Coats and boots for dogs?

As a new dog owner I've been amazed at the amount of clothing out there for dogs. Do they really need them or is it just another way to extract cash from devoted owners?

My mini schnauzer is a summer baby so she hasn't experienced winter yet, should I really be out shopping for a coat for her?

J

i am not allowed clothes for my doggies as they are both the size of collies.

if i had a small dog i prob would by it a coat of some sort

welcome to dogsey btw

sue

I don't think a raincoat would go amiss? Don't bother with those fancy jumpers or anything, but all little doggies should have a raincoat I think? Mine don't coz they're big furry monsters, although I must admit I used to use a full weatherproof coat for one of them when she used to come up to my horse with me in the pouring rain, coz otherwise it would be a nightmare cleaning her up in the winter plastered in mud - she has very long thick fur. If I had a little schnauzer I think I'd have a raincoat for him

I have bought a hoodie jumper for my 4 month old JRT and he loves it. He gets very cold during his night time walks and i caught him last week trying to get in his jumper on his own

Yes I definitely think a raincoat is a good idea - Benji has a black one it fastens underneath him to keep it in place its really good for keeping him dry

Schnauzers have been doing quite nicely without coats, jumpers or boots for quite a long time. I don't think the RSPCA will be after you if you don't buy her a scarf and gloves

did someone say RSPCA??????

watch out i work with them!!!!

only joking, well i do work with them but only joking about the other - you wont be persued i promise!!

I have a couple of coats for Missy. She has very fine hair and she feels the cold easily. She has a showerproof one , red nylon with a fleece lining, and I've just bought her a thicker waterproof one , again , fleece lined. The new one also has reflective strips and piping. I only bought them as she was shivering when out in the snow last winter. She took ages to warm up again after that walk. I personally think that some of the clothes you can buy for dogs are silly.

Poppy has a few coats, for wet or very cold weather Chi's do feel the cold though..

Rachel

I do have some practical stuff for those of mine which benefit from them.

THey have `wet coats`, which are double layer fleece coats which you soak through then the water evaporates from the top layer but stays damp and cool in the underneath layer so they keep dogs comfortable in very hot weather. I have used those for a few years now, mainly when at agility shows in the summer where there is often little shade. Contrary to what people might think, the dogs body heat doesnt just warm the inside layer. On the hottest of days I have only needed to top them up once or twice, as each soaking [ in cold water ], has kept my lads lovely and cool for several hours at a time.

Defa also has a snuggly warm waterproof coat, so on the other sde of things, if it rains or is very cold at shows, he does`nt get a chill in his joints and muscles before or after competing, which I consider very important especially as he is now 12 years old.



My Lurcher has a lightweight waterproof and a wet coat, one because of being a typical pointy Lurcher so he does`nt have a lot of body fat to keep him warm in cold and wet weather, plus the wet coat can be worn dry under his waterproof for extra insulation, and of course when used as a wet coat it also keeps him cool as lightweight dogs can suffer from dehydration more in the heat because they don`t have reserves of body fat to help them.





He also has an Anxiety wrap which is for a useful purpose, not for fashion.





My little Silk has a lovely thick warm waterproof which I got to help her gain weight, by her not shivering or using calories to keep warm, because she needed quite a bit of weight gaining and muscle building, plus she has a reflective lightweight coat to keep her cool when its hot, [ which is also waterproof ], as I could`nt get a wet coat in her size at the time.



So thats three dogs, two collies and a Lurcher, who wear coats giving the same results but for different reasons for each dog.
My other two dont wear coats as they are not bothered by the weather either way really.

I do also use T-Shirts or shorts [ with a hole for the tail ], on my dogs from time to time if protecting an op site or anything else which they might lick or scratch at, but again such occasions are for practical use, not fashion.

I certainly have nothing against dogs being dressed up so long as the dogs are not stressed by it, though I did a lot of eye rolling at a dog show a while back which was absolutely sweltering and people were buying clothes for their dogs which were then dressed up in already intense heat.
I thought it was pretty reckless of the stall selling the clothes not to actively tell people it was`nt a good idea to dress an already heavily panting dog in a fake fur lined leather gillet or diamonte covered woolly jumper, and some people showing off their dogs` new clothes during that weekend really had no common sense at all about it :smt021