We’re always looking for new and interesting things for our woofers, so when we came across the AKC (American Kennel Club) Calming Coat we were intrigued.
And we knew we had the perfect neurotic, but immensely lovable dog to test it on.
Charlie the Standard Schnauzer is 3 years old and frankly a bit of a Scaredy Dog! He hates loud noises and sudden movements – doors slamming, hand clapping,
people getting up quickly and of course the dreaded fireworks. So he’s definitey the ideal candidate to test any calming product on and, as the AKC
Calming Coat comes with the 50 day money back guarantee (if it doesn’t work for your dog, just return it and you will receive a full refund) we decided
it was a win win and Charlie got down to testing it out.
What’s the theory?
The AKC Calming Coat is designed to apply constant pressure on a dog’s torso, similar to a parent swaddling their baby, this pressure applying methodology
provides a calming effect to most dogs.
It’s like a reassuring hug. Read on to see if it worked for Charlie…
There is research to show that gentle pressure will help dogs with anxiety and for many years vets, trainers, behaviourist etc. have been using gentle
pressure as an effective solution. Pressure wraps are also known, in many cases, to be more effective than veterinary prescribed medication and this
is why vets on both sides of the Atlantic recommend pressure wraps to help nervous and anxious dog.
The sorts of things that the AKC Calming Coat can help with are:
- Noise Sensitivity, thunderstorms, fireworks, lawn mowers, traffic, guns etc.
- Separation Anxiety
- Travel Sickness
- Pulling on the lead
- Crate Training
- Excessive barking
- At Training class and the vet
- Reactivity
The AKC Calming Coat offers the best value for money anxiety product available in the UK and offered with a full 50 day money back guarantee.
What’s our verdict of the AKC Calming Coat?
Well, firstly what did we test it on?
- Fireworks Night – The first night, without the coat and our usually cuddle-free Schnauzer was soon shaking on the sofa snuggled up as close as possible
to us. The next day, our coat arrived! It was very quick and easy to put on and was a lovely soft stretchy material. Soon enough the fireworks
started – now I should say I was not expecting a miraculous change but in fact that is what we got. Charlie certainly heard the Fireworks but instead
of jumping on to us and shaking he was aware and alert to them but not a nervous wreck. - Multiple visitors all at once – The next test was Boxing Day- 26 visitors in the house, including 6 rowdy teenagers and people moving without telling
Charlie first! Charlie wore his coat all day and was much calmer and “normal”. He still didn’t want to be petted by everyone but was happy to welcome
them into his house and let them stay! - Car Journey – Charlie travels in the car everyday usually for about an hour. He travels in the boot but is never very relaxed, pacing up and down throughout
the journey. We tried him in his calming coat and it did seem to make a difference – not as much as the Fireworks or Visitors but certainly an
improvement.
The AKC Calming coat comes in 3 colours, (Grey, Pink and Blue) and 5 sizes. All sizes are just £26.99 and don’t forget the 50 day MONEY BACK guarantee!
It’s also machine washable. As Charlie is a Standard Schnauzer, he is quite stocky and wears the large – but a slimmer breed of the same weight could easily
wear the medium. For more information head on over to Dogs About Town.
Charlie’s Overall Score?
All in all it’s a 10/10 from Charlie (and from us)!
