# Thunder shirt vs dog backpack.



## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

So I am debating whether to get a thundershirt or a dog backpack for my 10 month old gsd Dre. He weighed in at 70 lbs about 2 months ago at his last visit to the vet and I'm sure he's gained weight since then. He does tend to have issues with lunging and barking on his leash with other dogs (which I have been working with him on). But I guess my question is..a thundershirt is suppose to have calming effects? Would a doggy backpack have the same effects since you can add weight to it? Because I feel I would get more use out of the backpack since I will be able to put things like his water dish and other stuff when we go hiking and what not. So as of right now I'm leaning towards the backpack. Any suggestions? I was reading in a previous thing about "ruff wear and heard good reviews. If he feels like he had a job to do it will help curb the lunging? Is this true or would a thundershirt suit him better? 


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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

Thunder shirts are useless IMO. I think a harness would be better. Plus, and PLEASE SOMEONE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, a harness would be a good idea if you get your dog to utilize it in an associated behavior sort of way. For example, iF I put the harness or prong on my GSD, he knows it is "working time." He hyper focuses when the harness or prong is on because he associates them with obedience and tracking work only. 

So if you find something that you use with your dog that you can use to help correct the behavior stick with it. If your dog associates the thing with not lunging and overall good behavior, he may only behave the way you want him to when he has that thing. 

Does this make sense? I don't know the technical lingo. 


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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

As far as backpacks go, I like Aussie Naturals. Very breathable, HUGE pockets, doesn't slip around. The Ruff Wears have smaller pockets and don't breathe as well, but do perform better if they get wet. 


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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

My shepherd and I have A TON of hiking experience together and I swear by that Aussie Naturals bag. He's out close to 200 miles on it and the thing takes a beating and does great. 

Although I prefer putting him in his CHilly Dog cooling harness ($100) for short 2-3 hr hikes, which is about all we can do in the summer here. 


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

A backpack would use more of his energy, leaving less for reactions. Training and more training is where your best bet is. Learning what his triggers are, what his first signals are and redirecting him before he reacts. Getting his obedience solid so you have that to aid as well in refocusing his attention on you.

Look at LAT and BAT as some training methods to use.


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## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

Buggibub said:


> Thunder shirts are useless IMO. I think a harness would be better. Plus, and PLEASE SOMEONE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, a harness would be a good idea if you get your dog to utilize it in an associated behavior sort of way. For example, iF I put the harness or prong on my GSD, he knows it is "working time." He hyper focuses when the harness or prong is on because he associates them with obedience and tracking work only.
> 
> So if you find something that you use with your dog that you can use to help correct the behavior stick with it. If your dog associates the thing with not lunging and overall good behavior, he may only behave the way you want him to when he has that thing.
> 
> ...


Yea this is good advice, thanks for tipping me off about the thundershirt, that is kind of how I feel about it, but I do not own one and never tried one so its just my guess. I just feel Dre and I will both get more use out of a pack since we like to hike and what not. That ruff wear really makes some cool stuff. 


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## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

Buggibub said:


> As far as backpacks go, I like Aussie Naturals. Very breathable, HUGE pockets, doesn't slip around. The Ruff Wears have smaller pockets and don't breathe as well, but do perform better if they get wet.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks for this'! I will look into this company as well  


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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

Mguz11 said:


> Yea this is good advice, thanks for tipping me off about the thundershirt, that is kind of how I feel about it, but I do not own one and never tried one so its just my guess. I just feel Dre and I will both get more use out of a pack since we like to hike and what not. That ruff wear really makes some cool stuff.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Yeah I have ruff wear vibrams for my shepherd if we walk downtown. I only take him into town if its cool out since they aren't really breathable. There's a lot of broken glass around. 

When we hike, he's bare pawed. 


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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

I didn't put it on him, but for size/pocket depth, here's the Aussie pack.









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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

And for hiking- the chilly dog is the bomb for summer. 59 degrees under the belly (so it cools their blood) for up to 2 hrs at 90 degrees. I can usually get about 45-60 minutes out of it at 100+ if we are training.









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## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

Idk why this posted twice ^^


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## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

Mguz11 said:


> That thing looks awesome, too bad summer is near a close. I live in northern Michigan so it's already been cooling down up here. I called a few retailers that carry ruff wear and they only had extra small in stock. Quick question about the different models. I was thinking about the palisades model but that is the most expensive. Does it just hold more volume? I see the palisades model does have more features including removable saddle bags, a load compression system and collapsible hydration Bottles. That being said is it worth the extra money to get that model because the approach model also has some nice features. I'm sure this has been posted a million times but I want to make sure I purchase what's best for Dre. Any experience with these? Maybe some pics? Appreciate all the information!
> 
> 
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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

I don't have experience with ruff wear stuff, really. Just going off what friends use/prefer. The hydration pack things are cool but not a necessity. So long as your dog has access to running water from a stream or a lake that has decent aeration, why bother packing water for the dog? They're gonna play in the water and drink it, anyway. Also, just use google earth to anticipate where decent water stops would be for the dog. You can use a camelbak hooked into your own backpack for yourself. I'd be more inclined to have the dog carry its own emergency kit and random stuff. 

Long distance hikes are a bit different, but that's a topic in and of itself. 


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## Buggibub (Jul 1, 2010)

Are you U.P. or regular MI?


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## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

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## Mguz11 (Aug 2, 2013)

Mguz11 said:


> Lower peninsula about a half hour from Traverse City.
> 
> 
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## Jess (Oct 31, 2010)

The Thundershirts works for some dogs but not all. Don't think I would use one for hiking or things of those sort, a backpack would be better.
My girl wears her Thundershirt when there are fireworks as she gets very hypo and starts attacking the windows trying to get at them so it works for her.
Not sure what my boy is like with fireworks yet, will find out in a couple of months on Guy Fawkes night!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

A Thundershirt can be helpful for some dogs with issues, I have seen some dogs at the clinic that are helped by them. I don't think a backpack would have the same results. 
However you can also make your own anxiety wrap or TTouch wrap and try that to see if it works, or even just try putting a tight t-shirt on the dog and see if that has an effect as it is a similar feeling. It's the same idea as the Thundershirt, actually the Anxiety Wrap was around a lot longer. If you search for how to make an anxiety wrap online you can find instructions. I would not leave it on a dog for long periods or unattended though.
I debated over which Ruffwear pack to get, and ended up going with the Palisades because of the removable saddlebags, it allows you to take the weight off the dog if you want without having to remove the harness so it's easy on/off for quick stops or things like that. Also I figured, if you buy the Palisades it's like you are buying both a pack and a Webmaster harness since you can use the harness as a harness without the pack, too. So to me it was worth it for that. I also like the small streamlined Singletrak packs too.


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## Dbrooke407 (Apr 18, 2013)

It really depends on the dog. I had to get Kane, my 7 month old GSD, a thundershirt for his anxiety over thunderstorms and gunshots in movies. As soon as I get it on him, his ears fall over and he has the most relaxed look on his face. 

Honestly though, for lunging at dogs, you'd probably be better off either hiring a trainer for that or researching the best Positive Reinforcement methods to handle that, as that's indicative of an aggression issue. Which happens pretty frequently, unfortunately. I'd definitely recommend the training aspect first though. 
Kane shows aggressive tendencies towards men he does not know on our property. I'm working from both the training aspect and I put his thundercoat on him for that. It's not easy, and it's going to take months. 
But it's best for the dog to get over the issue altogether rather than to just treat a symptom of the issue. 


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