Dog life jacket – Tips for testing and buying
But although there are plenty of resources for buying a life jacket for humans (that is mandatory for any boater), this is another story for dogs.
It is strongly recommended that for the first buy at least, that you bring your dog with you. Indeed, since there is no standard as to sizes, every manufacturer has its own guidelines.
A dog life jacket should provide handle and ease.
There are two things that you need to be sure of. First, that the dog life jacket has a handle to enable you to quickly get the dog out of trouble.
Second, it is important that the vest does not get in the way of the dog. This is supposed to help the dog swimming, not to increase its fatigue.
You need to pay special attention if you happen to own those kind of breeds : Doberman pinscher, boxer, and as a general rule dogs with low body fat, since they can have trouble in water. In addition, according to many veterinarian, no matter how we think a dog can swim, when we actually supervise it, a dog can also drown. Period.
Dog life jacket buoyancy.
A little common sense will tell you also that a dog can be tired, can lack of exercise and can momentarily loose sense of orientation. Any dog life jacket has a specific buoyancy, that should even more push you to do some testing before making your decision. Buoyancy should be the second most important parameter to take into account as to this piece of equipment.
The next thing to test for is how easy the jacket is to put on and to take off. Is there sufficient strap length ? If it comes in excess, you will want to cut it so that it does not impede the dog's ability to swim.
The final tip will be easy to implement : talk to other dog owners about the canine life jacket topic ! They are your best advisers as to the dos and the don't regarding handles, straps, buoyancy, ease of dog lifting, and dog comfort.
After that, your mind will have better options for deciding which life jacket to get your best friend. As for humans, clothes for dogs have to be carefully chosen.
