if they were bulky underneath. Please let us know if it helped for your upcoming trip.
We’ve never had to use one but we hope this helps Mauja.
Oh interesting! I haven’t heard of this one. I use the Thundershirt with Koda, and it basically does the same. It seems to take the edge off, and also seems to help with him getting so excited when people come over, but nothing dramatic as of yet though.
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
The different anxiety wraps really seem to vary in effectiveness from dog to dog. The thundershirt I got for Honey had no affect on her. But it’s worked great for some of my foster pups.
These products are expensive and don’t always work. I once thought it would be helpful if a company rented such things for a trial. If it worked, you could buy the item at a discount. If it didn’t, you were only out the rental.
Hope Atka is feeling back to normal by now.
That’s interesting! I’ve seen weighted vests for people, but didn’t know they had something similar for dogs. I bet you’re right that it would work better in high stress situations, like thunderstorms. The dog I had growing up was terrified of thunder and the only thing that calmed her down was to be right beside my dad’s side of the bed, chin on the mattress, with his hand on her head.
How cool! I’ve never heard of this thing but I know some dog-owners who have really anxious little friends. They might find this very helpful the next time they have to go to the vet!
We tried the Anxiety Wrap on our beagle Cricket for riding in the car, but it didn’t really help. She also just didn’t like having it on (she doesn’t like much of anything on her), though she did finally seem to get better with that part of it. I wanted to try it with thunderstorms as well, but we never really had any this year!
I didn’t know they made these for dogs! All your posts do is make me anxious to get another Pyrs lol
I had no idea anxiety blankets existed for dogs. That’s a wonderful idea and so much easier than medication. 🙂
That’s pretty cool! I’m glad somebody thinks of these things. Less medication all around is a good thing.
This is the first time I have seen this product as I have never heard of anxiety wraps before. Interesting though and is worth giving a try since it seems like a better alternative to medications.
Interesting! I don’t have a dog right now, but when I was growing up I think our family dog would have benefitted from one of these. She was a little neurotic, and we loved her for it. Haha.
Haven’t heard of this before… Well maybe because I don’t have a pet but looks great.
This was a fantastic article – very informative and well written, well done! I loved it! One thing a lot of people don’t know is that the Anxiety Wrap has ‘Patented leg straps’ which apply gentle pressure to acupressure points on the legs, which help calm the dog too. Other competitors just have straps to hold the shirt in place. This makes a huge difference. This plus much much more makes the Anxiety Wrap one of, if not the best comforting wraps on the market.