Abstract:
The animal wrap for touch training is a combination of a front body portion harnessing the lower neck, forelegs, and the chest, and a rear body portion that has rear leg loops. The two wrap segments can be joined to each other by hook and loop fastening, and the leg loops are wrapped around the forelegs and hind legs and secured by hook and loop fastening material. No leash is used, as touch training is designed to apply gentle pressure to the animal&#39;s body. The front and rear portions are made from elastic fabric. The animal wrap kit includes a tail wrap and a face wrap in addition to the body portions. The face wrap is wrapped around on the head or face to bring awareness to the head region. The tail wrap is worn to either raise or lower a tail and bring awareness to the rear region of the animal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/508,869, filed Oct. 7, 2003. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates generally to animal harnesses, and more particularly to a wrap for an animal&#39;s body designed especially for use with the process of touch training.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Touch training has been used by animal trainers to treat animal behaviors ranging from overactive and aggressive to shy and introverted. In order to touch train an animal a person is required to wrap the body in a specific manner using constrictive wear made of elastic fabrics, such as bandages or shirts. The constrictive wear soothes and comforts the shy, introverted animal and tends to tame an overactive animal. The traditional way to wrap animals is to use Ace™ bandage wraps and pin them to the body of the animal. Frequently owners new to the technique of wrapping find the bandages fall, shift or move, making the process of securing the wraps in the proper position difficult. A wrap for touch training is therefore desired that is configured for immediate use.  
         [0006]     The related art of interest describes various dog harnesses, but none discloses the present invention used for touch training of an animal without a leash, reins, or other tether. The relevant art of interest will be discussed in the order of perceived relevance to the present invention.  
         [0007]     C. J. Puotinen in a 4-page article entitled “It&#39;s a Wrap!”, published by Whole-Dog-Journal.com, on Dec. 6, 2002, describes body wrapping of dogs to calm and focus dogs. The various body wraps described are a T-shirt wrap and elastic bandage wraps such as a half-body wrap, full-body wrap, and an anxiety wrap. None of the elastic bandage wraps resemble or suggest the structure of our invention requiring separable body portions and a tail portion. In the full body dog wrap described by Puotinen, the front and back portions are secured to each other by safety pins, and each leg loop is secured by safety pins as well. The pins require some manipulation, and the body wrap tends to slip off and is not secured snugly, consequently not applying the pressure desired in touch therapy.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,939 issued on Nov. 6, 1973, to Lowell Wais et al. describes a restraining and training harnessing device comprising a cord leash attached to a harness consisting of elastic cords around the dog&#39;s neck and crossing its neck to encircle the forelegs. The dog is prevented from making any movement when the harness is pulled to draw the legs together. The device is distinguishable for being limited to the front legs and requiring a leash.  
         [0009]     U.S. Reissue Patent No. Re. 32,547 reissued on Nov. 24, 1987, to Robert C. Reed describes an exercising harness requiring a leash for dogs, horses and the like animals comprising a chest harness connected by elastic cords to the hocks of the rear legs. The harness is distinguishable for requiring a leash and rear leg attachments.  
         [0010]     U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0073936, published on Jun. 20, 2002, describes a training device. The device is worn on either elongated muzzles or brachiocephalic muzzles. The device replaces collars and guides a dog by applying pressure to its head.  
         [0011]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,030 issued on Jun. 23, 1998, to Marcus L. Acoff describes a dog training and conditioning apparatus comprising a collar, a back strap attached to the collar, and a chest strap attached to the collar and to a weighted vest having an upper and lower portion. The chest strap is also provided with weights. The apparatus is distinguishable for requiring the addition of weight to the chest strap and the vest.  
         [0012]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,885, issued on Jul. 19, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,083, issued on Dec. 6, 1994, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,093, issued on Oct. 14, 1997, to Joseph S. Sporn describe leash controllable dog training harnesses. In these devices, a harness includes a pair of loops crossing the dog&#39;s chest and attached to a leash in the &#39;885 patent, a harness around the chest attached to straps on the front legs in the &#39;083 patent, and a harness around the neck and between each front leg in the &#39;093 patent. The devices are distinguishable for requiring a leash to control the animal, and straps between the front legs traversing the animal&#39;s chest.  
         [0013]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,295 issued on Aug. 11, 1998, to Linda A. Schmid et al. describes a dog training leash including a neck band and a chest band connected on the back by a leash. The device is distinguishable for requiring a leash and bands for the neck and chest.  
         [0014]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,352 issued on Nov. 30, 1999, to Peter L. Borchelt et al. describes a dog halter comprising an interconnected neck, side and cheek straps. The dog halter is distinguishable for requiring a neck strap interconnected with side and cheek straps.  
         [0015]     Other halters or harnesses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,275, issued to A. A. DeGroot on Nov. 20, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,255, issued to A. A. DeGroot on Jan. 28, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,515, issued to D. D. Brown et al. on Apr. 30, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,030, issued to M. L. Acoff on Jun. 23, 1998; European Patent Number 1,216,614, published on Jun. 26, 2002; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,156, issued to R. E. Curran on Jul. 22, 2003 (halter secure to front of dog&#39;s head).  
         [0016]     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an animal wrap for touch training solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]     The animal wrap for touch training encourages an animal&#39;s sensory input and brings about a better mind-and-body connection. The use of the animal wrap results in teaching the animal to maintain a constant physical awareness because the wrap moves with the animal&#39;s body. The animal wrap mainly aids the animal&#39;s balance and focus. Shy, timid or fearful animals become more secure after training with the wrap. Other benefits are as follows: (1) there is more movement and engagement throughout the animal&#39;s hindquarters; (2) improvement in the animal&#39;s gait coordination and flexibility, such as an uneven stride; and (3) lessening the animal&#39;s fear of loud noises and increasing its confidence. The wrap does this by applying gentle pressure to the animal&#39;s body.  
         [0018]     The animal wrap can be furnished as individual components for separate and independent use, or in various combinations as a kit having up to four components: a front body wrap portion, a rear body wrap portion, a tail wrap and a face wrap. The basic animal wrap includes either a front body wrap portion or a rear body wrap portion or both. The front body wrap portion is wrapped around the animal&#39;s forelegs and the rear body wrap portion is wrapped around the animal&#39;s hind legs. The rear body portion can be attached to the front body portion by one or more straps extending between the two which are removably fastened together with hook and loop fastening material, or by any other removably securable type of strap. The front body wrap portion and the rear body wrap portion are each made from elastic fabric, such as elastic bandage wraps. Both the front body wrap portion and the rear body wrap portion have straps that form loops near or around the legs that are then fastened to the main body of the front and rear portions, respectively, by hook and loop fastening material.  
         [0019]     The tail wrap is used specifically for wrapping the animal&#39;s tail, either elevating or lowering the animal&#39;s tail, and the head wrap is used for wrapping the animal&#39;s head and mouth area. The tail wrap is used with either the front body wrap portion or the rear body wrap portion, while the head wrap and the front body wrap portion and the rear body wrap portion can be used independently or together as based on the instructor&#39;s judgment. The tail wrap is used to hold a shy introverted animal&#39;s tail up and used to hold an aggressive animal&#39;s tail down. The tail wrap is a strip of bandage having two ends with hook and loop fastening material disposed at its ends. The tail wrap is wrapped around the middle point of the tail with the ends being secured to the rear body portion.  
         [0020]     The head wrap is designed to bring awareness to the head/face area, to help calm barking (when the animal is a dog) and other mouthing behavior. The head wrap is formed from an elastic band having hook and loop fastening patches on its ends. The head wrap is shaped as a figure eight. It is placed on the area between the nose and mouth, crosses under the jaw or chin and stretches up over the neck adjacent the ears, where it is finally fastened behind the animal&#39;s ears.  
         [0021]     Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an animal wrap for touch training that can be securely maintained on the animal&#39;s body, head or tail.  
         [0022]     It is another object of the invention to provide a front animal body wrap segment for touch training made of joined elastic webbed bandage strips or other elastic fabric and an animal&#39;s head wrap and tail wrap made from one such strip.  
         [0023]     It is a further object of the invention to provide a rear animal body wrap segment for such training made of joined elastic webbed bandage strips.  
         [0024]     Still another object of the invention is to provide an animal&#39;s head wrap portion and a tail wrap portion for touch training made of a webbed bandage strip.  
         [0025]     Yet another object of the invention is to provide an animal wrap for touch training having an animal&#39;s front body wrap segment connected to a rear body wrap segment.  
         [0026]     It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
         [0027]     These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a dog wearing an animal body wrap for touch training according to the present invention.  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the animal wrap of the present invention showing the front and rear portions attached to each other.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the rear portion of the animal wrap according to the present invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the front portion of the animal wrap according to the present invention.  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a table of the measurements of the parts of the front and rear body portions of an animal wrap of the present invention for various sizes of animals.  
         [0033]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of a head wrap worn on a horse&#39;s head.  
         [0034]      FIG. 7  is an environmental, perspective view of a dog wearing an alternative embodiment of the animal wrap for touch training.  
         [0035]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the animal wrap of  FIG. 7  showing the front and rear portions exploded from each other.  
         [0036]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a tail wrap and head wrap worn with the animal wrap of  FIG. 7 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an alternative method of using the tail wrap for touch training according to the present invention. 
     
    
       [0038]     Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0039]     The present invention is directed to an animal wrap made especially for touch training. Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , an embodiment of the animal wrap  10  is shown worn around a body of a dog  12 ; however, it will be understood that a wrap  10  of the proper size can be used on any other type of animal having forelegs and hind legs. The wrap  10  has a front body wrap portion  14  and a rear body wrap portion  26 . The wrap  10  is characterized by utilizing one-half inch to five inch wide elastic webbing having hook and loop fastening patches for securing the wrap  10  to the animal&#39;s body. The front  14  and rear  26  portions are made from elastic fabric, such as elastic bandage wraps or Ace™ bandage wraps.  
         [0040]     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the front body wrap portion  14  comprises a neckpiece  22 , a chest strap  20  and a foreleg strap  16 . The neckpiece  22  is formed by an elongate elastic band having opposite ends that is doubled over into two layers and stitched together at the ends to form a neck loop. The ends of the neckpiece  22  are not butted together end to end, but are overlapped at right angles to each other and stitched together. By layering or doubling the elastic bands used to form the neckpiece  22 , the neck loop is less likely to stretch extensively and lose its shape as it is worn by the animal. An end patch  36  of hook and loop fastening material is stitched over the overlapping ends of the neckpiece  22  on the exterior surface of the loop. A pair of hook and loop foreleg patches  34  are stitched to the neckpiece  22  adjacent the end patch  36 .  
         [0041]     The chest strap  20  is an elongated band having two ends  25  and  27 , respectively. End  25  of the chest strap  20  is stitched to the neckpiece  22 , being 180° opposite the end patch  36 . End  27  of the chest strap  20  bisects the foreleg strap  16 . The foreleg strap  16  is formed by stitching together two elastic bands. The foreleg strap  16  has two ends  24  with hook and loop fastening material disposed on the interior surfaces of the ends  24 .  
         [0042]     The front body wrap portion  14  is positioned onto the dog by placing the neckpiece  22  over the dog&#39;s head and around the dog&#39;s neck. Then the chest piece  20  is extended between the dog&#39;s forelegs, whereby ends  24  of the foreleg strap  16  are wrapped up around the dog&#39;s body behind the forelegs and fastened to corresponding hook and loop foreleg patches  34 .  
         [0043]     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the rear body wrap portion  26  is a V-shaped body made of at least one elastic band and having an interior and an exterior surface. The rear body wrap portion  26  has an overlapping junction end  30  forming the apex of the V-shaped body and two leg pieces  28  extending from the apex. The two leg pieces  28  are equal in length and have ends opposite junction end  30 . The rear body wrap portion  26  is formed by overlapping and stitching together two strips of elastic bandages at the junction end  30  to form a V-shape configuration. Another way to form the rear body wrap portion  26  is to fold a long elastic band at its midpoint and stitch the fold together to form the junction end  30 . The junction end  30  is reinforced by a junction patch  40  of hook and loop fastening material attached to the interior surface of the rear body wrap portion  26 . The junction patch  40  is releasably attached to the end patch  36  of the front body wrap portion  14  to connect the two and form the animal wrap  10 .  
         [0044]     As mentioned above, the ends of the leg pieces  28  are opposite the junction end  30 , which forms the apex of the V-shape junction. Disposed at each end of the leg pieces  28  are hind leg patches  44 . The hind leg patches  44  are made of hook and loop material and are disposed on the interior surface of the ends on the rear body wrap portion  26 . A crosspiece strap is connected between the two leg pieces  28  adjacent the junction end  30 . The crosspiece strap has a crosspiece patch  32  of hook and loop fastening material attached to its exterior surface.  
         [0045]     To form the wrap  10 , the rear body wrap portion  26  is strapped on the dog  12  by attaching the junction patch  40  to the end patch  36  of the front body wrap portion  14 . Then, each leg piece  28  is extended rearwardly across the dog&#39;s back, down around the dog&#39;s hind legs and brought forward between the hind legs to be finally pulled up to the dog&#39;s back, where hind leg patches  44  are releasably attached to the crosspiece patch  32 .  
         [0046]     The animal wrap  10  is shown in the figures as a full body wrap using both the front portion  14  and the rear portion  26 . However, each piece can be used individually as a half-body wrap, using only the front body portion  14  or only the rear body portion  26 . Hook and loop fastening  44 ,  24  disposed at ends on the leg pieces  28  and foreleg strap  16 , respectively, and hook and loop fastening material  36 ,  40  used to connect the front portion  14  to the rear portion  26 , respectively, are easier and more convenient than using pins, and also result in a more secure snug fit to the dog  12 , thereby ensuring the application of gentle pressure to the dog&#39;s body, as desired.  
         [0047]     There are a number of ways to configure the wrap  10 . The key area is to target the area around the forelegs where tension builds up. Swaddling the animal in this way gives the animal more self-confidence. Thus,  FIGS. 7 and 8  show wrap  100 , being an alternative embodiment to wrap  10 , and which provides an alternative way to swaddle the animal. Wrap  100  has a front body wrap portion  114  and a rear body wrap portion  126 . Here, ends  124  of the foreleg strap  116  attach to the rear body wrap  126 . Specifically, ends  124  attach to hook and loop fasteners  134  that are disposed between crosspiece patch  132  of hook and loop material and the apex  130  of the V-shaped rear body wrap portion  126 . End patch  136  is used to accommodate junction patch  140  of the rear body wrap portion  126  when forming wrap  100 .  
         [0048]     Wrap  100 , like wrap  10 , may be used as separate components, so that the front body wrap portion  114  may be used alone without the rear portion  126 . In this instance, both the ends  124  of the foreleg strap  116  are secured to the end patch  136 . For wrap  10 , the ends  24  of the foreleg strap  16  are simply attached to the hook and loop foreleg patches  34 . When the rear body wrap portion  26  or  126  is used alone, the junction patch  40 ,  140  is placed and held on the back of the animal so that the leg pieces  28  or  128  are drawn around the hind legs to secure the hind leg patches  44  ∘  144  to the crosspiece patch  32  or  132 , respectively.  
         [0049]     Additional pieces may be used with either wrap  10  or wrap  100 , such as an extension strip, or appendage wraps  41 ,  150 . The extension strip (not shown) is a length of hook and loop material used to extend the distance between corresponding hook and loop material at certain points on the wrap  10 ,  100 . For example, the extension strips are used to extend the distance between the front  14 ,  114  and rear body wrap portions  26 ,  126  for animals that have an extended torso wherein the junction patch  40 ,  140  is prevented from directly securing to the end patch  36 ,  136 . Also the extension strip may be used between the ends  24 ,  124  of the foreleg strip  16 ,  116  and its corresponding patch, either hook and loop foreleg patch  34 ,  134  or end patch  36 ,  136 , as well as between the ends  44 ,  144  of the leg pieces  28 ,  128  and the crosspiece patch  32 ,  132 .  
         [0050]     Referring to  FIGS. 6, 9  and  10 , the appendage wraps  41 ,  150  comprise a tail wrap  150  having ends  152  and a face wrap  41  having ends  42 . The appendage wraps  41 ,  150  are made of elastic bandage, and each have ends with hook and loop material. The tail wrap  150  is longer than the face wrap  41  and is designed to raise the animal&#39;s tail up or keep the animal&#39;s tail down, as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the midpoint of the tail wrap  150  is wrapped around the tail of the dog  12  with ends  152  being brought up to the animal&#39;s back and secured to the crosspiece patch  32  or  132  of hook and loop material. The crosspiece patch  32  or  132  is of a sufficient length that it can hold both the ends  44  or  144  of the leg straps  28  or  128 , respectively, and the ends  152  of the tail wrap  150 .  
         [0051]     Looking now to  FIG. 10 , the tail wrap  150  is shown used to keep the tail down. Here the midpoint of the tail wrap  150  is wrapped around the tail of the dog  12 , but now the ends  152  are brought down under the animal&#39;s body around the hind legs and finally secured to the crosspiece patch  32  or  132 . As an alternative, instead of securing the tail wrap  150  to the rear body wrap portion  26 ,  126  the tail wrap  150  may be secured to the end patch  36 ,  136  or the foreleg patches  34  of the front body wrap portion  14 ,  114 . The tail wrap  150  should be used for a short period of time and should not interfere with normal body functions of the animal.  
         [0052]     Referring back to  FIG. 9 , the head wrap  41  is shown on the dog  12 . The head wrap  41  is a simple head or face wrap formed using a strip of elastic fabric with hook and loop fastening patches  42  at its ends. The head wrap  41  is shorter than the tail wrap  150 . The head wrap  41  is wrapped around the face and head in a figure eight by placing the midpoint of the head wrap  41  down on the nose, crossing the wrap  41  under the chin and securing the ends  42  behind the ears. The head wrap  41  is used to bring awareness to the animal&#39;s face and mouth area. The animal has full use of its mouth. This loose head wrap  41  can also be used for a horse  46 , as shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0053]     The rationale for the head wrap  41  resides in stimulating the relaxation-promoting parasympathetic nervous system, which quiets the sympathetic nervous system to eliminate the “fight, fight or freeze” response and relieve any stress. Touching of the animal&#39;s face helps to release the animal&#39;s endorphins to induce calming and soothing of the animal.  
         [0054]     The head wrap  41  can be used as a first step when introducing head collars on dogs. A head wrap is very useful for animals that are noise sensitive. For example, if a head wrap is attached to the dog or horse before a thunderstorm, a Fourth of July celebration involving fireworks, or other event in which loud noises are produced, many animals have been found to have less tension when coping with other loud noises.  
         [0055]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the table  38  enumerates sizes for the wrap  10 ,  100 . The wrap  10 ,  100  can be made to fit any size animal as displayed by sizes XXS-Custom in column B to size XXL-Custom in column H. Each size has specific dimensions for the wrap  10 ,  100 . For instance, an animal weighing about 15-25 pounds would have the wrap  10 ,  100  made according to the dimensions in column D designated as SMALL.  
         [0056]     The front body wrap portion  14 ,  114  may have a neckpiece  22 ,  122  that is a single 17″ strip or a single 34″ strip that is folded in half and sewn together to form a doubled 17″ piece. The chest piece  20 ,  120  that extends from the neckpiece  22 ,  122  is 7″ long while the foreleg piece  16 ,  116  is 15″ long. The rear portion  26 ,  126 , if made from a single strip of bandage, is a 40″ long strip of bandage that is folded into a “V” to have 20″ long legs, as indicated in row  6  of the table  38  in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0057]     Although the table  38  provides dimensions for both wraps  10 ,  100 , row seven, “Torso Fastener-Top”, row eight, “Torso Fastener-Bottom”, and row nine, “Back/Leg Fold to Top of Torso Fastener”, all refer to the placement of hook and loop patch  134  on the second wrap embodiment  100 . Row seven, “Torso Fastener-Top” indicates the distance from the junction end  130  to the top of the hook and loop fasteners  134 , as measured along the side of the rear portion  126 ; row eight, “Torso Fastener-Bottom”, indicates the distance from the junction end  130  to the bottom of the hook and loop fasteners  134 . Row nine shows that the 1″ measurement for placing hook and loop fasteners  134  on the rear body portion  126  is taken from the center of end  130  straight down each leg  128 .  
         [0058]     The positioning of the hook and loop fasteners  134  determines the angle at which the torso strap (foreleg strap  116 ) may grasp the animal&#39;s body as it attaches to the rear portion  126 . The hook and loop fasteners  134  can be individual pieces on each leg or a single strip stretching from one leg  128  to the other leg  128  on the rear portion  126 .  
         [0059]     Rows ten (“Leg Fastener-Top”), eleven (“Leg Fastener-Bottom), and twelve (Back/Leg Fold to Top of Leg Fastener) indicate the position of the crosspiece patch  32 ,  132  for both wraps  10 ,  100 . Row ten refers to the measurement between the top edge of the crosspiece patch  32 ,  132  and the junction end  30 ,  130  taken along the side edge of the rear wrap  26 ,  126 . Row eleven refers to the measurement between the bottom edge of the crosspiece patch  32 ,  132  to the junction end  30 ,  130 , again taken along the side edge of the rear wrap  26 ,  126 . Row twelve is the measurement from the junction end  30 ,  130  or apex of the V-shaped rear wrap  26 ,  126  to the crosspiece patch  32 ,  132 , which is where the ends of the hind leg straps  28  are attached. The crosspiece patch  132  must be placed at a specific location between the two  20 ” legs to obtain the precise angle defining the shape of the V. Generally, the placement of the crosspiece patch  132  determines the angle of the V shaped rear portion  26 ,  126  and allows the hind leg straps  28 ,  128  to be comfortably placed around the animal&#39;s body. Defining the appropriate angle for the V is essential to properly maintain the wrap  10 ,  100  on the animal. Finally, row thirteen of the table  38  gives the measurement of the extension strips, which, as described above, are lengthening pieces made of hook and loop material. For example, the extension strips for the SMALL wrap  10 ,  100  of column D are 4″ long pieces.  
         [0060]     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.