Is your dog experiencing hyperactivity, separation anxiety, excessive barking, aggressiveness or leash pulling? If your dog’s body language is less than expectable it could be the results of a stressed out pet! According to Dr. Roger Mugford, Pet Psychologist and Founder of The Company of Animals, “Fear and anxiety are at the root of many canine behavioral problems. “ With that being said, many pet owners do not know how to calm the dog, overreact making the problem worse, and become frustrated with their canine companion. So what does the good doctor recommend? He suggests easing your dog’s qualms and fears with the holistic, light weight solution, the Anxiety Wrap – a product Tufts University has studied and quoted as being 98 percent effective!
Meet Sophie-The Barking Queen!
I have two English Labs that are as different as night and day. Both of them have completely diverse personalities displaying behavioral problems. Sophie (the female) is a gentle baby, but loves to bark around the clock! She does not like to be left alone for any amount of time and gets scared being by herself. It is not unusual for me to have to get up at 4am in the morning to ease her fears and get her to stop barking. We live in the suburbs and our neighbors can hear Sophie yapping in the wee hours. It has become a serious problem that needs to be resolved. A muzzle is way too restrictive and a shock collar is definitely out of the question, because it seems like a cruel ineffective means of trying to end unwanted barking. So when I was contacted to try the The Calming Face Wrap created by World-class Dog Trainer Susan Sharpe I jumped at the opportunity!
The Calming Face Wrap claims to end unwanted barking, whining, jumping, destructive chewing, digging, and scratching by using Acupressure and Maintained Pressure. The head halter is adjustable, easy to put on or take off with its Easy Release Clip, and made with super soft elastic. It is in no way a muzzle, is non-restrictive, and gentle when used as attended.
The first initial use was rather interesting … to put it mildly. I placed it on her as instructed in the pamphlet and she immediately tried pawing it off. She literally stuck her tongue out at me! LOL! But in a few minutes she got used to it and relaxed. The second time using it, I waited until she barked, said “QUIET” firmly. Then on the next bark I placed the wrap on her. Once she stopped barking and stayed quiet for a few seconds I took The Calming Face Wrap off again.
I have been using The Calming Face Wrap for a week to give it a good test run for this review. Did it stop Sophie’s annoying barking? Not completely, but it did lessen it to where she is much more tolerable! I think with additional use over a period of time it will calm her enough to where she feels secure and the unwanted barking will be eliminated. It is definitely worth the $14.99 investment! The face wrap comes in 5 sizes to fit dogs from 1 lb. to 150 lbs. and is available for purchase at www.anxietywrap.com or amazon.com.
Sam- Shy and Aggressive!
Sam (the male English Lab) is very shy, loving to his family members, and OVERLY AGGRESSIVE TO ANYONE ELSE. He is very insecure and needs constant positive reassurance. His behavior is exhausting! However, he is my big baby and I love him like a child. Yet, he definitely needs an attitude adjustment, because my poor neighbor cannot even walk down his driveway without Sam barking and lunging at him. Sam has met my neighbor hundreds of times over the past three years, but still feels necessary to try and protect what he feels is his territory. Now, don’t get me wrong! Not all barking should be discouraged, because my Sammy is an amazing watch dog and this is a wonderful trait. He can sense strangers who are many feet away! The problem is when he acts aggressive to people and dogs he is already associated with and can’t get passed his insecurity issues.
To help ease their various fears, the original, patented Anxiety Wrap is said to give a calming, hug-like sensation – activating and maintaining key pressure points that better enable pets to relax. I was willing to give it a chance to see is if it would work for Sam’s fear of people and other dogs.
Placing the Anxiety Wrap on Sam took getting used to, but once we got the hang of it the second time applying it was very simple. Sam is rather…well…pleasantly plump for his size, so getting the correct fit took some adjusting and a few minutes. I thought he was going to freakout on the first introductory wearing period of 40 minutes. I tried putting a sweater on him once and it did not go well! However, he actually liked the Anxiety Wrap and decided to lay down! I was very surprised at his reaction!
I can’t honestly tell you that the Anxiety Wrap has calmed his aggressiveness against people or other dogs, because there has not been any incidences lately to test it out. What I can tell you is the Anxiety Wrap has stopped him from jumping, which to me is awesome! The wrap uses the same technique as swaddling a baby and it definitely relaxed him!
If you have a dog that has thunderstorm fear, travel anxiety, hyperactivity, socialization problems, or other fear-based issues give Anxiety Wrap a try. The one-of-a-kind product starts at $39.95 and comes in 11 canine sizes – to properly fit each age and breed.
For more information and videos about the Anxiety Wrap and The Calming Face Wrap visit www.CompanyofAnimals.us. The company even offers a selection of specialty made feline Anxiety Wraps too!
Reading Your Dog’s Body Language
The biggest challenge for pet owners is being able to read their dog’s body language! Here are a few ways from The Company of Animals on how to read your dog’s body language, and interpret what they are trying to tell you.
A dog’s tail – A dog’s tail is used to communicate strong emotions, including happiness, as well as anger and agitation. To accurately get the bigger picture the dog’s wagging or tucked tail is trying to tell you, look at the rest of his body language. If his ears are pinned forward or back, or has stiffened muscles and dilated pupils, these are all signs your dog needs some space.
A dog’s ears – A dog will hold his ears naturally when he is relaxed and comfortable. When he’s alert, he’ll raise them higher on his head and direct them toward whatever is holding his interest. If his ears are pulled back slightly, it’s a signal his intention is friendly. And if your dog’s ears are completely flattened or stuck out to the sides of his head, he’s signaling that he’s frightened or feeling submissive.
A dog’s body – When your dog is scared, he does his best to look small. Often, his body looks hunched, with his tail held low or tucked between his rear legs and his ears flattened back on his skull. His muscles of his body and face will be tense and rigid. He might even cower close to the ground or try to escape.
Product Description
Calming Face Wrap
“The Original Calming Face Wrap is a gentle, non-pharmacological way to lessen/end anxious, unwanted barking by affecting the sensory receptors which are especially prevalent on the dog’s muzzle area. The Original Calming Face Wrap also ends destructive digging, scratching, and licking. It’s often used in conjunction with The Anxiety Wrap for even more anxiety relief. Pet owners also find it helpful in preparing a dog for wearing any brand of head halter.”
The Anxiety Wrap
“The Original Anxiety Wrap is the most effective way to end fear of thunder, fireworks, separation anxiety, travel anxiety, barking and much more. Using Maintained Pressure and Acupressure to relieve stress and end or lessen multiple fears and anxieties in dogs and cats worldwide. Created and patented by Susan Sharpe, CPDT KA in 2001, it was the first of its kind and invented the entire Pressure Wrap category. It’s the only patented pressure wrap in the industry and comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Free online support from one of our professional dog trainers is provided with every purchase. The Original Anxiety Wrap ends fear of thunder, storms, fireworks, dogs, people, guns, travel anxiety, separation anxiety, fear of other dogs, nervousness and can also be worn comfortably under harnesses, apparel, during agility practice and in water therapy during rehabilitation. Nicolas Dodman of Tufts University completed an independent scientific study with the results of the Original Anxiety Wrap being 89% effective for dogs with thunderstorm fear.”
Stay Connected
Company of Animals website
Like the Company of Animals Facebook Page
Follow the Company of Animals on Twitter
what a great ideal,,wow,,my dogs have had times when they have been upset or scared,this would be awesome for them
i think the calming face wrap may help my dog. he is not anxious at all so not sure he will need that. i did not know how to read a dog and that helped me. thanks for the review. i will see if i can find these and how much they cost before i decide on whether i need it.
Inventive way to help with dogs anxiety. My dog gets scared when it storms bad and thunders, and even by fireworks as you mentioned in this post. Like that they have a size chart to view. Great product to try. Really like the part of how to read your dog’s body language. Very helpful.
My Jack Russell had major anxiety when she was younger. She didn’t like other dogs, would bark all the time, and stressed out whenever it would thunder. Now that she’s 16 she has calmed down a lot, but she could have really used this when she was younger!
The body wrap is good, but I am not sure about the calming face wrap. Would take a little time for a dog to really get used to wearing it. They look helpful.
All great tips! It always seemed to me that dogs need a firm wrapping (for lack of a better word) around them, to soothe them. It’s like swaddling a newborn – they feel more secure. Another tip I would add is to always make sure the dog has a lot of exercise – they do have a lot of nervous energy that needs to be worked off. I used to walk my dogs at a brisk pace, 2 miles in the morning, and 2 miles in the afternoon, and I did see a difference. (I saw a difference in me, too!) For dogs that are even more high-strung, I used to put them on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a time, and that helped, too. These Anxiety wraps and Calming Face wraps seems like a great idea to me! (((HUGS))) to a fellow animal lover! : )
Interesting products. Nice to know they have something to help with anxiety and unwanted barking.
I have got to get one of these for my mom’s dog. She barks all the time and also is a jumper. My mom needs something that will help with the barking the most. I am going to watch the videos and check out their site. I know what my mother is getting for Mother’s day! 🙂
I could really use his I have a dog that is so scared of storms he jumps into my bathtub or escapes his crate
Sam looks exactly like the dog I used to have. He died at 12 years old and I loved him a lot Sam acts the same way my Lab did. He was loving to his family, but very aggressive and would bark at neighbors and go nuts when someone knocked on the door. I always wondered about the nose wraps. I think that these are very good products to have to calm down a dog. I wish I would have know about them when I had my Lab. I have a very calm dog now. He is a Basset Hound and he is a dead beat.
What an awesome product! I’ve never heard of anything like this. I feel like my dog could get some use out of this 🙂
This is pretty neat I haven’t seen anything like this and I am surprised it works I would love to see if there is more progress in the future.
I saw and informercial on these they other day while I was at the vet with my dog. Such a cool idea, my neighbors dog could really use one of these!
I would like to get one of these for our dog. He suffers big time when thunder storms come up.
Great review. I wish that they would have had the anxiety wraps around when my Border Collie was still alive. He suffered from severe anxiety and I bet this would have helped him get through the rough times.
This is a great idea. Many times my dogs hate 4th of July and the noise but this might help them ease there nervousness and anxiety as well. This must give dogs the feeling that they are being hugged. 🙂 Going to check amazon to see if they sell this. Thanks for the review! Greg
I don’t have a dog, but I can imagine how terrifying it is for a pet while he/she is having anxiety issues. The anxiety wrap sounds like a great way to help a dog habitually calm down over time. It’s nice that it’s not painful and only uses soft pressure and an acupressure effect so the dog isn’t uncomfortable while wearing it.
i found one of these at the pet store but a different brand. i got one for my dog and will be trying it out. it was all because of this post.
My dog has an anxiety wrap. I really love his. He is a very nervous dog, and this is wonderful for thunderstorms. Normally he buries himself behind the couch or hides in the bathtub, and this is a LARGE dog. Now I can tell it works because he doesn’t always hide anymore. He is still nervous but not as bad. It is a lifesaver.
This would be great for my Shepherd during thunderstorms. He constantly barks at every thunder clap.
My beagle has very bad separation anxiety. She always has to be next to someone. When we have to leave her alone, I wonder if this would make her more secure? Great review!
Interesting concept. Reminds me of Temple Grandin’s book about wrapping calming her down.
This sounds promising our dog chico follows my hubby everywhere and gets a little nuts when he leaves.This could be worth a try
I would love to try this on my dog who has anxiety when it thunders, there are fireworks or other loud noises.
The Calming Face Wrap doesn’t look like something I would use, but the Anxiety Body Wrap most definitely is. My poor poodle is afraid of loud noises and has separation anxiety very bad! If this will help her then it is sure worth it.
thanks for the review. i think this may be useful for my dog during a thunderstorm.
I love the idea of a holistic solution instead of a medication. This sounds like a really helpful item to have around. I could have used this on the 4th of July during all those loud fireworks.