[nagdu] keeping dogs warm

[Julie J.]

I also have one of the commercially available dog coats. the outside is like 
a windbreaker material and the inside is fleece.  It has Velcro to adjust 
the chest size across the front of the dog.  It fastens with a Velcro belt 
around the rib cage.  Right now I am putting it on under the harness, until 
I have the time and ingenuity to figure out something that can go over the 
harness.    I also made a sweater, but it is very bulky and doesn't do much 
at all when it's windy, which is most of the time. *smile*

I spent something like $12 to $15 for the coat.  If you or someone you know 
is handy with making garment alterations, maybe you could work out how to 
alter the coat so it can go over the harness.

HTH
Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 8:40 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] keeping dogs warm


> Hi Cheryl,
>
> Booties are a good idea if you can find them. They do take some work for 
> the
> dog to get used to wearing them and they do change the dog's gait if 
> that's
> something important for you.
>
> I've only had one dog who could keep them on and didn't seem to mind it.
> They change Swap's gait so much that I can't work him with them on. 
> Luckily
> we don't have the bus stop walk right now but if we did, I'd work on it 
> more
> with him and see if we could get him not to prance like a show horse. 
> <grin>
>
>
> As for coats, some dogs get colder quicker than others. One of my dogs, a
> little black Lab who was always full of energy, got cold if it went below 
> 45
> degrees. Her teeth would chatter which is a very weird sound. <grin>
>
> At that time the school sold a bright yellow rain coat which served 2
> purposes. It kept the top parts of the dog dry and was bright with
> reflective material on it. It also was just enough to keep Jerry Lee warm.
>
> With my big Golden, Toby, who had very long fur and who was quite proud of
> said fur, I bought a custom-made snow suit. I'm not sure the company even
> exists any longer but it was called Cachet Creations and was out of 
> western
> Canada. I still have the suit and it's big enough for Swap should I need 
> it.
>
>
> The suit is gortex so it's warm and water proof but not too warm.
>
> I'd think for every day use, one of the fleece lined jackets like Liz
> mentioned would be good. That way you can take it off easily once inside 
> so
> Maxx doesn't get overheated.
>
> As I write, it's 2 degrees with a wind chill of about 6 below. That's
> nothing compared to what some of you out there have been dealing with on a
> regular basis this winter.
>
>
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