Doggy life jackets

[Shadows Mom]

My searches turned up 30 pages of posts So I figured I'd just ask hehe.

 

Penny can't swim, she just uses her nose like a snorkel. And if she gets out too far jumps off the bottom, gets air, sinks back down etc etc. So we thought about getting her a life jacket. She loves the water, and loves fetching floating objects, but simply cannot figure out how to swim. 7 years of trying and its just not going to happen. Has anyone tried a life jacket for a situation like this? Would like some input before we spend $75 on one Thankees in advance

[Laurae]

Yup! Sophie used to go kayaking, canoeing, and rafting with me and she wore the Fido Float from Whitewater Designs. It is a great PFD, and I'd recommend getting one from a whitewater PFD supplier, rather than a "Walmart special" type, because the way the foam is distributed in the jacked and the way the jacket is designed to fit the dog is important with regard to helping or hindering a dog's natural body positioning when swimming. In other words, some puppy PFDs are too long for the dog and go too far down the back, which actually interferes with the dog's ability to swim.

 

Here is Sophie showing off her puppy PFD:

[KrisK]

Yes, absolutely! We take the dogs in our canoe and have lifejackets for sure. Even though the dogs can swim (although Zachary is NOT a water dog), if you're not close to shore, they would likely drown from getting too tired. I bought my jackets at a local pet store and they work fine.

 

7 years of trying and its just not going to happen.

Don't be too sure of that! My old Brandy was like a STONE..but when she was 9 years old, she decided to chase the beavers that were inhabiting our summer place....she learned to swim all on her own! I was shocked. Maybe Penny just needs the right incentive

[Bo Peep]

Yes. I had one. My ex-hubby and I had a boat and we only took one dog at a time on the water. I liked the one I had. It was bright orange so other boats could see the dog if s/he feel overboard (never happened) also had a handle so you could pick them up out of the water.

[Kayleegator]

Here is Sophie showing off her puppy PFD:

 

My trainer uses one of these to enable her CORGI to swim! Poor Fox is just not the right shape to be a swimmer without a boost in the middle. She said it took him a while to learn, but now he happily paddles about after her.

[Shadows Mom]

Excellent! Thanks =D The one we've been looking at is at our local pet supply store, I actually talked to the owner this evening and she uses one on her dog too! Shes going to get a few sizes in and let us know when they arrive, so we can take Penny down there and get the perfect one! Maybe Shadow will be able to show Penny how to swim.. took her 5 seconds to learn! She just walked in, kept going, and was swimming... genius I tell you! Genius! Cept when it comes to pooping outside Luckily my parents have decided its because shes still a puppy and waits too long to ask to go potty, and she can't wait long enough for someone to get to the door. We're all confident she'll grow out of it =D

[Alaska]

My dogs boat with me on saltwater every day. They can swim just fine, but they wear lifejackets so that in case of an accident I know they will float and can attend first to my own and the boat's needs. We did have an accident once, a dog was injured, and the lifejacket did help both me and the dog deal with the situation (she's fully recovered now).

 

So, like Laura, I put a lot of thought into choosing a well-designed lifejacket that was both functional and comfortable, and easy to get on and off. I hadn't seen the Fido Floats design before, but it looks excellent. My dogs use the Ruff Wear K-9 Float Coat, which is readily available through many dog and outdoor suppliers.

[Barb Scott]

We used one with our seizure BC Kye. We were afraid she'd seizure if she jumped or fell out of the boat (and we fish for salmon sometimes in 300 feet of water in Lake Michigan several miles from shore). Kye's life jacket had reflective stripes (we start fishing at 4 in the morning when it's dark) and also a handle to grab her out of the water with. Fortunately, she never fell in. Bryte (our newest boat dog) doesn't wear a life jacket; Kye's was too small and Bryte's a great swimmer.

Barb S

[BustopherJones]

Annie can swim, but when we go out fishing on my rowboat, she always wears a life jacket. I purchased an excellent model from K9 Vet Supply for far less than 75 dollars. It fastens underneath her with both velcro panels and straps, and still gives her complete freedom of limb movement and the ability to relieve herself. It also has a metal loop on the top where a leash can be fastened, and has bright reflective yellow panels so that she can be seen in the water. We tested it our one time intentionally (I thought that this would be a better method of testing than tipping the boat over, dumping both her and me into the water, to see if it would work), and it worked fine. Before you spent an exorbitant amount of money, you might check Internet pet supply houses and shop for the best deal on a good doggie life jacket.

[diane allen]

A couple of thoughts on this, since I've had a number of different types of PFDs for dogs. First, is the dog only going to be swimming in still water (pond, lake), or is she going to be in a river with current? Still water jackets can be different, if only that they're much less likely to "sucked off" in a rapid. There is one brand, and dang it I can't find mine or remember, which is white, and goes UNDER the dog. There are holes for the front legs, and buckle straps up over the back. This makes the most sense for a dog that seems "heavy" - like a corgi or perhaps a cattle dog. They really need the floatation UNDER them to boost them up.

 

For any other type, like the one shown in the photo here, the FIRST thing I do is CUT that handle! Yes, it might make it easier to haul the dog out of the water. But if the dog happens to get off the boat or back on shore running around - the handles makes it too easy to get caught on a branch. Of course, if you happen to be in a fast-flowing river, the same thing could happen in the water. The cut handle is still something to grab onto if you need it.

 

I think the RuffWear mentioned is probably the best designed, esp. for river use.

 

diane

[Barb Scott]

I think our life vest was similar to BustorforJones and one of the reasons we purchased it was for the handle. Out in a deep lake, there's not much for the handle to get caught on. A river, however, is a different story. My dog Skye caught his collar on some roots when we were canoeing; after that, our dogs all canoe leashless and collarless!

Barb S

[Shadows Mom]

Its for swimming in the ocean actually, very little fresh-open water around here (I live on an island). All of the ones I've found online are from US vendors are are $80-$120 S&H through some stupid "international shipping" company most of the sites seem to use. The major problem we have with getting one online is trying to figure out what size to get her; shes a 75 pound shepherd / chow/ wolf mix and shes massive. Like a sausage with legs, tail and a pin head LOL. The one we have available to us is shaped very much like the Ruffwear K-9 float coat. For Penny we are looking for one for beach swimming, and for Shadow one for kayaking as well, even getting a skirt tailored so she can sit in the cockpit with me, and I can release us both if we should flip (which I've never un-intentionally done, but I know its always a possibility - not sure I could manage a polar roll with a dog on the boat either). The skirts come from a kayak supplier (can't remember the name.. northwestern or something of that nature) and need to be tailored specifically for each dog, to ensure maximum safety. She IS after all my everywhere dog, she'd come to classes with me if I didn't have a prof who'd faint at the sight of a dog LOL.

[Alaska]

I've kayaked a LOT with a BC or BC-sized dog in the cockpit, both sea kayaking and mild whitewater. One of my rules is to never use a spray skirt when I have a dog along. That keeps me from being tempted to try anything that could potentially flip us, since you will generally get water splashing into the cockpit long before you reach that point. If I realize I'm struggling to avoid getting water splashed into the cockpit, that's my reminder that it's time to get off the water (or get the dog off the water at least).

[BustopherJones]

This is the vest that Annie uses: Flotation Vest