Ploos1 Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Can anyone recommend a good dog lifejacket presuming they are a good idea ...... perhaps a waste of money? There seems to be many available online from very cheap to expensive and many comments that sizing is difficult. many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 15 minutes ago, Ploos1 said: Can anyone recommend a good dog lifejacket presuming they are a good idea ...... perhaps a waste of money? There seems to be many available online from very cheap to expensive and many comments that sizing is difficult. many thanks They are a good idea. we use ours ont dog on rivers. you need one with a handle on the back to lift dog out of the oggin. I would think any make will do the job. How big is the dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ploos1 Posted February 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Two border collies. New to boating (dogs and us) but both (dogs) good swimmers. Have been warned about locks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 23 minutes ago, Ploos1 said: Two border collies. New to boating (dogs and us) but both (dogs) good swimmers. Have been warned about locks. Be careful if you tie the dogs down with a lead or anything. Make sure they are well inboard so they don't slip off the boat and hang themselves. We either lock ours in the cabin when doing locks etc or the missus takes her off the boat so she is in control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ploos1 Posted February 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Thank you for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 We bought a jacket for one of our Staffies. She wouldn't move and just stared at us. Goodness knows what she was thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Dog Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 2 hours ago, mrsmelly said: They are a good idea. we use ours ont dog on rivers. you need one with a handle on the back to lift dog out of the oggin. I would think any make will do the job. How big is the dog? I'd agree with this. It's not so much the swimming ability that's the issue, it's getting them back out again. The handle is possibly more important than the buoyancy, whether recovering to the boat or at the water's edge. On urban canals in particular, walled edges or piling can mean places where a dog can get itself out can be few and far between, and the lift from surface to towpath can easily be a couple of feet. Similarly, on rivers the dog may be in the water got some time whilst you manoeuvre to a recovery position. Our lab swims like an otter, but wears a Baltic buoyancy jacket when we're cruising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13-10 Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Check they have straps and buckles to secure under the body. I've seen some which just velcro round the chest and belly, would think if you tried lifting the dog with those the velcro would just come apart Would agree with the others, you need one with a handle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 Not sure about dog life jackets, We bought one for our collie, poor thing was encased in a rigid tube and hated it quite apart from being far too hot in the summer. However, getting the thing back on board could be a problem, had a hell of a job getting someone elses labrador out of the Thames at Hampton Court, kept slipping out of its harness, in the end a young hero jumped in and shoved the animal out so handles are a really good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haggis Posted February 22, 2018 Report Share Posted February 22, 2018 We have 2 collies too and they don't wear life jackets but they do both wear close fitting leather collars with strong buckles and when they couldn't get out, they have been hauled out by the collar. Not ideal, but it worked. I too would be concerned at them getting too hot in a jacket. I must admit that the first time we go boating with a young dog, they are not encouraged to like being in the water and this tends to make them pretty careful :-). Our current youngster fell in 3 times on her first trip (by thinking her legs were longer than they are when she jumped off) and by the 3rd time she was quite an accomplished swimmer. She didn't particularly like the experience and being hauled out and I don't think she has fallen in since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuthound Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 We bought this one for our GSD. It seems to be comfortable on him, as he makes no attempt to remove it, plus it has a lifting handle to help lift him out of the water, essential as he weighs 40kg when dry. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004D9Z2C0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard10002 Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 27 minutes ago, cuthound said: We bought this one for our GSD. It seems to be comfortable on him, as he makes no attempt to remove it, plus it has a lifting handle to help lift him out of the water, essential as he weighs 40kg when dry. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004D9Z2C0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Just ordered a medium one for our Cocker Spaniel. Haven’t done much boating with her as worried she will jump in. Life jacket will make me feel better about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8 Hairy Feet Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 My 2 (cockers)had them to start off with but i quickly realised they were surplus to requirement. They do however wear harness rather that collar and that makes it easier to get them out. I do supervise them very closely and they are not allowed to go behind the steerer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac of Cygnet Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 TBH, I've never even considered getting our dogs lifejackets, and they've all fallen in one time or another. But on larger rivers they've always been kept inside. The closest to disaster was when one of them fell in above an open ground paddle. She quickly struggled out as I dropped the paddle, but I don't think a lifejacket would have made much difference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 18 hours ago, Nightwatch said: We bought a jacket for one of our Staffies. She wouldn't move and just stared at us. Goodness knows what she was thinking. May I add, we sent the jacket back and not considered one since. Our other Staffie, George, went in a couple of times and to be honest was a lousy swimmer, but before he sank managed to get back to within arms length to be dragged out coughing and spluttering, none the worse for wear. We now have two Jack Russell's that have both been in to no ill effect. Tunnels we keep them inside the boat. Rivers we keep the side panels up in place. Their couple of dips has taught them to be cautious. I often think that a bouyancy aid wouldn't aid a dog swimming to safety in some cases. It's a matter of choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 My dog wants to add to this conversation, Come on then, tell me what you want to say and I'll type it.....'' I fell in! It was horrid. The water came right up to my nipples and it was really cold. The bank was really high and slippery, they tried to get me out and nearly pulled my head off. Then they nearly pulled my tail off. Then they wrapped a rope round me and dragged me out. She dried me off with a towel and gave me a biscuit for being brave. He said I was a stupid dog and had no idea where to put my legs. Then he said I smelt like a pile of old socks and I made the boat smell. She's nice and he isn't.'' ... Is that it? Looks like Aldi's cheapest tripe with extra slime for you then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRP Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 On canals, I'd agree that the usefulness of the buoyancy aspect is debateable, and many of the lifejackets on the market do seem to encase the dog in a rigid tube. But it is vital to have something to get hold of when getting them out, as you're seldom near a convenient horse creep when they fall in. We've always put our dogs in well-fitting harnesses when boating.They don't impede them in any way, but provide you with a secure handle if needed. On our first trip in our own boat, we came upon a group of hysterical children whose golden retriever had jumped in after a ball, and couldn't get out because the coping stones were in good condition. Getting a panic-stricken, saturated golden retriever out of the water was an experience never to be forgotten. Hence the harness policy ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassedoff Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 (edited) Yes dogs are are a part of family and having them out if the boat while on the go is appealing, sorry I don't mean to be down beat bit I've pulled out 2 dead dogs last summer ok both did not have life jackets but both came from boaters unaware their dogs had even fallen off after quite a few miles. No judgement but both boaters were on holiday with their house dogs. I realise everyone loves their boating dogs but when it goes wrong it happens so fast. Sorry to be a grim poster. Edited February 23, 2018 by brassedoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuthound Posted February 24, 2018 Report Share Posted February 24, 2018 18 hours ago, brassedoff said: Yes dogs are are a part of family and having them out if the boat while on the go is appealing, sorry I don't mean to be down beat bit I've pulled out 2 dead dogs last summer ok both did not have life jackets but both came from boaters unaware their dogs had even fallen off after quite a few miles. No judgement but both boaters were on holiday with their house dogs. I realise everyone loves their boating dogs but when it goes wrong it happens so fast. Sorry to be a grim poster. It is surprisingly easy to lose an unwatched dog. The late, great Buster (the dog in my avatar, not my current GSD) decided, after 8 years of impeccable boat behaviour, to take himself for a walk once when were on the narrows approaching Llangollen. My wife commented on how much like Buster the dog on the towpath looked before we suddenly realised it was him! As we passed him, he nonchenantly stepped back onto the counter as though nothing had happened. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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