Product Review: Thundershirt! Dog Anxiety Solution

This is Rex.

I have a great dog.  Rex is a twelve year old red border collie.  He's normally a confidant, happy guy.  Then thunder rolls in, or someone lights a firework.  Loud sounds reduce him to a fearful puddle trembling under my husband's desk in our basement.  I have always felt bad for dogs who have fears because they're smart enough to know fear but not able to understand that noises won't actually harm them.  We've teased Rex, tried to comfort him and helped him find good hiding places from that mean old thunder but as he's aged I've been trying to make his life more comfortable over all so I resolved to alleviate his fears.  I decided to give the ThunderShirt a try.  

The kids and I giggled at the funny name, and who doesn't chuckle at the sight of dogs in shirts?  I admit, I was a skeptic about the shirt and had a "can't hurt anything" attitude about buying it but I hoped it worked. My hope was rewarded! I shouldn't have been such a skeptic - I swaddled my babies and that worked a charm.  This is the same concept. The first time I put it on Rex he almost immediately calmed.  It was crazy!  He visibly relaxed and laid down in the living room instead heading for the basement through the storm.  I'm sure it helped that the kids fawned over how cute he was in his shirt, but Rex really was less afraid!  He didn't seem to mind wearing it at all.  I've used it through two more storms and both times he has been able to just be Rex, unafraid and not hiding!  Every dog should have one of these!  I'm a believer in the ThunderShirt.

*My only complaint is that getting a scared dog to stand properly to get the shirt on is a bit challenging.  That's not a design flaw, just a fact of dealing with an anxious animal.  I  put the shirt on Rex and adjust it a bit after a few minutes when he has calmed so it isn't all bunched up.

This is Rex in his ThunderShirt.  See how it's on him a little crooked?
After he calms I am able to straighten it out and it fits perfectly.
You can buy your dog a ThunderShirt here.

From the manufacturer: ThunderShirt's patented design applies a gentle, constant pressure that has a dramatic calming effect for over 80% of dogs. Like swaddling an infant, Thundershirt is recommended by thousands of veterinarians and trainers around the world. Already helping millions of dogs, anytime calming is needed, a Thundershirt may help. Not just for thunder! Use for thunder, fireworks, separation anxiety, car travel, problem barking, general fearfulness, reactivity, and much, much more. A positive tool that almost all dogs seem to love to wear. With no need for training or medications, most dogs respond positively within minutes of the first use. Very easy to put on and take off. Made of lightweight, machine-washable material.

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Product Review: FitBit Surge

Click Here to Buy FitBit Surge 

I was SO excited when I received my Surge. I've been a loyal FitBit customer for a few years and was jazzed about upgrading to their best model. Here are my thoughts:

*Right out of the box it was easy to set up and sync with my existing account as well as my iPhone through Blu-Tooth. I like that FitBit now allows two trackers on one account because I've found my One model is slightly more accurate when it comes to counting steps so I've continued to carry it in a pocket but I love having a heart rate tracker on my wrist with no chest strap, too. (Fitbit reconciles the two trackers info to give the most accurate count I feel is possible.)

*I have nothing to directly compare the heart rate monitor to for accuracy but it matches the app I have on my iPhone so since I'm not a serious athlete, I feel it is accurate enough for me.

*The GPS tracker seems accurate, though it sometimes takes a few seconds to find my position.

*The sleep tracker exactly matched my One but I love not having to remember to activate it on the Surge.

*The Surge is a bit big on my small wrist but because it has a very clean design I don't feel it's ugly. It's entirely appropriate for most activities, but I probably won't wear it anywhere fancy. That's okay since I can still discretely use my One.

*I like that the Surge can notify me about texts and calls, and that I can change songs on my iPhone with it. Those are two features I didn't give much thought to before, but they (especially the notifications) have become some of my favorite things.

** THIS IS THE BUMPY START ** My only complaint is that when my Surge arrived the heart rate monitor was not working at all. Fitbit has a great help section and a customer community so I went there first for troubleshooting. I tried everything suggested to fix the monitor to no avail. I've had great success with Fitbit's customer support over email in the past so I wrote an email and waited. For three days. They then suggested I tried fixes I had already told them I'd tried in my initial email. Long story short it took me just over a week of communicating this way before Fitbit agreed to send me a replacement. (Apparently the faulty heart rate monitor is not uncommon.) Once my replacement arrived I was a happy camper though. The replacement has been perfect. The heart rate monitor works flawlessly with all my activities so far without having to adjust it's position on my arm.

*SUMMARY* As a fitness tracker I'm very pleased with it, and I feel like this is a good starter smart watch while I wait for Apple to get the iWatch just right. I plug it in to charge while I shower and otherwise wear it comfortably all day and night.