Dog Coats

vicx · 17 November 2011 at 10:43AM

I am having no luck trying to find a coat that actually fits my two pup's.

The first ones I ordered from eBay were not as described - wrong measurement so I returned them for a refund. I then ordered two from a pet website. After 10 days of waiting and no despatch eMail, I contacted CS and was told they are out of stock (it would have been nice to be told!) and are now stock taking so would have to wait until the 24th Nov to be sent out. I was refunded so I placed an order on ZooPlus and the coats have just arrived this morning.

The length fits but the chest is huge! The chest measurements are not on the item description so not sure how anyone can just go by the length and get the correct fit. Either the chest fits and the length is too short or vice versa. I have a pets at home nearby and two pet stores but none have any suitable waterproof coats so I am having to purchase online.

Has anyone got any recommendations? I'm looking for a waterproof coat with fleece lining to keep them dry & warm. They must not have the sleeves in as their legs are short so can't walk properly in those type of parka coats.

I quite like the style of this one but not the colours. If only it had been black. http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_clothing/dog_coats/winter_coats/206157

crazyguy · 17 November 2011 at 10:46AM

Do you know they are dogs and therefor have fur coats so the idea of dressing them up is not needed for them it is just a statement for you.

vicx · 17 November 2011 at 10:51AM

My dogs are only puppies so their coats are very thin and they are losing their puppy hair. If I want to put coats on my pup's to give them extra warmth in the cold winter days and nights then that is my choice.

Caroline_a · 17 November 2011 at 10:59AM

I'm not a great lover of dog coats I have to say, unless you have an arthritic or ill dog. However, the best ones around I would say are from Equifleece. They give the measurements too so you won't be ordering something the wrong size.

http://www.equafleece.co.uk/store/index.html

What sort of dogs do you have and how old?

crazyguy · 17 November 2011 at 10:59AM

Chuck a blanket over them.

vicx · 17 November 2011 at 11:07AM

Caroline_a wrote: »

What sort of dogs do you have and how old?

Two Yorkie Pups, they are 4 month old.

The coats are to keep them dry as well as warm. I don't like the idea of dressing dogs up but the coats are not fashion items. I just want something plain, warm and waterproof since they are feeling the cold.

Caroline_a · 17 November 2011 at 11:17AM

That's a little worrying - they should be developing their winter coats now, and really we haven't got into the proper winter stuff yet. I think there are two ways of looking at this. If you take them out with coats on, I think there may be the danger of them not developing a good resistance to colder weather. However, if they are the 'teacup' type of yorkie, which are really (sorry to say this) the runts of litters bred to other runts to make them smaller, then they may be naturally 'weaker'.

I do know someone with a (normal sized) Yorkie that runs around in all weathers including snow very happy without a coat!

adouglasmhor · 17 November 2011 at 11:23AM

crazyguy wrote: »

Do you know they are dogs and therefor have fur coats so the idea of dressing them up is not needed for them it is just a statement for you.

Quite a few breeds need coats. If you don't know what you are talking about don't feel obliged to spout. Many breeds are either from elsewhere, or have a much shorter life and higher disease risk unless properly protected.
Of course if you are a qualified vet I am sure you can link some studies that back up your viewpoint?

No; thought not.

vicx · 17 November 2011 at 11:29AM

They are normal sized Yorkies, not teacups. My yorkie that I lost 6 month ago never had a coat, he didn't like to wear one either. He had long hair to keep him warm but would never go out in the rain anyways as he didn't like his hair to get wet!

The pups are shredding their puppy hair so one of them has a thin coat at the moment, the other pup's coat is coming in nice a thick.

crazyguy · 17 November 2011 at 11:36AM

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Quite a few breeds need coats. If you don't know what you are talking about don't feel obliged to spout. Many breeds are either from elsewhere, or have a much shorter life and higher disease risk unless properly protected.
Of course if you are a qualified vet I am sure you can link some studies that back up your viewpoint?

No; thought not.

That can work two ways as well so kindly post the proof that fashion coats are a needed. ?????????

I have had dogs most of my life and as long as they are in a heated house then the idea of jumpers and man made coats are just a fashion thing.

The time when you may require a pet coat would be when the dog is sick.

Dogs have been about for a long long time and do you think years ago people nipped into a store and purchased a silly looking item of pet wear, of course not it is merely out of choice.

visidigi · 17 November 2011 at 11:42AM

You might shudder and they might not be the cheapest, but we got ours from Pets at Home - good thing we did too - we went through four different refunds trying to find the right size and shape - was a nightmare, for the convienience i would recommend it... you could take them in to try them on there and there too - I couldn't at the time, the two pups weren't 'house' trained...