Winter Coat Advice

[Guest Prof_Bananas]

Sorry, I wasn't sure which category to put this under, but finally chose health because I figured not being warm enough in the winter is a health issue.

 

We are new greyhound adopters who live in the greater Boston area and we're looking for advice on the best coat and/or coat system to buy. As fall comes on, we'll probably need a light fleece and I'm imagining a more full on winter coat for the colder months.

 

There is so much out there, I just don't know where to begin. We also don't know at about what temperature does a grey start needing a coat? I would love to hear what favorite coat brands people have used and any other advice you can give us.

 

Thanks!

 

PS. I did try to search the forum as I suspect this topic has come up before, but I couldn't find the right thread, so apologies for repetition.

[DesiRayMom]

Here's my take on coats.......it all depends on your hound. Desi has 3 lovely coats, the last one is absolutely gorgeous, fits him like a glove, and cost

upwards of $100. The only time he wears it is if it's below 20 degrees, and that's because I force the issue. He's extremely hot blooded, heat intolerant,

and relishes cold weather. OTOH, I know lots of other hounds who freeze at 50 and need jammies to sleep comfortably. I guess what I'm trying to say is

don't get too coat-happy until you know which way it's going to go.

 

I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions for good on-line sites for coats. The one I liked best was Tree Parlor on Etsy. They asked for like 6 measurements,

which is why that coat fits him so well & looks so awesome. Too bad he wears it so seldom.

[45MPHK9]

Our heavy winter coats are from Voyagers K9 Apparrel. These coats are well made and warm. They wash beautifully.

H&M by 45mphk9, on Flickr

 

Our lighter weight fleece coats are from Classy Canine. We use these fleece coats all the time.

H&M by 45mphk9, on Flickr

 

Happy shopping.

[Sambuca]

It really depends on the dog. Bu wakes me up shivering if its in the 60's. my early/mid fall he's wearing pjs 24/7. Sailor really doesn't need a coat until its much much colder.

I love needlenoseapparel.com for winter coats and pjs. Honestly though, I've found decent quality coats at Marshall's for $20 that fit the pups just fine. Same with doggy tshirts.

[Guest LunaTheGreyt]

I just ordered Luna a purple Voyagers K9 coat set (someone above linked to their page). I got the cold weather special, so we'll be getting a lightweight "belly warmer" coat in addition to the heavy winter coat, plus booties. We live in Virginia, but last winter was bitterly cold and lasted practically to March. We're already having lows in the 40s some nights, so in addition to the winter coat and booties, I want to have the lightweight fleece for morning walks this fall.

[ramonaghan]

Here's my take on coats.......it all depends on your hound. Desi has 3 lovely coats, the last one is absolutely gorgeous, fits him like a glove, and cost

upwards of $100. The only time he wears it is if it's below 20 degrees, and that's because I force the issue. He's extremely hot blooded, heat intolerant,

and relishes cold weather. OTOH, I know lots of other hounds who freeze at 50 and need jammies to sleep comfortably. I guess what I'm trying to say is

don't get too coat-happy until you know which way it's going to go.

 

I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions for good on-line sites for coats. The one I liked best was Tree Parlor on Etsy. They asked for like 6 measurements,

which is why that coat fits him so well & looks so awesome. Too bad he wears it so seldom.

 

Totally agree. I also have a seemingly hot-natured hound. We have this coat from Amazon and it's very well made and fits perfectly, but Sweep hates wearing it. She's OK with this much cheaper, lighterweight one (which required some minor modifications for velcro placement—no biggie considering its low cost). I think she prefers not having anything between her front legs, so that might be another consideration.

[Guest johnwe]

I second Voyagers K9

 

I have the winter coat and the fleece they call a belly warmer. You can use the belly warmer indoors in the coldest parts of the year (depends on your dog's tolerance for cold and how cold you keep your house). The belly warmer can be worn under the the outer winter coat- great for really cold and windy winter days.

[Guest FreeholdHound]

Another vote for Voyagers K9 here. I ordered the Cold Climate Special last year. Tummy warmer for Fall & early Spring. The coat for winter wear. This was a GOD SEND during our 10 day blackout (no heat) during Hurricane Sandy. I think Harry was warmer than we were!

[greysmom]

Many people will say that if you need a coat, your hound needs a coat. But it's really much more individual than that.

 

We have coats from Greytoutdoors.com that we really like. The dogs probably only wear them three or four times from November to April. Even if it snows here, we really aren't outside enough to make having a coat mandatory. Usually, leg protection from snice cuts is more important as our snow tends to freeze solid on the top and it can cut their legs when they break through the crust. One of my dogs would not go to the potty when he had a coat on. Period. No matter how cold it was. He wanted to be naked to do his business! And with the others, the coats are mostly so they don't get filthy wet than to protect them from colder temps.

 

Some greyhounds have more fur than others, and some get cold more than others. Some really don't like wearing anything, and some love to play dress up. You'll just have to see how it goes!

[gryhndsr4us]

Sneakers has a wonderful winter coat from http://www.needlenoseapparel.com/Needle_Nose_Apparel/Needle_Nose_Apparel.html my other two winter coats are from someone who no longer makes coats.

We have jammies from http://www.cottagehounddesigns.com/ and light weight fall spring jackets from http://www.greyhoundfleecejackets.com/ (these also work as jammies).

As you can see we have a wardrobe here , Sneakers gets cold easily, Sky not so much. Dood doesn't like to wear a coat and doesn't seem to get cold as easily.

Every dog is different I would first invest in a light fleece jacket and see how your pup does in the early fall.

[Guest Dancer]

Here's my take on coats.......it all depends on your hound. Desi has 3 lovely coats, the last one is absolutely gorgeous, fits him like a glove, and cost

upwards of $100. The only time he wears it is if it's below 20 degrees, and that's because I force the issue. He's extremely hot blooded, heat intolerant,

and relishes cold weather. OTOH, I know lots of other hounds who freeze at 50 and need jammies to sleep comfortably. I guess what I'm trying to say is

don't get too coat-happy until you know which way it's going to go.

 

I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions for good on-line sites for coats. The one I liked best was Tree Parlor on Etsy. They asked for like 6 measurements,

which is why that coat fits him so well & looks so awesome. Too bad he wears it so seldom.

Agree - I have one that loves to be warm and snugly and one that hates coats. We get cold arctic wind that is very cold...so having wind protection is vital for the pups in the winter.

[Guest OPointyDog]

Another vote for Voyager K9 Apparel. Both of ours have the fleece "tummy warmer" that they wear as a light jacket below about 40 degrees outside. Our male, who is bald on the bottom half of his body, also wears it at bedtime in the winter, since our house is very drafty and we live in upstate NY. Our female is very fuzzy and tends to overheat, so she doesn't wear a fleece in the house. When it gets below freezing, they wear winter coats outside - one from Voyager K9 and then one is the sherpa coat from Sue's Happy Tails. The sherpa coat is well made and gets lots of comments. When it gets super-cold, like below 10, I put the tummy warmer on and then the winter coat over it. I do like the system of layering with Voyager K9. They also make awesome raincoats.

 

We have several other coats - one in particular that I love, but I bought it in a charity auction online and I have no idea who makes it! It's fuzzy and warm and has a beautiful gold ribbon design around the snood.

 

Here's Mika in his "tummy warmer" from Voyager K9:

 

Edited September 14, 2013 by OPointyDog

[OwnedBySummer]

Voyager K9 is our "go to" coat and sweater. They're so easy to put on and they stand up well to both wear and washing.

Jammies are from Cottage Hound -- along with a brocade and velvet dress coat... and a couple of sweaters... and a hoodie...

Edited September 14, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest Celestrina]

Sneakers has a wonderful winter coat from http://www.needlenoseapparel.com/Needle_Nose_Apparel/Needle_Nose_Apparel.html my other two winter coats are from someone who no longer makes coats.

We have jammies from http://www.cottagehounddesigns.com/ and light weight fall spring jackets from http://www.greyhoundfleecejackets.com/ (these also work as jammies).

As you can see we have a wardrobe here , Sneakers gets cold easily, Sky not so much. Dood doesn't like to wear a coat and doesn't seem to get cold as easily.

Every dog is different I would first invest in a light fleece jacket and see how your pup does in the early fall.

We have one from needlenoseapparel too. We like how it goes between her front legs, covers her chest, and clips on her back. She is totally bald on her chest.

[MaryJane]

I might suggest doing a Greyhound Adventures walk on a Sunday ( http://greyhoundadventures.org/) . Many of the dogs there will be wearing coats as the weather starts to get colder and the people can advise on where they got the coat and the types that work well for NE weather. The group is also a great source for information for new greyhound owners. I provided the link so that you can check out their web page.

[Guest Giselle]

How about booties? I feel that, since the feet make direct contact with the snow, it's arguably more important to protect the bare feet than the body (which will warm up with sufficient activity outdoors; feet = not so much).

[Sambuca]

It appears I'm the only one, but I'm not a huge fan of the k9 Voyager coats. It wasn't nearly warm enough for Bu and that was with 4 legged pjs layered underneath. Maybe we're just outside too long, but I would have to put Bu inside to warm up with it on. We do live in CT and I'm a dog walker and Bu used to go to work with me regularly so he'd spend hours outside at a time with 5 minute car rides every 30 minutes or so. The Voyager coat just wasn't sufficient for us.

[OwnedBySummer]

I wouldn't be able to use the Voyager K9 coat for hours outside, either, but we only walk in the winter for no more than a half hour. There's no quilting or stuffing in a Voyager coat, just fuzzy stuff with a wind-resistant layer. For the deep dark depths of howling blizzard, when it's ridiculous outside and you can't figure out why on earth the dog wants a walk... I use a fleece lined, batting stuffed, quilted coat from Gryffin Designs. With or without Voyager K9's tall boots, LOL!

 

[TheFullHouse]

I have a whole box of coats that sit in the closet. Even in the snow mine go out without a coat. They play for a few minutes and then come right back in. We're supposed to have a cold winter this year, we'll see if I have to drag out the coats. Honestly, the only time mine wore them was when we walked in a Christmas parade a couple of years and it was extremely cold for her. For outside potty runs and stuff, no coats.

[EddiesMom15]

Sweet Pea hates coats. However, since I turn the heat down to 60 at night in the winter, I put a light fleece coat on her at night. Her favorite is lined with flannel, so no static!

 

Normally, she doesn't wear a coat outside. Just runs out, does her duty, and comes back in. If she's going to be out any longer than a quick potty break, or if weather is severe, she wears her winter coat from Gini's Greyhound Fashions. Not inexpensive, but IMHO, worth every penny. Gini's coats are built for cold Iowa winters. It's just a shame that Missy Pea hates them so much!

[cleptogrey]

i am probably the only person on greytalk that does NOT like voyager coats. they slip and slide, do not cover the chest really well and i personally think they are over priced. i was sold one when i adopted my first grey and had to add extra velcro stips to keep it on- the polar fleeced stretched a ton but the stitching has held up- many washings and it's 8+ years old.

 

i get a ton of use out of the jammies- polar fleece by sue's happy tails

even more used out of the halemar coats- very reasonable and durable, i stick a snood on and they are set to go. the wear like iron- the one on the right is 6 years old

for extreme weather i have a berber coat w/ fake fur lining which has a nice chest panel and long snood.

[RedHead]

I think I overdid it on coats the first year I got Teague after reading the "if you need a coat your dog does" advice. He never, ever wears a coat in the Fall, and in the winter the coat he wears most often is just a single layer fleece. We only take out the heavy duty coat if it is really cold 14 degrees F or less. If it is hovering around the freezing point, he pants with even a fleece, so we go naked a lot in the winter. No booties here unless it is so cold that he limps (he hates them). If you in an area that uses salt though, you will need them more.

 

IMO for your area, if you were to start with just one coat, I would buy a thinner, fleece type and see how that works versus one of the really heavy ones. Heat and cold tolerance seems to depend greatly on the dog.

 

 

 

[krissn333]

We don't leash walk for potty time, so, in the winter they just go out with nothing since they'll just be out really quick.

 

Fritz really never needed anything - he was so hairy. Ace did though, and Fritz just liked wearing clothes. He would try to shove his head into Ace's jammies So he had jammies and wore them on occasion.

 

We had coats for going in the car when it was cold since the car isn't instantly warm.

 

Ace needed jammies because while I could cover her up, she would move, thus uncovering herself. Then she would whine until I covered her up again.

 

Ozzie is likely to need jammies. As the weather has been chillier at night, he's been cold too and needs to be covered up.

[cometdust1]

Mine loves his needlenose apperal winter coat and it's waterproof and covers his bald belly nicely.