Odd puppy question re wearing a jumper

[RuddyHellItsSoftCell]

Hi, our puppy is 4 months old and so far the whole experience has been going well, but I always say ‘he’s really good for a puppy’ because of course we have had some nipping, bitey play particularly in the evenings. Recently I bought a dog jumper as a bit of a laugh and thought it would be good for Xmas/winter. As the weather cooled down for us over the last couple of days I tried it on him just to see if it fit.

This jumper seems to completely change his behaviour- he’s so chilled and calm with it on, wanting to snuggle up and sleep near us instead of playful, jumpy zoomy etc. It’s been really lovely but I’m also worried about using it too much to keep him calm as it doesn’t seem natural for a pup?

Is it normal for dog clothes to have this effect? And is it cruel to put it on him to keep him calm for a couple of hours in the evening (ie is it inhibiting normal puppy behaviour important for development?) or is it cruel not to let him wear something that might be reducing anxiety/stress hence the calm chilled behaviour when he’s wearing it?

Dh thinks he should just wear it loads as he’s a lot easier to look after with it on. Is it that simple and am I just over thinking it? Honestly his behaviour is so chilled when this jumper is on it feels a bit like giving your kid calpol every night just to have the easy life and get them to drop off to sleep.

Thanks for any advice. I’ve lurked here for a bit especially when researching puppy care in the months before we made the decision to become dog owners and info from posters on here helped me to largely avoid the shock/regret stage in the early days.

Have you heard of a 'thunder shirt'? It's a close fitting garment that is helpful for some dogs who are fearful of loud noises, like fireworks or thunder.

This idea is that it sort of hugs the dog and makes it feel secure and hence calmer. Never tried it myself but a lot of people on MN use and recommend them.

Perhaps the jumper is having the same effect on your puppy and he feel comforted and calmed by the closeness of it on his body.

It's similar to a thunder shirt/jacket.

The tightness of the garment helps to calm the dog - it's similar to swaddling a baby :)

It worked for my dog too!

Yes as PP says it sounds like it is having the same effect as a Thundershirt. We had one for our old dog and the difference in him was amazing. He would go from manic to calm almost instantly.

Thank you, I'll read up on that. Is it ok then to 'use' this jumper a lot to keep him calm? Can I over use it and affect development if he is so calm when in it? Or is it ok just to crack on and enjoy the calm? It's like magic and I'm a bit suspicious as it seems to good to be true!

I think if you use it too much it might lose its magic! Keep it for emergencies!

ha ha @GryffsMum yes I have thought that. As, if it's only going to work for 100 hours I don't want to waste that on easier evenings!

I doubt it would harm him to use it occasionally but using it all the time, as your DH suggests, is probably not a good idea. Much better to work on teaching him how to calm himself and learn about down time.

As you say, it's like giving a kid Calpol every night, not something most parents, thankfully, would contemplate.

Far better to let him be a puppy and learn proper behaviour rather than having it thrust upon him.

He needs to have his wild mad times, he's a puppy, and it's vital for his physical and mental development to behave like a puppy.

As far as I'm concerned, mad puppy behaviour is all part of a puppy's charm, don't depress it, it'll be gone soon enough.

I wouldn't use it everyday - not because I think you can overuse it, but because he's going to need to learn how to behave properly without it, if that makes sense.

What if one day it's in the wash/dirty/lost and you have a badly behaved adolescent dog who's never learnt how to calm down on his own?

Thank you, yes these are my thoughts too re not wanting to inhibit normal, fun puppy behaviour. I'll keep it for occasional use when it seems needed rather than a crutch to avoid any behaviour that might be harder for us but is more important for his development/play.

I suppose it’s very similar to using a weighted blanket or vest for a child (or adult, I love my weighted blanket). The general principle with these is to use them for short periods when needed or the body just gets used to them and they don’t provide the sensory feedback anymore. It feels like a tight hug and causes the release of calming hormones such as oxytocin. It won’t “run out” after 100 hours as such but it would if you used it for 100 hours in a row. I’d use it in the evening for an hour to make him nice and calm and the calming affect will also help aid his sleep at night.

There has been a lot of debate as to whether thunder coats calm dogs or actually shut them down.

So do be careful and watch your dog in detail. If there is a major change in your dog I would not use them. If you dog is reacting to the coat I would also be wary and add in some desensitisation.

There has been a lot of debate as to whether thunder coats calm dogs or actually shut them down.

That's interesting.

I just been looking into this a bit further and there is a body of opinion that although the dog seems to be calm, it's likely that the dog is actually uncomfortable and stressed by the restriction and feel of the shirt and will keep itself still as a reaction, thereby giving the impression of a calm dog whilst actually being more stressed.

That makes sense when you consider that hugging isn't a natural dog behaviour and although we often like to hug or cuddle our dogs it can make a lot of dogs uncomfortable and you'll often see a lot of lip licking when a dog is hugged; see that a lot in clips online when people post their 'cute' pictures of their children hugging their dogs

This was very much the reaction I used to get from my dog when she was younger if I put something like a raincoat on her. She would freeze and refuse to walk; I also got the same reaction when she was given a cone to wear after being spayed; complete refusal to move.

I had to give up on the cone in the end as it was clearly causing her extreme distress. Fortunately, she didn't try to chew her stitches so it wasn't a problem.

That’s really interesting about the alternative view of the thunder coats. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why just enjoying the jumper and its effects didn’t sit right with me. I can see how the ‘shutting down’ theory could be just as valid as the ‘calming’ theory. If he does wear the jumper for a short while sometimes I’ll keep a closer watch on his body language and see if it’s any different from when he’s genuinely relaxed. Last night I took the jumper off after he’d had it on about an hour, and he did stay relaxed and asleep so maybe it did just help him to calm enough to settle. The jury’s out on this one here!