Some thoughts on Neoprene Dog Vests

Somehow my dog, KC, always figures out how to get out of his vest. The vest is snug, has a zipper, and a velcro closure over the zipper and he still gets out of it. I only bought it for protection against sticks that might be in the water, but thinking back on all the years I have hunted, none of my other dogs wore vests and somehow they all survived. I have watched my dogs ice over in horrible conditions and still keep on hunting. I no longer use a vest on him, I figure they are bred to do this kind of work, this is the environement in which they thrive, who am I to change it.

dc
 
My lab went on his very first hunt this year. At one point, I looked down and he was shivering, and his teeth were chattering. A buddy said "I think your dog is cold". Problem was it was warm outside. He had just retrieved his first duck ever. After about 20 minutes he stopped the shivering. I have to agree, when they get excited and that adrenaline starts flowing, just like us, they shiver.

We don't have temps cold enough down here for me to ever make my dog wear a vest, but I bought one. Gander Mountain had one on clearance for $15. I bought it for pictures with the kids and such. :)

Those dogs are bred for cold temps and retrieving.
 
I think you need to pony up and get Otto a Snuggie...for dogs...
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This would be so WRONG,

Belle shakes and shivers every time something flies by that looks duck or goose ish, when there in gun range her teeth start chattering, this happens from the start of the day when she is dry till the end.

Are you still bathing Otto, that might be part of it, those oils help shed water.
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ok my two cents is an unprofessional opinion for the record, my dog remi shivers,shakes, rattles, chatters and cries from the time he sees the gun in his nice warm house where he spends most of his time. this all gets much worse when we get to the blind and God forbid you miss your first shot! now if you do happen to down the bird he will relax completely. i constantly monitor his temp by touching his inner ears and if there not warm i check his armpits if there not warm time to go those methods are from a professional . I have pictures of frozen hair and whiskers and steam bellowing off him. to this day his pits never have gotten cold and he is an indoor dog.
 
p.s. i use a vest in deep water or strong current and notice no difference. if you really want to know a dogs rectile temp is supposed to be 101.7 and should not go below 98 but i can't violate Remi's trust during our quality time like that so i will stick to his ears and pits
 
I am pretty sure between Pete's and Otto's age.. He knows how to tell the difference between excitement and cold.....
 
First off , canines do not process carbs the some way humans do.so "carb loading" does not work. Second, water has excellent conductive properties in this case body heat "wetting" the dog before puting its vest on can actually help...Lastly, I believe a good "cold water" dog has less to do with its coat and more with its mental make up. Specifically DRIVE..I'v seen dogs with wooly mamoth coats not want to set a paw in the water when it under 50 degrees and I've seen sleek coated field trial dogs busted ice just to make a place to swim around to pass the time!

I think reading your dog is paramount...All of us know when they see a dog that looks distressed or has had enough......

The Most important thing about a vest is to make sure it fits correctly, no chaffing or hindering of circulation......I think they work when used properly.....If you don't think a vest "works" the next time you duck hunt go "sans" waders :)
 
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I never put a vest on my first Lab,felt that his natural coat was his best protection.He died before his 9nth birthday from a tumor.I spoke to a breeder as to why working Labs sometimes seem to die young.He mentioned,too high drive,processed food,COLD WATER exposure,etc.but who really knows? My second Lab I decided to try the vest..he's approaching his 9nth year.Not sure if its good or bad but his body does seem warmer to the touch when he's wearing it and he knows what it means when I put it on and he doesnt mind it one bit!.One thing I do feel strongly about is that putting your dog inside in a very warm environment all week in the winter time and then take him out duck hunting on Saturday is not doing him any favors.I think they are better off in an outside kennel thus allowing his coat to aclimate to the temp change and the more they are out there the better.When I get back from hunting I take off his vest and give him a vigorous rubdown with a dry towel which he thoroughly enjoys and take this time to check him out for cuts or scrapes and clean out his ears.,This is really all he needs till the season is over.I would never wash out the natural oils at this time.His house is filled with dry salt hay and completely watertight.They always seem to look their best after a hard season of hunting...muscles bulging and coat shining!!
 
All four of my dogs live inside all year around. We train regularly and hunt hard. They don't wear a vest in the uplands. That being said, an inside dog does not "grow" the same coat as one kept outside. The vest compensates (somewhat). The neoprene does two things 1) it keeps cold water off their body (no heat exchange) and 2) aids in reducing the cooling effect of the wind (no evaporation). It's often not the cold water that gets a dog shivering.......it's the waiting.

I think a vest makes a difference with my dogs......when it is cold and windy. When the water temperatures start dippping into the forties.......their vests are usually on.
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I agree with David L on all aspects of his response. Back in the late 90's while living in Alaska, 5 of us went across Kachemak Bay with an outfitter "Buck" (can't remember his last name) 2 labs, one chessie, and one golden. It was 7 deg F. when we left the dock in Homer. It was 13 deg F. when we returned after hunting in the sun all day. While my finger tips were frozen most of the day, my chessie female was toasty inside her vest. When we were picked up from our blinds and brought to the big boat on the tender, the guy with the golden that wore no vest looked like an ice climbing venue. The dog was in distress and was covered in blankets in front of the heater in the cabin of the boat shivering terribly. The three dogs that wore vests were happy and just taking in the trip. I'd rather wear neoprene waders myself in late season. I can only imagine how I would shiver if I wore my breathable waders at 7 deg F. Same feeling for my dog. The vest has to fit. Also, using a towel or chamios can just rub the cold water into their undercoat creating a direct path for the cold to get to the dog. Letting the dog shake and covering them with a moving blanket on cold days is better than rubbing the water into the undercoat and staying out in the wind
 
I have a Boykin Spaniel, he wears a vest. An like alot of dogs here if he could zipper it himself he would. When we get out of the truck he stands there waiting for the vest, he even steps into the leg holes. I like the vest and although in Florida it gets cool in the winter..
 
My dog shivers during dove season. When it gets cold he wears his vest always. He is a very lean dog and burns a lot of calories while hunting. He gets a half cup of food before we hunt and a hunk of deer fat. After we are done a second piece of fat and a regular evening feeding. He is inside once temps are below freezing and is not bothered by the cold while hunting.
 
I have read all the comments with interest......I agree with some and disagree with some but that's OK. To expand a bit, Otto is my 3rd Chessie and 13th dog in my life in the past 62 years. I not only know dogs but am pretty darn good at reading them. I'm not a dog whisperer but have been known to be a dog 'shouter' on occasion :) I only bring that up to point out that I do indeed know the difference between excitement and cold.

Neoprene waders have little correlation to a neoprene dog vest other than the material it's made of. If you want to compare apples to apples cut the feet off your neoprene waders, wade up to your waste so the inside gets wet and then stand on shore for the rest of the day. OR try it with a wet suit as I suggested - same thing.

In my mind the jury is still out on the effectiveness of a neoprene dog vest for keeping a dog warm. I love the extra bit of buoyancy that allows them to swim with apparently better efficency. Will I stop using it altogether? Probably not but I will be monitoring him a lot more and try to come to a more firm conclusion for my own piece of mind.

Thanks for all the well thought out responses.
 
Pete,

If I have two pieces of equipment that I can use interchangeably, but can't figure out which one I prefer, I will try going through an entire hunting season using only one, then stick it in storage, and use the other piece of equipment the following season (am in the process of doing this with my Extrema2 and Browning O/U to figure out which one I "prefer").

It requires willpower, and of course conditions vary from year to year. But in the long run it may tell you more than just theories... perhaps you can try without the vest next year for the whole year, then try it the following season in temperatures below a particular number (?) - you may just notice a difference.

Just an idea...

Sincerely

Anthony
 
i have never understood why the dog vests don't cover the under belly. If you look at a human float coat, mustang would be a good one if you are unfailiar with them, you drastically up your survival time if you put a neoprene beavertail under your crotch. similarly, i am sure that retreivers lose a lot of warmth in that area, especially since it is basically the only part of their body that is does not have a heavy coat. It close proximity to the chest cavity, and the fact that it is filled with organs means that it gets a lot of blood flow and would/could/should significantly contribute to drops in the dog's temp. Thoughts? To continue Pete's analogies, a dog vest would be similar to you wearing a neoprene jacket and no pants and then repeatedly wading out up to your chest.
 
i have never understood why the dog vests don't cover the under belly.
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Kris,

I suspect that would be due to the difficulty of getting a proper fit for each dog with out chaffing issues. I do agree with Pete's analogy being right on. I used a vest for may late dog Jack, after he lost his front leg, because he needed the floatation provide by the vest.
 
The difference with a dog vest and "standing in a wetsuit on shore" is that the dog is exerting itself and generating quite a bit of heat, some of which is being conserved by the vest. Combine that with added cloatation and less surface area being wet it has to have some impact. Comparisons to humans are not apples to apples.

I dont think it is necessary but I do think I have seen a difference in extreme cold; more in the total conservation of energy than it is preventing the dog from reaching an unsafe temperature.

When I take the dogs vest off at the end of the day, it is never cold and icy inside and his coat is almost dry as I mentioned.
 
Hunting in northern ny ,st lawerence & lake champlain well into december finds us hunting some extreme temps. I don't use a vest early in the season but once the cold sets in all my labs get the vest. I have seen dogs refuse to reenter the water they were just too cold ,(not mine of course:).
 
"To continue Pete's analogies, a dog vest would be similar to you wearing a neoprene jacket and no pants and then repeatedly wading out up to your chest."

Woo, makes me shiver thinking of that (said in my best Tiny Tim voice). Trip:eek:
 
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