Doggie Life Jackets

[Debi and Monty Moose]

It is time for our little boy (ha ha!) to start going to the lake with us, but we are needing a quality and comfortable life jacket for him.  Monty is now 70 lbs at 8 1/2 months, so we will need one that he can continue to grow into, without it being too large for him now.  Do any of you out there with water dogs have any suggestions as to which one would be the best kind to get? 

[Sue and Buddy]

Ruff Wear makes great products including a good life jacket.

Be sure to check their sizing chart to find the right size. There are many places that sell Ruff Wear. You can search to find the best price.

[Debi and Monty Moose]

Thank you Sue!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

We have two dogs....100 pound Vern and 46 pound Fudge. I tried several life jackets before settling on this one. Our dogs always wear life jackets when we are at the lake. You may also be able to get this through Amazon using the preferred vendor link at the top of the page.

http://www.ruffwear.com/-9-float-coat?sc=2&category=694

It is pricier than some you can get, so you may want to get a cheaper one until you are sure of his size, but this is the one I recommend. TJ Maxx has them occasionally and we did use other kinds before settling on this one. Good luck!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Do you have the dogs wear life jackets when swimming or just when boating?  

We sometimes take Luna to the river for a swim, but never boating.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

J, Is this question for me? LOL If so, I put the life vests on our dogs when we get on the boat. When we dock and they swim, the life vests stay on. Sometimes, we are in very deep water with no shoreline in sight. Fudge seems to feel more secure with the life vest on and it has a handle on it to lift her on and off the boat. If we are walking along the lake and they go in, they are not wearing their life vests. Fudge is always a flight risk, so she is always connected to our boat with a 30 foot line.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yes that was for you :)

Yeah that's what I thought - we take Luna swimming but it's never from a boat, so the shore is near.  No life vest needed I think.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree. I started with the vests because Fudge was so timid in the water and both dogs seem to like being in the water better with the vests. We paddleboard with them, too, and sometimes we are again in very deep water and I just want to know they are safe.

[Debi and Monty Moose]

Thank you Laurie!  I am going to seriously look at this one.  It has some wonderful reviews.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

We have been happy with them. My page shows tons of pictures with the dogs wearing their vests. Good luck!

[Stella]

I loved the Ruffwear life jacket but found we couldn't get it to fit my big LD who has a very deep narrow chest and narrow waist. They just didn't fit him right. In the end we settled for the Outward Hound life jacket at Petsmart. It was more adjustable and a better fit. My advice is to go to a shop and take your dog to actually try the life jacket on, rather than buying online.