Dog coat- Needed or not?

[tooearlytobeup]

I have a nearly 14 week old Springer Spaniel. He is walked in all weathers, and will sometimes be outside with me for up to 2 hours when my son is playing football.
Last week I had another dog owner saying I was cruel because it rained, and he was not wearing a coat ( I did point out he was wearing a fur one)

I always thought they were only needed for fashion accesories toy dogs, old or ill dogs, or the very thin like greyhounds.

Which of us is right? If I do need to get one, which sort is best? My kids want to buy this

He is perfectly healthy, and does not seem bothered

As you can tell, I am a novice

cruel because it rained? .... to a spaniel? I don't think so!

Sure, if we have another winter as cold as the last one then a coat might be a good idea, but it would be a very unusual spaniel who has ihsoos with a spot of rain.

We have a waterproof one for our fleecy labradoodle as if they get wet then stand around they get very cold.
I swore dog coats were for idiots and then I bought one.

Think maybe when its really cold, but not in September

I dont think you need a dog coat for a fully grown spaniel in the rain, but a 14 wk old puppy needs to get dried off, as do all dogs otherwise when standing around they get cold, so one of those teeny microfibre dog towels in your pocket might be a good idea.

No need for a coat.

Glad I'm not insane! Forgot to mention she has a fashion accessory Bishon Frise who is not allowed out unless it is dry so he doesn't get dirty, so coming at things from a different point of view I think!

OK, so if I need one for the very cold weather (as he will still be out with me) which sort is best? Waterproof type fleece or knitted?

Thanks for your quick replies. I do always take a towel with me, and he is actually rubbish at staying still, so is on the move anyway, either playing or practising recall

Your spaniel doesnt really need a coat, but if you wanted to get one then a waterproof outer and a fleece inner would be good, although I bet the dog would be panting if he was running around.

Actually, if I saw you out and about and your dog had a coat on and it wasnt -5 I would be liable to say something give you this look

I'd be more worried about your dog being on a football touchline for up to two hours, when the weather gets cold and/or wet/windy. Even with a coat, that's no place for a dog. Walking is fine, as woof will be keeping warm, but staying in one spot to watch a footie match is not so good.

I've had a look at fashionista coat ha ha! If your dog had any connection with a hedge or any other kind of interesting smelly place, the coat become more Worzel Gummidge quite fast. I wouldn't get a coat unless a dog was really very cold and really very not warming up properly. In most circumstances this is not the case. Love the fashion though

Whilst I agree with ScuttleButter I'm bloody amazed that you can keep a 14 week old Springer calm and controlled for the length of a footie match! Blimey! GSD2 would whine in boredom, GSD1 would be after the ball... only my 12 year old Lab would be patient enough to hang around for 2 hours!

And even then he'd be miserable, he's not keen on the rain!

Scuttlebutter, I probably didn't describe that properly My son is 11.
He plays generally on a small pitch which is part of a huge field used by dogwalkers. We were there yesterday and spent about 20 minutes training (pracitising 'leave it' and walking without pulling), 15 minutes watching my son, the rest was playing with a Bichon Frise. He wore himself out playfighting and running round in circles
I bloody hate football, and have my 9 and 4 year olds with me too. If it gets too cold or wet we decamp to the car to wait for him. Doggie would obviously come too

Tempted by this one though ...

Umm I would not even pretend he was calm and controlled [grin} better behaved than the other dog though who kept trying to hump him lol. Didn't seem to bother him though

When the mobile mop went for his first hair cut last November I bought a coat ready for him to wear. He indicator by his relentless efforts to remove it that he thought it was poncy and under no circumstances would even the poodle half of him be wearing the coat.

aw, clicked on your link and the listing has been removed.

The only time I have got one of our dogs to wear a coat was last winter when the snow was almost 2 feet deep and the Italian mastiff was here. She had a lovely blue fleece that sort of looked like a sweat shirt and she wore that on the coldest days.

Oops does this work? Also tempted by this

Who am I kidding, he can sniff out a muddy puddle a mile off, it would just add to my washing

Ah, that makes sense now! Think it might be a bit provocative to have a particular team strip on while marching up and down the touchline, though on reflection that might be a deliberate ploy!

Think the obedience (cough, ahem) training with Bichon friend sounds like more fun, followed by a nice damp collapse into a warm, cosy car while Mum opens thermos of coffee, checks out MN on phone (and admires linesman's bottom)....

It´s something I´ve also thought about as dog hates going out in the rain.

Think it´s the rain on his face he hates though, so maybe a hat would suffice

Might think about a coat for Winter though as it can drop to -10, sometimes -20.

Daughter is convinced that he´ll need some sort of a boot to protect his paws from the grit that gets put own when it´s snowy/icy.

I'm not sure that keeping the dogs clean would make an awful lot of difference to the general demeanour of our house. I was in the pond rescuing a duck, and came back absolutely caked in sticky mud. I don't allow the dogs in this swamp, but I am not a dog... Perhaps a coat for me?

diddl, may I suggest this one ?

My daughter is trying to convince me that the dog needs wellies for when he jumps in muddy puddles I am now going to stay away from ebay, and wait until pup tells me he is feeling chilly

I have a springer who is now 13 and have never had a coat for her. Pretty sure she would hate it and as they are very prone to running through dense undergrowth it would catch on brambles and she would probably get stuck.
Springers are designed to be out in all weathers as they have a double coat, she does love dirty water but never appears to be cold even in snow which turns her back into an excited puppy.

You can usually tell if your dog is cold. My Greyhound shivers like a leaf if there is so much as a gentle breeze. Devil Dog has a waterproof coat, he doesn't have much hair because of a skin condition and shivers if it's raining and windy, not quite as dramatically as the hounds, mind you

Yes, greyhounds are notorious for hating rain/cold - ours do! Was judging at charity dog show yesterday - some gorgeous whippies there. There was a tiny shower (literally a few drops of rain) and within seconds, the whippies were cocooned into lovely cosy little rainmacs, and all the greyhounds had disappeared into the church hall!

When we take ours out for walks in the rain, they will often jump back into the car in protest if they get out and find it is too wet, and if we insist on walking them (cruel, heartless owners that we are ) they skulk along like mutinous teenagers, all hunched up and grumpy. You can practically see the thought bubbles.. "It's not fair", "I didn't ask to go out in this", "None of the other greyhounds are out in this" and so on.

All dogs are different but my two HATE the rain. One won't even go outside unless dragged when it's raining.
They don't really like coats BUT when it is raining, they stand to have their coats on and seem much happier when outside with their waterproofs on :)

NEScribe - why are you resurrecting all these dog coat zombie threads?!