It started out as a product to help anxious dogs during stormy weather, but now the Thundershirt is moving into the mainstream of animal training and behavior modification.
"A lot of dogs that are high-anxiety need the shirt just to be able to focus on the training. You put the Thundershirt on, and it sort of takes the edge off that dog, and the dog begins to trust you a little quicker and responds to technique you would use anyway," said dog trainer Mary Kegarise.
Kegarise has been using the vest on her clients for the past three years and said even the dogs who are only helped a little still calm down enough for a trainer to work with them.
"Dogs that are real excitable on the leash, that pull or hop around on a leash, a Thundershirt will calm them enough that they can walk at a normal pace," Kegarise said.
"I still recommend leash training, but now they can focus on the training instead of being so excited. For trigger-related or isolated anxiety like thunder or being left alone, you can put it on and you are done and that is all you have to do," she said.
One of Kegarise's biggest success stories is a dog named Jo Paw. The small black dog peed on the floor and tried to crawl into Kegarise's lap when news crews arrived.
A quick wraparound of the jersey vest with the Velcro firmly put together and the nervous, bouncy, barking dog turned into a calm silent dog listening to Kegarise's commands.
The vest replicates what man's best friends love the most, human contact. The material gently compresses the chest and in turn warms and compresses the respiratory system.
Kegarise said it is not unlike the swaddle of a baby or the tight chutes used to calm cattle.
"The way the Velcro is and you tighten it across that area seems to be the magic of it," she said.
Jody Rigdon, the proud owner of an incorrigible rescue mutt, Spanky, said she would give anything to help with his car anxiety.
"Spanky did win the Naughtiest Dog in America contest last year; he gets free training for life. But it hasn't helped with the panting, crying, drooling and shaking anytime we get in a car," Rigdon said.
After a few minutes in the vest, Spanky was slightly calmer, but there was not a dramatic difference in his behavior. Rigdon thought maybe with a little more time, he might get more used to it.
"This shirt is not going to have a side effect. It works, or it doesn't. It always helps a little, so why not try it? The worst thing is they make a fashion faux pas or whatever because the shirt is not that cute, but other than that, there is no downside," said Kegarise.
Kegarise said the vest is worth a try for pet owners since The Thundershirt Co. offers a full money-back return on the $39 cost.