does anyone buy clothes etc for their dogs & what does everyone think about dressing doggies ?

Apart from raincoats for shor coated or elderly dogs I think clothing dogs an waful idea, they already ahve a perfectly good coat that nature gave them.

I also feel it takes away their dignity as animals away and encourages the little furry people idea many seem to have of dogs.  the problem with this is that it leads people to think they think like we do and have similar morals and thought processes.  They are dogs and will act and have doggie drives.  This includes hunting, mating bitches (even if they are mother sister daughter etc), and so on.

I agree with Brainless. A coat for warmth/protection from elements is fine but anything else is (IMO) just tacky and undignified.

i recieve photos from the owners of puppies i have sold, and out of 18 photos of different dogs, they are all wearing little jumpers , coats , a few in boots , but the worse one is a gorgeous little red girl wearing a pink tutu !!   personally, i use a raincoat on 1 of my dachsies coz its the only way she will go out when its raining !! i think the dogs look cute dressed up in photos , say for a birthday card or calendar, but as for these dogs walking the streets wearing , a tutu . naaah !!!:D

Agree with Brainless.  Mine do have a coat for cold damp weather as they are elderly and a toweling coat for hydrotherapy in the winter.  But otherwise they are as nature intended.

dont like it either Bonnie used to have a raincoat when she was getting old but as Leo is a sheltie he has more than enough coat to keep him warm

I agree with brainless, clothes really are not for dogs, maybe a bit of fun or to keep the elderly dry, but Im having trouble comming to terms with the prospect of having to buy my lab a coat to keep his joints warm and dry. 

I was told off by a kennel owner near us when Duds was an ickle puppy that I was cruel not getting her a coat as it was winter and she would get cold So in Labrador do they have all their dogs in nice little twin sets to go into the water ? :D :D

She was a Field Spaniel breeder !

Lucy
xx

LOL Lucy. I take it she showed them not worked them! I have seen working gundogs shivering with cold, but still happy to work. Mind their owners were shivering too. Somehow I just cannot see a spaniel in a coat even more than a Lab, it would just get in the way as they crash through the undergrowth and I can see it getting caught and causing an accident.

I confess that I did once buy my sisters golden a pair of 'reindog' antlers, but she is SO daft, she just sat there with a look of 'ok have your laugh and get it over with'! 

For my bernese and newfi.....
Outdoor wear: a full waterproof body suit with matching wellies.
Indoor wear : a plastic bib, with the upturned tray, for catching slob!
Don't think they would wear it though!! :D  

Actually Tippytoes...you have a point there. If you happen to find them, I might consider making my Newf wear them :D :D Can't really imagine a Newf in a frilly tutu, though. Imagine the ridicule from the other dogs in the park... :D :D

Abby has a coat that she wears when its raining on the way to the park and on the way home the rest of the time she runs enough to stay warm and she always gets dried off when we get home. I have found her dressed in little pink t shirt and matching pink skirt thanks to Bronwyn(4).
Mary

On the odd occasion i put cute little booties on to protect their sensitive paws to elements like hard and jaggedy-sp- rock and gravel. A shirt would just be extra heat and the only part of the body that gets cold is basically the stomach area which is hairless. Of course if you covered this then you would have a shirt covered in urine.

I am afraid I am going against the majoirty here - Puglet has several coats, to cope wiht wet adn/or cold weather, with matching hats (She had an open fontanelle, and used to wear a hat to protect her head, now she wears one just to keep warm or dry)  For her birthday thisyear she got a bath robe and matching towel, with her name on them.  Howeve,r they do serve a genuine practical purpose.  Becasue of her disability she swims frequentlsy, but her sual pool is closed.  The new pool we use does not blow dry the dogs, jsut gives a quick towel off, so she then wears her bathrobe for the journey home, and is nice and dry when we get back.  Have to add she also has 3 fancy dress outfits, whcih she has worn at christmas parties (they have a fancy dress competition)  So she has an angel outfit, a Tinkerbell outfit, and a mermaid one!  However, each only been worn once.

bye
Gwen

I used to be anti-'dogs in clothes' but for little toy dogs I've changed my mind.   My sister has 4 different coats for her CKCS and they are so cute and actually quite practical too.  I have such a laugh browsing through the 'dog apparel' sites some clothes are ridiculous but some are pretty as well as being functional.  Dogs coats don't always have to be tartan/wax cotton/quilted material!

I loathe seeing a gundog breed with a coat on, any gundog breed.

I know they are in the toy group but Cavaliers are Spaniels (gundogs) :D :D

Might have been..but seeing as most pheasants are bigger than her, she'd have one heck of a job trying to retrieve one of them in her pink gingham raincoat!  ;)

..

It depends what role your dog plays in your life. We are all different and dogs will mean different things to every individual. If you have a dog that is your 'baby', then ofcourse you are going to dress it up. The dog doesn't know if it's a normal dog coat or a pink fluffy thing. You may get funny looks, but that's by the by.....

If I had a little dog, there is no doubt at all that I would dress it up and pamper it like heck. However, I have a great dane and a flat coat, so no chance of that..... :-)

imagine a great dane in a pink tutu LOL:D at least it would have the legs for it !!! :)

i dress murphy up for going out as I need to look tough. Hes got a leather jacket and a pair of foster grants and a pair of doc martins to go with his gold chain.

Sorry cant understand why. a coat to keep it dry. Yes A coat for warmth. Yes. I cant understand the dressing up bit though.

I think alot of it depends on what breed you have . those of you with short haired breeds may not understand why some people with long haired breeds put different things on dogs , My cockers coat would take a good couple of hours to dry so She wears a coat pretty normal I think I do have a few different colours :P hey if your going to put one on why not put a nice one on :D  but to be honist she comes home still soaking wet .
I have seen people with the same breed put the waterproof tracksuit type of thing on . now to some who look at the dog they might think woo what the heck is that dog wearing But I can understand why :P I dont like the look of them so I end up with lovely wet pooches :d
In the winter I sometimes put a tshirt under the coat just to try and keep her skirt up and dryish which is near impossible :rolleyes:
Yep I have a gundog and I do prefer seeing my dogs proper coat but Sometimes I dont have half hour to dry her with the hair dryer

Oh, Mr Murph - we have missed you :D

I was never tempted with my two boys, except for a warm fleecy coat for Henry when he's lying in his crate at winter dog shows. But now I have the bitch puppy I find myself eyeing the red diamond studded collars at the shows! I even tried one on her once but they were hidden under her fur, alas! :-D

i confess to having pink , silver & blue studded collars & leads for my little ones ! i only use them when im dressed up myself, never thought of myself as a poser before  now!!! :D

I'm not against the all in one waterproof coats for practicality. they are a Godsend for the long coated breeds, when you want to exercise them in wet weather or even when the ground is wet or its been snowing. Stops snowball forming on the feet, and saves hours of drying them.
But in general I don't think most healthy, virile, coated dogs need coats. Certainly not the Westy's, with their little Tartan jackets. Uuurgh!!!

I think my GWP would kick my head in, he has a black collar and a black lead and halti.

I would worry about him snagging things when he is in woodland.

Its ok for wee dogs I suppose

At a recent family get together a relative put a black t-shirt with 'SECURITY' printed on it on her huge black lab cross. :D