You have made your dog wear a thundershirt as he seems to be shivering and exhibiting signs of fear and stress because of the firework events going around.
What comes into your mind is whether you can leave the vest on him for his sleep?
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Can Dog Wear Thundershirt Overnight?
In short, the answer is “Yes”.
Your dog can wear his thundershirt for a nap and even for an overnight sleep as long as he feels comfortable with it without scratching or chewing on the thundershirt.
After all, it is a kind of vest that is specially designed for dogs.
It is actually made of two pieces:
A shirt which covers your dog’s back and belly and another piece that covers his neck. This ensures that the dog is comfortable in both areas.
The shirt is generally made from lightweight, breathable material, so a heat stroke is quite unlikely to happen.
As for the weight, it is only about 240 grams, so that would not make your dog feel very heavy at all.
And the best part is that it is easy to put on and remove as well.
You can find many thundershirt manufacturers out there who offer a wide range of sizes and styles to fit your dog.
My recommendation is that you should always do a visual inspection on your dog for any skin irritation if he wears the vest overnight.
How Tight Should A ThunderShirt Be On A Dog?
You should make the thundershirt tight enough to fit snugly against his body.
This will ensure that the vest will stay in place and provide its best effectiveness.
The more snugly it fits, the more effective it will be.
The vest will apply constant pressure on the chest area of your dog, and give him that “hugging” feeling.
This will help to provide a comfortable and relaxing sensation to ease the anxiety, fear, and over-excitement that your dog is experiencing.
Of course, you should not make it so tight that it restricts your dog’s movement, or makes his breathing difficult.
A general guideline would be you should be able to slip your fingers under the vest and that should be the comfort level for your dog!
When Should I Put ThunderShirt On My Dog?
In general, it is not a good idea for your dog to wear his thundershirt all day long, although it is safe to do so.
Prolonged wearing of the vest is going to make him feel uncomfortable.
Just like if you are to make your dog wear his collar for the whole day, he will start to chew or bite on it.
So, my suggestion is to only do that when he is feeling anxious, nervous or stressed.
There ought to be some compelling reasons for your dog to wear that vest.
Some dog owners will make their dogs wear a thundershirt if they exhibit signs of separation anxiety, especially during the night.
This will help to calm them down as the vest will give the dogs that “hugging” feeling (as if you are holding him in your arm) and make them feel they are not alone.
In most circumstances, I will make my dog wear a thundershirt when there is a firework’s event going on, thunderstorms happening or there are many guests coming to my home.
If I have to bring him to some crowded places such as shopping malls or dog parks, I will make sure that he wears a thundershirt as well, since the vest will give him a feeling of safety and calmness.
This will make him less prone to stress and anxiety and stop his barking and chewing of his collar.
He will feel more confident in socializing with other dogs and people.
How Often Should I Take The Thundershirt Off My Dog?
Though it is safe for your dog to wear the vest for a long period of time, I would recommend that you should remove it every 4 hours to ensure that he does not have any skin irritation problems during the first week of use.
It is quite rare for your dog to suffer from irritation or other skin – related disorder due to the wearing of a thundershirt.
There are vent holes on the vest to allow for proper air flow through the garment.
Moreover, the materials used in making this product are hypoallergenic, safe and highly effective against any bacterial infections.
Can I Wash The Thundershirt?
The vest should be hand washed using normal laundry detergent and cold water and dried by hanging.
You can also make use of a damp cloth to wet clean the thundershirt.