opinions please, those with hunting/retriever dog experience

[Malli]

I'm looking at 2 neoprene vests for Oscar.

His only regular cardiovascular activity is swimming due to his multiple joint issues, and up here in British Columbia it gets pretty cold; my goal is to keep him active through the winter unless we can't get to the water (it's frozen over),

Dokken's Vest :
http://www.prairiegrassoutfitters.com/D ... -Vest.html
http://innotek-dog-training-collars.sto ... -vest.html

Avery's Vest :
http://www.gundogsupply.com/avery-boate ... -vest.html
http://www.mackspw.com/Item--i-AVE031S

I'm leaning towards the Avery one...

[pocketpit]

Well my only experience is with upland bird dogs not water retrieving types but I'm with you on the vest choice. I like that the Avery vest has built in handles.

[Malli]

anyone else? You do not HAVE to have hunting/retriever experience

[call2arms]

The Avery one seems to have a snuggier fit, I guess that's good. I wonder why they don't make them cover more body surface though, I guess for ease of movement, but a little turtleneck wouldn't hurt, the warmer the big neck veins, the warmer the dog.

[iluvk9]

anyone else? You do not HAVE to have hunting/retriever experience

OH!

Well then I vote for the Dokken vest because the Lab is GORGEOUS modeling it.

[PoodleMaMaKat]

My vote would be for the Avery one if you're going to be using it in cold water. It has 5mm of neoprene vs the 3mm in the other one. The thicker the neoprene the better the insulation. However it may be harder to get on/off because its less stretchy!

But just my 2 cents!

[Malli]

anyone else? You do not HAVE to have hunting/retriever experience

OH!

Well then I vote for the Dokken vest because the Lab is GORGEOUS modeling it.

umm, that wasn't exactly the reasoning I was hoping for But I will take the model into consideration

[iluvk9]

umm, that wasn't exactly the reasoning I was hoping for But I will take the model into consideration

[Malli]

I ordered the XL Avery. We couldn't find an exact size so fingers crossed! Its on the way!

[iluvk9]

We will patiently wait for Oscar's photos.

[TheRedQueen]

I think I shall have to find someone to make The Wiener one of these...his poor little belly gets all scratched up when he plays in tall grasses and such. He doesn't mind, but I hate to feel them when I pick him up. But all of the neoprene gun dog vests that I've found are only for larger dogs.

*pout*

[Malli]

yeah, they're also for labs Hence the "cross the fingers" I guess he's sort of field trials lab size

You should be able to find someone to do something custom, but it may not be cheap

[DemoDick]

What kind of dog and how cold are we talking?

Demo Dick

[Malli]

Oscar or Erin's dog? Take your pick, Oscar is an American Bulldog/APBT cross and will be swimming in the winter on the west coast of british columbia, and Erin's dog is Mini Dachshund and I think she lives near you.

[DemoDick]

Oscar or Erin's dog? Take your pick, Oscar is an American Bulldog/APBT cross and will be swimming in the winter on the west coast of british columbia, and Erin's dog is Mini Dachshund and I think she lives near you.

I'm familiar with Erin's dogs. How cold does it get in B.C.?

Demo Dick

[Malli]

generally between 40-50 Farenheit but can get into the 30's. I'm not sure what temp the water drops to, I normally try to take him to lakes.

[Malli]

sorry, should have read 20-30 range

[DemoDick]

In that case, I would worry less about insulation and more about restriction. Get the vest that allows the greatest possible freedom of movement.

Demo Dick

[Malli]

[call2arms]

Lookin' fancy!