The spaniel is an angsty, nervous boy. He's on a good quality kibble (Skinners duck and rice) as well as meat/carb scraps and raw bones. He is walked for a bare minimum of an hour a day, off lead. He has fear aggression issues with other dogs, choosing to ignore them and slink past but reacting vocally and with flashing teeth if they come too close. He is stressed out by travelling in the car, the hoover, light reflections and shadows. We have had consultations with behaviourists, both good and bad, and the one I trust the most said he's a stressy dog who wasn't well bred or socialised early, probably puppy farmed so came from a stressed dam and that the best thing we could do would be to try and stay calm and reward him for calm behaviours. This is difficult, as when he's very stressed he is uninterested in treats etc so distractions don't work. We've just got back from a weekend away and he was kennelled for two nights. He hasn't relaxed since. I've been looking at thundershirts and wondering if they would help. Does anyone have any experience of them? Tbh I'm about to down a bucket of gin because my anxiety levels are reaching fever pitch
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
Thundershirt - Does it work? Any experience?
SnakeyMcBadass · 24/02/2014 19:15
I do know how hard it is to leave with stressy reactive dogs but you are the best home for him and don't ever forget it.
Do concentrate on his good points - what does he love to do, how does he make you smile etc.
He may not be having the life you imagined eg stress free playing with other dogs and constantly wagging his tail but he is having a good life and he is loved and has a very caring owner.
You may find that he picks up a bit on your maudlin mood so maybe you can feel stressy together tonight 
Does he have a crate or a dark quiet place to chill? Many dogs come out of kennels a bit hyper so he is not alone in that.
Re Thundershirts for some dogs the results are amazing, and generally bring down the stress levels. In other dogs it does not seem to make a difference. I would certainly try it.
Also he will have had a lot of adrenalin buzzing around over the weekend so keep life very very chilled over the next few days to avoid adrenalin stacking.
Tomorrow is another day 
Snakey, even the well adjusted dogs I've had have been jittery and found it hard to settle when they've come back from kennels, even though they have a ball when they're there and practically drag me down the drive with excitement when we drop them off.
I do completely understand your reluctance to go for medication, but thought I would mention it anyway. Our boy did improve, he never a 'normal' dog, but he was happy with his own 'managed' small little world and we were happy to do that for him to facilitate a life for him where he felt safe and happy.
I bought an amazing downloadable seminar from Suzanne Clother's website (incredible woman) last week. It was Arousal, Anxiety and Fear. It cost $20 but it was money well spent, as it really helped me to understand these things from the dog's perspective, better than I ever have before and also gave me a great insight into how to handle my current fearful pup (nowhere near as bad as my GSD x boy, just some fear around other dogs that is really improving).
One of the things she said that really struck me is that you simpy cannot counter-condition or adjust the behaviour of a dog that is in a state of high anxiety. She explained the pyramid of dogs' needs with food, water, shelter etc as the largest section at the bottom and the next biggest category being safety.
She went on to explain how we need to do whatever is necessary to get the dog into a position he feels safe in, before we can even begin to think about changing their response to the stimuli. She also said that some dogs will never get there and then it's about management and making sure we give them the best life possible, whilst ensuring that we have done everything in our power to make sure that neither they or anyone else is ever put at risk. It was the first time I've ever heard anyone validate the route we chose to take with our boy, after years of intensive behavioural work and much soul searching. It actually made me cry. 
Do remember what we talked about before as well. Give yourself a break, both you and he need to step away from the stress sometimes and time spent playing with him at home, training and either just having short walks or walks in carefully considered remote places will benefit you both. Neither you or he can live permanently full to the max of anxiety, sometimes you have to take a step back and just BE, it will do you both the power of good.
As nutty said, give him a really quiet week, give him chance to regroup and feel safe again, before you embark on any situations that might push his adrenalin levels up again.
... and be kind to yourself. You are an amazing person for committing to supporting your boy. He is very lucky to have you. 
Lovely posts.
Ddog1 goes back to the breeder when we go away (rare, no life...), so he sees his mum, gran and sister. Theoretically, it should be perfect and he couldn't be more loved (spoilt) when he's there, but he comes back wired and takes a day or so to settle, even from an environment that, in some sense, he must recognise.
I recommend taking a hip flask full of gin on your next outing
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