Do any of you put life jackets on your dogs?

[BG and Gavin]

Just day-dreaming about summer.  I was thinking about boating at the cottage this year and wondering if I should get Gavin a life jacket to wear on the boat.  What do other's do?

[Stella]

We have life jackets for both of ours for when we go canoeing.  Hartley is a really strong swimmer, Chase can swim but isn't quite so good at it!  The nice thing is that the life jackets have a handle on the back, so you have something to grab them with.  I also figure if they jump/ fall out of the canoe (or boat in your case) the life jacket will help them if they are panicking and give you time to turn around and go back for them!  The only thing we found was difficulty with fitting due to the deep doodle chest.  After trying a few brands we found the best fit was the Outward Hound brand at Petsmart.

[BG and Gavin]

Thanks for the quick response Stella.  How much do Hartley and Chase weigh and do you remember what sizes you got for them? 

[Stella]

Hartley is 80lb, but has a narrow deep chest.  Chase is 50lb.  I can't remember what sizes we bought off the top of my head, and the jackets are in our store room above the garage.  I'll try and remember to go up and have a look tomorrow!  I found though that you really need to take the dog in to the store to try them on.  We tried the Ruffwear life jacket first and it didn't fit Hartley at all - if it fit his chest it was too big at the shoulders, and if it fit his shoulders we couldn't fasten it around his chest!.  Rens Pets Depot also sell Outward Hound as well as Petsmart. 

[BG and Gavin]

Gavin is 66lb and very deep chested too.  He is thin but has a big frame.  Thanks for checking out the sizes.  Its still a while til summer (sigh) but a girl can dream...

[Stella]

I went up above the garage today and checked out both lifejackets - neither of them have a size label on!!  I guess Gavin will just have to go visit the petstore with you!!

[BG and Gavin]

Oh Stella, thank you for looking.  Anything that involves going above the garage is a big ordeal.  I appreciate the effort!  I will take Gav to PetSmart to be fitted.  In the meantime I will keep my eyes peeled for sales and special offers there :)

[Nugget's Family]

Here is a pic of Nug with her jacket on.  The water off of our dock is 20 feet deep so we tie a 30' line to the handle on her jacket when she is playing fetch in the water.  That way we can pull her back in when she gets out too far.  We don't put her jacket on her when she rides with us on the pontoon boat, since it's so stable, but we do on the smaller boats.

 

I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!!!!!  :-)  Thanks for helping me to think about it!

 

Susan

[BG and Gavin]

I love this picture Susan.  Ah, yes, dreaming of summer!  What brand of jacket is Nugget wearing?

[Nugget's Family]

The jacket is an "Outward Hound" jacket.  IT has lasted pretty well, but I think it may need to be replaced this summer.  She's worn it hard now for three summers. 

 

She's laying between hubby and me on the couch right now kicking her feet in a dream.  Maybe she's swimming!!  :-)

 

Good luck finding the right jacket for Gavin!

[Susan and Sasha]

We have a pontoon boat too...and Sasha doesn't wear a life jacket when she is on the boat either.

She doesn't go in the kayaks at this point...and if she did...she would surely wear a vest.

When she goes in the lake...she hasn't worn a life jacket up until this point.

Last summer she was still young and didn't go out far.

She mostly liked to roam the shore and go in up to her neck...getting cool...and pulling out soft sticks that she likes to chew! (smile)

We'll have to see what happens this year...but...I have a feeling that we won't be able to keep her out of the water.

As the year went on...into the fall and early winter...I had a hard time keeping Sasha out of the water!!  Lol...

I'm going to keep the life jackets that Stella was talking about in mind...along with tying a 30 foot rope to it.

That sounds like a fantastic idea.

The water gets up to 40-50 feet off of our dock...and if Sasha were to play fetch off of the dock this year...I would be very comfortable letting her do it that way...

Thank you for the great advice...and for the wonderful thoughts of summer...

[Susan and Sasha]

Hi ladies...

I've been following this conversation...as I'm thinking about the possibility of getting Sasha a vest after hearing what Stella had to say about using it when she swims and fetches off the dock...and the handly use of the handles on the back sounds wonderful for use on boats other than pontoons.

I just wanted to thank you Stella...for all of your Great advice.

It was very helpful.

I was happy to hear that they sell the vests at Pet Smart.

The good thing that I've found about Pet Smart is that they have a really good return policy.

I find it convenient at times when you can pick up more than one size...bring it home...try it on your Dood where there are no distractions...and then return the vest that doesn't fit.

That works for me...and for Sasha...lol...

Thanks again for your help...

On another note...

It was 76 degrees here in South Carolina...and so beautiful!!

 Of course the water was still too cold for Sasha to go in...but...she and I were enjoying the beautiful sunshine...in February!!

The best thing about it was...we left New Jersey yesterday morning...in a snow storm and 6 inches of new snow!!

So today...the sun felt...Oh So Good!!!!

 

 

[BG and Gavin]

It was 76 degrees here in South Carolina...and so beautiful!!

 Of course the water was still too cold for Sasha to go in...but...she and I were enjoying the beautiful sunshine...in February!!

 

I am soooo jealous!