10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Life Jacket For Your Dog : For a long period, human society has been keeping dogs as pets for many purposes like the security of their homes against intruders, assistance to disabled people, locating human bodies as we saw recently in the Turkey earthquake etc. since they have been found very diligent to follow the instructions.
But they need proper attention and care like timely feeding, exercise, training etc. Those who are fond of swimming usually take their dogs with them to the sea/riverside. At that time, having a life jacket becomes an important part of the accessories for the simple reason that some dogs like humans may face difficulty in swimming or get tired quickly in the water and need a life jacket to keep afloat even in the mid-river/pool or sea.
For the best buy of a dog life jacket, the buoyancy, visibility, handles, floatation, colours and strength of the materials used are mainly considered. Though the market provides various choices like Outward Hound Standley Sport Dog Life Jacket, Outward Hound Granby RipStop Dog Life Jacket, Outward Hound Neoprene Dawson Swimmer Dog Life Jacket, EzyDog Doggy Flotation Device Life Jacket, Frisco Neoprene Dog Life Jacket, Frisco Ripstop Dog Life Jacket, Frisco Shark Dog Life Jacket, Mermaid Dog Life Jackets, etc., but while choosing you may take care of the following factors and tips:
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Please Decide If Your Pet is a Water Dog.
Some breeds do not like swimming. Their fear of water becomes dangerous when your pet feels trouble breathing and ability to stay afloat. You must keep care that if your dog does not like to go in the water, you should get them a life jacket. If your dog is a toy dog, has short legs or weight is less than 15 pounds, you should have a life jacket for it.
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Dogs With Low Body Fat and Thin Coats.
If you have a pet with a trim body, or anyone out of the breeds like Greyhounds, Salukis, Whippets, Dobermans, and Boxers with low body fat and thin coats, you must assume that it is difficult for it to regulate the core body temperature and keep afloat for a longer period. In this case, you must have a life jacket.
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Dog’s Fitness
If your dog has some illness, it is old, it does not have regular exercise, or it has susceptibility to overheating, and/or obesity in pets, you should have a life jacket for it before going out.
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Proper Size
For buying, you may take your pet to the shop to put the jacket on its body. After getting a jacket selected, you must put it on your pet to ascertain if it has comfortable mobility in walking and running and if it can sit, lie down and get up easily.
If it is not possible to take the pet to the seller’s shop, you should have details of the pet’s griths around its chest and neck and body length. For that purpose, use the measurement tape from the widest part of its ribs and neck. You must also note down the weight of your pet. The details of proper measurement and weight help the seller to suggest a proper kind of life jacket.
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Handles
For small dog breeds, only one handle is considered to be sufficient. But for the big size dogs, the jacket must have two handles with strong thick straps around its chest. It must be ascertained that the top handles are sturdy and well attached to the jacket and have a leash attachment to pull or guide.
The handles should have high visibility with different colours from the jacket, which may be of right, neon or reflective tape so that they are always visible in the water.
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D-Ring and Straps
The life jacket must have a D-ring to provide for leash attachment. The straps must be of proper length to avoid pinching the skin and enable the dog to walk or sit comfortably on a seat, bench or land. If you have a French Bulldog, you should select a jacket having a chin float to keep its head above water.
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Flexibility
The dog life jacket must be flexible to keep the dog comfortable in swimming. It must have sufficient foam support or buoyancy for the pet to go on.
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Colour
While selecting the colour of the jacket, you must prefer a colour other than the colour of the water you intend to visit. It will help you to spot your pet easily. Better, instead of choosing a white, green, navy, blue or grey/black vest, you should prefer the classic neon orange colour.
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Fewer Attachments
The jacket should have fewer adjustable attachments so that it should be easy to put on and off. The attachments must be of a durable material like strong nylon or neoprene with quick-release buckles.
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Front Flotation Pad.
Please ensure that the life jacket you are going to buy should have a buoyant pad located immediately under your dog’s chin to keep its head afloat in case of a pet emergency.
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