halfthewords Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Hey guys! Carl is up to a point in his training where I'd like to condition his muscles more with some weight bearing. Also, he drops like a stone in the water. So what brands does everyone use for doggy life jackets and saddlebags? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) I would recommend Ruffwear float jackets. If you want to swim your dog in one, they are cut nice and high to free the shoulder for swimming. I'm not a fan of loading weight on a dog for muscle building. They don't have a proper shoulder like a horse to bear the weight and frankly plenty of road work is all you need. Edited January 25, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Emma wears a Ruffwear life jacket - good fit for her, foam isn't too thick but keeps her quite high in the water, good movement. See pic (she's wearing a Small). Love it!! She is sooo confident in the water now when she wears it (I was worried she was going to sink to the bottom before!!!). Kenzie has an EziDog backpack (also small size but she could probably wear a medium). Quite good, carries enough without being able to be overloaded. I would say it does sit quite high and is over her shoulders, it might be more comfortable if it sat a little further back but she likes wearing it. When she wears it she generally gets to carry the water. She walks very differently when she wears the backpack (not in a good or bad way just a different way). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would recommend Ruffwear float jackets. If you want to swim your dog in one, they are cut nice and high to free the shoulder for swimming. I'm not a fan of loading weight on a dog for muscle building. They don't have a proper shoulder like a horse to bear the weight and frankly plenty of road work is all you need. Thanks PF, I've been browsing review sites and it seems Ruffwear is the way to go! He is really muscled in his hind end (which is why he sinks ) so I'm just trying to give him a more even muscle tone. He is a super muscular dog anyway so I don't see the harm in him carrying the water bottles and car keys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 Emma wears a Ruffwear life jacket - good fit for her, foam isn't too thick but keeps her quite high in the water, good movement. See pic (she's wearing a Small). Love it!! She is sooo confident in the water now when she wears it (I was worried she was going to sink to the bottom before!!!).Kenzie has an EziDog backpack (also small size but she could probably wear a medium). Quite good, carries enough without being able to be overloaded. I would say it does sit quite high and is over her shoulders, it might be more comfortable if it sat a little further back but she likes wearing it. When she wears it she generally gets to carry the water. She walks very differently when she wears the backpack (not in a good or bad way just a different way). Thanks for the detailed review! I think I'll go with the ruffwear when I have a bit more money saved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkelpie Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I purchased my lifejacket through http://www.backcountryk9.com/ They were by far the cheapest I could find for the ruffwear jackets, even with shipping I saved about $80! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Clover Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 My JRT Harri is a sinker when he goes swimming naked. He has one of the Ezy Dog ones and it works great, keeps him evenly floated and he can still move freely in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraNik Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I purchased my lifejacket through http://www.backcountryk9.com/They were by far the cheapest I could find for the ruffwear jackets, even with shipping I saved about $80! That's where I get all my Ruffwear stuff from. I would highly recommend the Ruffwear Float Coats as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I think you get more muscle tone/build up by walking your dog in chest height water (chest height to the dog, not yourself) more than you would for the same swim time. This form of exercise was recommended for Mandela as he was developing. The side benefits to that was that I felt it giving me a good work out as well. The difficulty with this is that it requires a beach and that's a fair amount of travel for some (including me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) He is really muscled in his hind end (which is why he sinks ) so I'm just trying to give him a more even muscle tone. He is a super muscular dog anyway so I don't see the harm in him carrying the water bottles and car keys. It might be due to his construction. If he's more angled in the rear than the front, he'll load his rear end. Loading his front end might develop into soundness issues if he's not built to take it. The first place I'd be headed with an unevenly muscled dog would be a good canine chiropractor - it could be sign of injury or unsoundness. PME - shifting the weight of the dog pack off the dog's shoulders would see all the weight borne by the spine alone. A good backpack will be designed to load the shoulders. The challenge for designers of these packs is to do that without restricting the dog's movement. Edited January 25, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 PME - shifting the weight of the dog pack off the dog's shoulders would see all the weight borne by the spine alone. A good backpack will be designed to load the shoulders. The challenge for designers of these packs is to do that without restricting the dog's movement. Yeah, I understand that, just as with human backpacks and how they are supposed to be worn properly (I've spent many a school camp telling kids how much back damage they're going to do wearing their backpacks the way they do!!!). But it seems to be so high that it bumps into her neck at times. I certainly wouldn't want it sitting further back as the unit it is because it would be too much pressure on her spine but I've played with adjusting it and it just sits really high. In all honesty she doesn't care, it's more my perception!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 He is really muscled in his hind end (which is why he sinks ) so I'm just trying to give him a more even muscle tone. He is a super muscular dog anyway so I don't see the harm in him carrying the water bottles and car keys. It might be due to his construction. If he's more angled in the rear than the front, he'll load his rear end. Loading his front end might develop into soundness issues if he's not built to take it. The first place I'd be headed with an unevenly muscled dog would be a good canine chiropractor - it could be sign of injury or unsoundness. PME - shifting the weight of the dog pack off the dog's shoulders would see all the weight borne by the spine alone. A good backpack will be designed to load the shoulders. The challenge for designers of these packs is to do that without restricting the dog's movement. I understand the concern PF, but he is completely fit and has never had soundness issues. He does flyball, agility, and other high intensity sports. He is built long and low with more muscle from his flanks back, but he is not lacking muscle in the front end. By 'conditioning' in my original post, I meant making him carry very light loads, no more than 500 grams on each side. I don't like the look of overly muscular dogs, nor do I think there is anything to gain from weight loading. I just think it's good to exercise different parts of the body. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I understand the concern PF, but he is completely fit and has never had soundness issues. He does flyball, agility, and other high intensity sports. He is built long and low with more muscle from his flanks back, but he is not lacking muscle in the front end. By 'conditioning' in my original post, I meant making him carry very light loads, no more than 500 grams on each side. I don't like the look of overly muscular dogs, nor do I think there is anything to gain from weight loading. I just think it's good to exercise different parts of the body. Ever had him chiropracted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) Double post Edited January 25, 2011 by halfthewords Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 He has regular acupuncture sessions to help with his anxiety, and he gets massages from the canine chiro/masseuse at the vet clinic I work at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr_inoz Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Emma wears a Ruffwear life jacket - good fit for her, foam isn't too thick but keeps her quite high in the water, good movement. See pic (she's wearing a Small). Love it!! She is sooo confident in the water now when she wears it (I was worried she was going to sink to the bottom before!!!).Kenzie has an EziDog backpack (also small size but she could probably wear a medium). Quite good, carries enough without being able to be overloaded. I would say it does sit quite high and is over her shoulders, it might be more comfortable if it sat a little further back but she likes wearing it. When she wears it she generally gets to carry the water. She walks very differently when she wears the backpack (not in a good or bad way just a different way). Thanks for the detailed review! I think I'll go with the ruffwear when I have a bit more money saved. was just checking them out myself... on sale at present http://www.backcountryk9.com/147/Products.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polgara's Shadow Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Another vote for ruffwear from backcountry k9. I recently bought the red lifejackt and singletrak backpack. The life jacket is great. It's not bulky, has plenty of adjustment and the foam goes all the way under his body keeping him level in the water. Weve only had it a week or so but his confidence in swimming has improved significantly, which is why we bought it so big from me The backback is also great. I bought it so he can carry phone, keys and a little water on longer trips. Also gives him a job to do which he seems to enjoy. I haven't used it much yet but again another They both look fabulous and seem to be made very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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