The PupLife Interview With Susan Sharpe, Inventor Of The Anxiety Wrap For Dogs
If your dog is afraid of thunderstorms, lightning or fireworks, it is quite likely that you already use the Anxiety Wrap for Dogs. If not, this snug-fitting piece of apparel is something that you simply must try with your four legged friend. The original Anxiety Wrap works to help relieve some of the anxiety that dogs feel during storms. We recently caught up with the inventor of the Anxiety Wrap, Susan Sharpe, APDT, CPDT.
Q: Tell us why you invented the Anxiety Wrap.
Susan Sharpe: As a professional dog trainer for over 25 years I’ve always looked for ways to reduce anxiety and fear in dogs. The Anxiety Wrap invention came after learning of Temple Grandin’s personal squeeze box. This made sense to me because as a kid growing up on the farm I witnessed cattle in shuts calm down.
I also read Dr. Candice Perk’s book “Molecules of Emotion” and thought let’s give this a try. So using a t-shirt to prevent any adhesive being in direct contact with the dog, I wrapped the dog using duct tape to produce maintained pressure and activate acupressure points. As a certified practitioner, I knew to add the Awareness Straps to bring awareness to the hindquarters of anxious and/or fearful dogs. Dogs can store stress, anxiety and fear in their hindquarters similar to us developing a tight neck or knot in our neck/shoulder areas.
We didn’t set off to bring a product to market, my initial goal was to decrease anxiety and increase confidence in dogs as they mixed during doggie daycare and it worked! Then one day an owner showed up early and saw his dog wrapped in duct tape! He thought there had been some horrible accident. Of course we explained why his dog was wrapped in duct tape and all was fine, but it was then I made contact with a local seamstress for a more professional looking Anxiety Wrap.
It took over 90 prototypes to develop such an effective, lightweight, breathable wrap that provided maximum coverage for maximum effectiveness. The Anxiety Wrap moves in every direction the dog does for maximum comfort and effectiveness. During our testing dogs not only slept in their Anxiety Wraps, but ran agility and swam! Over time we discovered the many uses of the Anxiety Wrap for different forms of anxiety and fear, from storm fear to travel anxiety to name just a couple.
Q: What exactly is the Anxiety Wrap? Susan Sharpe: The Anxiety Wrap is a form fitting pressure wrap that uses “maintained pressure” and “acupressure” to lower anxiety and reduce fear in dogs and cats.
Q: How does the wrap work? Is it similar to swaddling a baby?
Susan Sharpe: Yes, that’s a good analogy, now add to that utilizing pressure points and engaging the hindquarters of the dog and you have the Anxiety Wrap.
Q: Does the Anxiety Wrap work for all dogs?
Susan Sharpe: No, there is no product that works for all dogs, all of the time. That said, the Anxiety Wrap has helped thousands of dogs over the years for many different behavioral issues. Tufts recently did a study on the Anxiety Wrap and found it to be 89% effective for storm fearing dogs.
Q: How is the Anxiety Wrap different from other products on the market?
Susan Sharpe: The Anxiety Wrap is the Original pressure wrap and although there are some knock offs out there, only the Original Anxiety Wrap uses acupressure coupled with maintained pressure and the hindquarter Awareness Straps. In addition, the fabric used is specially designed and produced just for the Anxiety Wrap keeping it lightweight, breathable and comfortable. We also support the Anxiety Wrap by providing free of charge, treatment programs should additional support be necessary. These are specifically written for our customers who needed additional help with resolving their dog’s behavioral issue regardless of where they purchase their Anxiety Wrap.
Q: Tell us about the Calming Face Wrap. How does this work and how is it different than the Anxiety Wrap?
Susan Sharpe: The Calming Face Wrap was originally invented for unwanted barking. This is a wonderful product that uses, as does the Anxiety Wrap, maintained pressure and acupressure. It works quickly and alone for the dog who likes to bark. There’s no jaw restriction when it’s on the dog so the dog can do anything with the Calming Face Wrap on that he or she can do without the Calming Face Wrap on. If a dog barks from fear or anxiety then we suggest using the Anxiety Wrap to reduce the fear and anxiety and the Calming Face Wrap to modify the learned behavior or “habit” of barking.
Q: How have people's attitudes towards pet ownership changed over the last few years?
Susan Sharpe: We believe more and more pet owners now seek kinder and gentler ways of dealing and resolving their pets’ behavioral issues. The quick fixes using physical punishment have also produced many unwanted fallout behaviors. As an example the anti-bark shock collar may end the dog’s immediate barking, but by physically punishing the dog for barking the dog may become more anxious and fearful. This can lead to fall out from shyness to submissive urination to even fear-based aggression.
Q: Tell us about your own dogs.
Susan Sharpe: We have 3 rescue dogs. Skye, our 13 yr old Border Collie, Reece our 8 yr old Minpin and Breeze our 4-yr old Goldendoodle. All wonderful dogs and the Border Collie and Minpin use the Anxiety Wrap for fear of storms.
Q: Are there any tips that you would offer owners of dogs with storm anxiety (other than using the Anxiety Wrap of course).
Susan Sharpe: Sure, here are some suggestions that may help some dogs, but again there’s no one solution for every dog.
1. Gently place cotton ball in each hear to muffle the sound of the thunder, fireworks and gunfire. This is not meant for long term use but only during the storm.
2. Turn TV, radio or noisy fan to also muffle the sound of the thunder, fireworks and gunfire.
3. Dampen the dog’s haircoat to prevent static charge from sparking the dog.
4. If the dog can be crated (some dogs will panic) place a light cover over the crate to help block the lightning from being seen. Close the curtains to help prevent lightning from being seen. Also, turn on the inside and outside lights which can reduce the contrast between the dark skies and lightning.
5. Make sure the dog can get into a dark closet or other windowless room to prevent lightning from being seen.
6. Turn the dryer or washing machine on in your laundry room. The sound from one of these will be a familiar sound and will help to override the storm sounds.
Q: Thank you for visiting us with Susan!
Susan Sharpe: Thank you and it’s been an honor to be associated with PupLife all these years!
