everyone will probs think that i am silly but i have been putting off and putting off getting my vizsla a coat cos i don't want to be namby pamby but yesterday it was poring with rain and was cold and she was shivering very badly (and was not her usual self - looked uterly miserable) i got home and dried her off but it took 3 hrs for her to stop shivering.

basically
do u think she needs a coat and if so does anyone know of any good sites i could get one (i don't want a fashionable one  just one that is waterproof and warm if you think she needs it)

thanks
anna

My Irish Setters both have coats from Country Mun (do a google search for them) I dont see a problem with them wearing a coat, afterall most dogs these days live in a centrally heated house so it isnt fair to drag them out in the wet and cold and expect them to deal with it.

Hi Anna,

most dogs cope well enough with extremes of temperature but not all so if your girl is shivering excessively there is absolutely no harm in providing her with a coat to protect from the elements.  Having said that, as she sounds to be suffering in such an extreme manner, it may be worth having her vet checked in case there is an underlying medical problem.

I'm sure there have been similar threads recently seeking a good quality coat manufacturer so if you do a search you should be able to find the links.   I bought an excellent waxed coat with short fleece lining from Pet Planet which was very reasonably priced so if you don't find any other links it may be worth visiting their website.   http://www.petplanet.co.uk/category.asp?dept_id=124

HTH, regards Teri :)   

thank you for reassuring me about the coats. i don't want to look silly.

i will take her to the vet (the only thing is cos i work there, they laugh when i bring my dogs in for "silly things". i do worry bout them cos they are my first dogs and i love them to bits.) may have to just put up with being laughed at.

thanks again
did try to do a search but everytime i tried the screen on my computor kept freezing
anna

You're welcome Anna :)  And there's nothing silly about being a concerned owner - not quite the same as kitting them out with every designer label fashion acessory is it!  now that's what I call silly

regards, Teri :)

i hate it. when i am at the vets i see all of these poor dogs coming in, in the most awful "fashion items" and always carried. and these people are fuled by the companies that make all that rubish. even high street shops have started doing pet accesories.
when is this crazyness going to end

When you walk her does she stay on the lead?  My dog doesn't like the rain but is happy as larry when off lead regardless of weather.  Off lead I wouldn't expect to see her shiver but a walk that was lead only I think I would as she wouldn't be expending so much energy.  She shivers when she's hosed :D  but don't feel sorry for her because this means she has launched herself into a freezing but smelly pond or stream.

off lead the whole time unless i need to put her on for some reason.
she runs around with my other dog aswel.
i also find her shivering sometimes at home - thats with some central heating on (we don't have it on that hot). have no idea why.

Hi Anna,

Don't forget that dogs mean different things to different people. They all fulfil some human need. Some are a means to get yourself a good name, some are there to work and be a tool, some are entertainment for families and kids, some are surrogate children, and some are the only friends people might have.

Therefore, we all have to acknowledge this and respect other people's needs.

My own views is that I could care less whether that dog has a fairy t-shirt, as long as the dog is happy and so is the owner. I'd rather see a dog dressed up than one shut in a kennel all day.

See it from the dog's point of view, rather on how we may look to the world. The less one worries about that and takes care of their own, the happier we all are.

I have a flatcoat and a great dane, so no chance of dressing them up. But yes, they will have xmas bandanas on and coats if I feel they need them or if I feel like making people smile when I walk down the road (especially kids and elderly people during Christmas).

Country Mun's coats are very good.

Cheers,
Patty

didn't mean to offend you. i too dress my dogs with perhaps a bandana or something along those lines but all i can say is taht the chihuahuas that do not turn up in bags etc are usually the ones that appear to be happier and more confident. that is on pure observation.

i am not saying taht a little bit of dress up fun is not the right thing to do i just think that some people go over the top. this is my opinion and i am sorry if i have upset anyone by saying it. also i know that a lot of dogs feel more confident in some things - for example my mongrel who has bad noise phobia feels more confident if she is wearing her bandana and her t-shirt, i am not sure why but if it makes her feel better i am happy for her to wear it - even if it does mean that when i walk down the street i get laughed at.

i also enjoy making people smile - so this christmas my dogs wore santa hats for some time on their walk, but i made sure that they were not upset by them and if they were they came off straight away.

again i am sorry if i offended you, i was talking about a minority of the population and not pointed at anyone here. i have just seen some things in the vets that are a bit on the wierd side.
sorry again
anna

Hi Anna,

No offense at all. Honestly, I wasn't upset or anything (I'm sorry if I gave that impression :-().

I just wanted to raise the issue that there is no wrong or right - as long as the dog is happy and that it also makes the owner happy, then it doesn't really matter what people do.

Problem arises when people cannot see that their dog isn't happy, but then again I see this over and over again, in all sorts of different scenarios.

Thanks for your post Anna, honestly there was no offence at all - I just wanted to be devil's advocate :-)

Cheers,
Patty

i agree completely with the issue of no right or wrong i was simply talking about the extremes who can't see that their dogs are unhappy. i should have put it more precisely in my first post.

the most important thing is that both dog and owner are happy and i don't think anyone will deny that.

hope  you don't see any more unhappy scenarios

anna

Hi Anna,  Bear in mind that some dogs are in coats/in carriers/being carried for a very good reason  rather than for fashion!  Puglet has several coats and sweatshirts, as well as a bath robe.  She also has a pooch pouch to be carried in.  However, whislt she may have a coat or two more than she needs, fact remains she does need at least 1 coat!  She has some mobility problems, so is not able to run around and keep warm on chilly walks, but she does love to come out with the rest of the gang.  She I  make sure I take a coat or sweatshirt to stop her getting chilly, and when she cannot carry on "on foot"  sometimes she can only manage about 20 yeard strethces, she still stays warm, enjoys the fresh air, and is carried until she feels able to go down on the ground and under her own steam again.

Her bath robe is for a similar reason, she swims at the hydro pool, and wears the bath robe on the trip home to keep her warm and dry her off.  Whenever we visit the vets etc I carry her, as I don't want her "feeling her legs" so to speak, before we get on to the Vets table.  Even the walk from car to surgers on hard pavements makes her uncomfortable.

bye
Gwen

i thought i wrote a clear veiw of mine in the last post - your dog is obviously happy and so are you therefore that is a very good life for her. i am simply putting my view across and i did not mean to upset anyone. i have just seen some upsetting cases etc but that does not mean that you r like that i was simply putting down what i have seen. your dog sounds very happy and so do you. i have no problem with anyof this and so i have said in my last posts. sorry
i didn't mean for this to become a huge issue just that i wanted to get a normal warm coat for my vizsla taht will keep her warm.

i quite understand that some dogs have reasons for such things and i have no problem with it. as  i have said i put a t-shirt and bandana on mine and now soon a coat on my other for reasons that people on the streets may judge me for. i never judge on just sight. what i am talking about is some things that i have seen in the vets that i work in - therefore i have a good history to go on.

sorry if i upset anyone, i am sure that all of your dogs are happy what ever and therefore i see you as all good owners.

people should do what makes your dogs happy that is all.

and finally to say this is one of the incidents that i am refering to:
breed: yorkie
age: 18monts
came into the surgery as it had been peeing in the house. - all neccessary test taken and with no illness detected - refered to a behaviourist.
report from behaviourist:
this dog is carried everywhere in a bag and at most has a 15min walk per day.
dressed in lots of jumpers and accessories - so much so that it was sweaty at the behaviourists.
no stimulation - ie no training, walks, play just carried around.
therefore this poor dog was not happy and therefore was urinating in the house.
etc ....
this is the type of case i am talking about. not good owners who only want the best for their dogs and from what i can read you are a really good owner.

sorry if i offended you
sorry
anna

I have 2 Bichons and they both have a coat but that is only because right now they have particularly short hair and both are shivering :)

My eldest cav doesn't as her coat is very thick and shes totally unbothered by the weather. The yougest one has a high vis lightweight jacket for the dark cold days and something more substantial for the very cold days. I wanted a pink puffa jacket for her but wasn't allowed.

Try Robinsons - (horse equipment), they do dog versions of stable + turn-out rugs for dogs. VERY practical and quite cheap. they also have good fastenings that don't let the rugs slip and twist.
Chris

I got great fleece coats for my boys from a retired greyhound stand at LKA - they were only £9 each   not waterproof but ideal for the car if I have to leave them or for on a drafty bench.

Does Robinsons have a website do you know?

Just had a check & they appear to have far less than they used to!!!. you may still want to have a look on
Robinsons-uk.com or on Rideaway.co.uk as they do a few as well.
we have had 3 or 4 in the past and the range was a lot bigger a year ago. sorry
Chris