Using The Anxiety Wrap For Dogs May Calm Your Distraught Dog

Using the Anxiety Wrap For Dogs May Calm Your Distraught Dog

by

Karleen Lindsey

During the many years I have had the pleasure of working with dogs, I have seen a number of different categories and levels of anxiety in dogs. There are various directions to turn to in helping your dog overcome out-of-control hyperactive behavior. One possible means of calming your dog is to use a body wrap or anxiety wrap for dogs, which I will delve into in this article.

One cause of irrational anxiety is anticipating pain, such as panicking at the sight of nail clippers, possibly because a nail was clipped too short once, cutting into the quick which is painful.

One type of anxiety can develop in a very insecure dog being left alone, also known as separation anxiety. There can be different levels of this stress, from simply pacing and barking to destroying furniture, doors and even walls in an attempt to get back to the “pack”.

Thunderstorms can induce hysteria in dogs that are normally calm to the magnitude of sending them crashing through windows, burrowing in dark closets, panting, trembling and totally inconsolable or even running blindly for miles.

The fear of riding in vehicles can also bring on irrational stress in dogs, possibly from having a bad experience on their first car ride. They might have been thrown off balance around a turn or during a quick stop. Crating in a vehicle is usually the best means of safely transporting your dog.

Why a dog reacts with irrational anxiety to a specific situation is really not as important as helping your dog calm that overwhelming anxiety.

One means of calming a dog during an irrational hyperactive state is by implementing a tool called an anxiety wrap for dogs or body wrap. The idea leading to this method has been promoted and documented in great depth by Temple Grandin, who developed a “hug box” with the same principle of deep touch pressure. Throughout her early years of living with autism, Temple could not tolerate being touched, yet while at her aunt’s ranch one summer she observed the calmness of a cow while in a squeeze chute for handling. She decided to invent a similar tool for herself. Temple found that the deep touch pressure of the box on her body actually calmed her. It also helped bring her over-reactive senses to a focused plane that she could then deal with and accept.

The anxiety wrap for dogs uses this concept by way of a body shirt that exerts deep pressure on the nervous system for a calming effect. This alternative and holistic approach to behavior modification can help in easing your dog’s hyperactivity in most situations, including panic over thunder and lightening and separation anxiety.

It is very imperative that when using any kind of anxiety wrap you get an accurate measurement of your dog in order to benefit from the desired effects. Fitting the wrap too tightly will only produce irritation and discomfort for your dog. Fitting it too loosely could also make your dog irritated and not induce enough deep touch pressure to have a calming effect. So getting the correct measurement on your dog is crucial. The way of accomplishing this is by measuring your dog in a standing position around the fullest part of the ribcage, usually the girth area, with a measuring tape that is either cloth or vinyl. Pull it snug, but not too tight, and don’t estimate the measurement. Write down the exact measurement.

The anxiety wrap for dogs is a great tool to help your dog overcome its irrational fears and become a well balanced pet. That being said, it will not work for every dog in every situation, just as nothing will work in every capacity for a total population of people or animals. It also may not entirely cure your dog’s irrational panic, but may help to lessen it to a manageable degree. It also could take a few uses of the wrap to gain its full effect. Many dogs will be calmed almost instantly. Some take a little more time to experience the desired calmness and others don’t seem to be helped at all by the body wrap.

The idea is to find and use whatever healthy methods you can to try and help your dog overcome its hyperactive anxious state. If this just doesn’t seem to an effective tool for your dog, there are other options such as canine massage therapy, desensitization, herbal remedies, just to name a few.

The main point is that you not give up on finding a way to help your dog overcome the anxiety issues that are causing stress not only for your dog, but also for everyone involved. Trying something such as an anxiety wrap for dogs may be a very affordable way to ease both you and your dog’s anxiety level during a situation that causes irrational stress for your dog.

Karleen Lindsey has worked with dogs her whole life. In her work with rescue dogs and in her grooming career, she has come across many behavior problems and has worked extensively to help each dog overcome these obstacles of fear and anti-social behavior, with patience being the main key to success. To read more, visit her review site for

anxiety wraps for dogs

.

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