Doggy Life Jacket

[Morgan3820]

I am not satisfied with lifejacket that we have for our 55 lb. Lab, nor any others that I see. All of the ones that i see have the floatation on the dog's back where it does the least good.

What I have been thinking about is a standard harness with floats attached to the side. Like a lozenge on either side, 12" x 4" made out of 1 inch closed cell foam.

A friend said that he saw something like what I am talking about but can not remember where

Has any one of ya'll seen anything like this?

[capngeo]

One of my neighbors, has one of those doggie “work vests” that have 2 liter pop bottle pockets, so the dog carries his own water... he leaves the bottles empty and PRESTO! life jacket!

[minaret]

Ruff Wear Dog Life Jackets

These are awesome IMHO.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Morgan3820

I am not satisfied with lifejacket that we have for our 55 lb. Lab, nor any others that I see. All of the ones that i see have the floatation on the dog's back where it does the least good.

What I have been thinking about is a standard harness with floats attached to the side. Like a lozenge on either side, 12" x 4" made out of 1 inch closed cell foam.

A friend said that he saw something like what I am talking about but can not remember where

Has any one of ya'll seen anything like this?

Why a life vest for a Lab? They are made for swimming.

I understand concerns about visibility, but IMO, your better off having an orange vest that allows maximum agility for your dog. Don't worry, he can swim For miles. And for hours. And in very cold water.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by avb3

Why a life vest for a Lab? They are made for swimming.

I understand concerns about visibility, but IMO, your better off having an orange vest that allows maximum agility for your dog. Don't worry, he can swim For miles. And for hours. And in very cold water.

From Ruffwear-

The ultimate in canine flotation and water safety. Ideal for active dogs who frequent the water, the Big Eddy is designed for swimming in rough or fast-moving water, day or night.
NOTE: One of the biggest advantages of a Ruff Wear Float Coat is the strategically placed PVC-free buoyancy cells that support dogs in a natural horizontal swimming position, allowing them to go farther, longer, with less fatigue.

- Also provides a great harness attachment point for jacklines or hoisting from the water onto the boat.

[ardoin]

I use ruffwear for life jackets and swimming. I use Paws Onboard day to day cause they are a better fit for carrying the dogs on/off the boat. Ruffwear is a little short on the body to be used as a daily dog carrier.

[zeehag]

critters inflatables. common sense pfds for critters.

[sarafina]

When it is cold out on the bay we use a zip up the back version with sturdy handles on the back to facilitate lifting our 55lb Irish Setter aboard should she go for a swim-about.

On hot days we use a plain harness with a handle rigged to the back to ease lifting her.

She can swim all day long under normal circumstances, but if she were injured I want her to have flotation help and getting her aboard with only a collar on is REALLY hard... been there and done that... just about choked the poor thing wrassling her aboard.

So either way she wears something that has a handle on the back.



I believe the Critters Folks (father and son?) are around here somewhere. Maybe they have some words of advice about the location of the flotation material.

[Morgan3820]

Everyone, Thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions. I do like the Ruffwear.

Thanks again!

[Cheechako]

I think the bouyancy is not underneath to keep the dog from rolling upside down! Get one with a sturdy handle on top.... much easier to pull him out of the water, help him onto the dock or into the dink! He's a Lab...does he even need one? :>)... just kidding...

[delmarrey]

Handles are great for lifting in/out of dinghy's!


.

[minaret]

Mine needs a hoist attached to his handle. Way too heavy for hoisting by hand! Threw out my back something awful like that once. Fortunately he scrambles out of a dinghy fine, even with our extreme freeboard.

[MarthaClick]

Definitely handles & bright colors. In calm seas and day time if you are keeping an eye on your pup, he may don't need one; but under other circumstances I always keep the harness on my pupy.

[sailcruiser]

I prefer critter's inflatables. My sailing dog is a black lab mix and while a good swimmer I prefer to not take a chance. The full life jackets are just really hot for her. If it's not rough out she can just have her ruffwear harness on for hoisting purposes. Generally though if rough she's down in the cabin but if the crew is in their life jackets so does she. Critter's Inflatable® - Index