# Uk owners.. Coats for for pups?



## Katscawn (Jun 24, 2012)

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone knows if vizslas need coats, especially during winter.. And let's face it "summer" too, in the uk.
Thanks
Kat


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi Katscawn!

We live in London and have Elza since January. So you can imagine she was with us in the middle of it. Never wore a coat or anything, loves the snow and getting used to the rain now. She used to sit down all of a sudden when it was really raining. Those days are gone. She would never get a good run otherwise!!!  
What I did was just carry on going. If its ok for me to get soaked every day so she can have enough exercise than she will get walked in the rain, no matter what! :
All I have to do though is give her a shower each time. She gets absolutely filthy running around in the rain.


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Well I think it depends on the dog. I have a wirehaired boy who I thought would never need a coat -wrong!!! Our dogs swim during the summer and as the weather hasn't been hot (is that an understatement) enough to dry him off before we get back to the car he is quite wet and then we find he is shivering.

So I bought him a little Equifleece tank top which we now put on him when we get back to the car - it wicks all the water away and within 45 minutes he is dry and clean!!!

I don't think he will need one for actually walking in the winter but it will certainly save me taking a wet, dirty shivering dog home, so I intend to buy him a few more in larger sizes for the winter as he has just about grown out of the one he has. They are really great. Quite a few of the smooth haired V on our local whizz wear them in the winter for walking.

http://www.equafleece.co.uk/store/dogs.html


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## Jan (Jan 30, 2012)

We had a coat for kutya in the winter .. She definitely needed it in the winter as she was shivering otherwise. She was usually ok when off lead because she was moving fast enough to keep warm.. We really noticed how cold she was when walking on the lead on the way home. 
She wears it if it is cold and wet, and in the snow. I don't use it in the 'summer' although the other day she had been swimming and then the weather changed and she shivered all the way back to the car and sat wrapped in a towel!!!
So I guess it depends on individual dogs! 
I think you'll know if you need one.


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## born36 (Jun 28, 2011)

Rule for the V IS UNDER 5 degrees and u should put them in a coat. If running in the field treat them like an athlete and have them wear a coat before and after. In extreme old like -10 coat no matter what.


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## Robh (Jul 28, 2010)

We also use an Equifleece for Isla after exercise which is when she appears to get cold. For me making sure your dog is dried off properly after exercise is the most important thing.
We questioned the need for a coat when we first got our V. We spoke to our breeder, who has 9 Vs, who pointed out that in Hungary they have much more extreme weather than UK and Vs don’t wear coats there. This maybe the case but because most of our dogs live in houses with central heating they don’t develop proper winter coats. It’s important to get one serves a purpose and is not just a fashion accessory!


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## Cristina (Jul 2, 2012)

I'm glad this was asked as I have been thinking the same thing. When I asked my breeder about a coat she said she had one for her smooth haired girl but has only ever used it twice and she felt it was more for her than the dog. Having said that though Beau often gets chilly and shivers when outside, I know I need to wait until he has grown a lot more to really tell but there is some great info here. I love the equifleece for dogs, I have only ever used them for my horses and having Labradors with lovely thick under coats it never crossed my mind for the dogs.

Living on an Island we are surrounded by beaches hence they are a regular walk of ours even in winter plus I have a lab that can sniff out water miles away so I'm prepared for Beau to do the same. I always carry towels in the car but a fleece would be great for Beau to sit in. I have a couple of questions to those that use them....

Are they easy to put on and is it worth paying extra for a zip? ;D


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

I dont think a Vizsla needs a coat, these dogs are of working breed and I feel sticking a coat on it will make your dog soft. Wolves certainly dont use coats when they hunt in the frozen forrests, I think as long as you dry your Vizsla when it comes in from its long wet winter walk, and a good feed,that should be sufficient...
Dont get me wrong I would be the first to buy my Vizsla a coat if I thought it would do any good, in fact I have one of these dry terry toweling zip up bags to put mine in for winter..


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## Cristina (Jul 2, 2012)

Darcy1311 said:


> I dint think a Vizsla needs a coat, these dogs are of working breed and I feel sticking a coat on it will make your dog soft. Wolves certainly dont use coats when they hunt in the frozen forrests, I think as long as you dry your Vizsla when it comes in from its long wet winter walk, and a good feed,that should be sufficient...
> Dont get me wrong I would be the first to buy my Vizsla a coat if I thought it would do any good, in fact I have one of these dry terry toweling zip up bags to put mine in for winter..


Not disagreeing with the coat thing, just the wolf comparison. Wolves have a thick under coat and weren't breed for purpose, they have adapted over time to their environment.


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Ah yes but a Vizlsa coat is surprisingly dense and quite oily.I think if your Vizsla is constantly running around, it should stay warm, perhaps if you are just walking around the town or something perhaps a coat could be worth considering, just not in my case..


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## hobbsy1010 (Jun 4, 2011)

Cristina, Try a small t shirt on your pup, if you cant get it on at all you'll need one with a zip.

They soon get used to them.

I bought a aqua fleece for Brook , to put on in the van for drying off after wet windy walks, I have put it on him to go out in the long cold spell we had in 2010, think we had snow for 4 weeks, just because we already had it. We call it his college sweater!

We also use a high "viz" vest for dark evenings as our local park has a busy cycling commuter run through it. For Brooks safety as they travel at road speeds through a public park. It keeps a bit of the rain off his back, he has a very short coat, and seems to get cold fast when wet through.

You might want to look at Hurrta and Ruffwear brands too.

Mrs Hobbsy


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## Darcy1311 (May 27, 2012)

Okay....but please,please dont put shoes on your dog or i will have to send Rolf Harris round..... ;D


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

I think the issue here is that if your V is running around it will keep warm, but no dog should ever be left wet. Robh is right - you need to keep their muscles warm while they coold down. We keep loads of towels for the dogs to towel them dry, but I never leave them to shiver.

My Dane never feels the cold - even if he is damp. My wirehaired V gets wet and shivers within minutes of getting back in the car after swimming. Maybe when he is fully grown he will be have more body fat and not feel the cold so much.

Cristina, I also have horses and this where my pup gets cold - I generally walk/swim the dogs in the afternoon before doing evening stables. As he isn't horse proof yet I often leave him in the Jeep with the back window up and he really shivers. If I put the equifleece on before putting him in the Jeep he is generally dry by the time we get home an hour later. As Hobbsy suggests use a small sweat shirt(cut the sleeves out) or something for the time being but if you want an equifleece - Boris is in a 26" at the moment which he has had since 4 months old - he will need a bigger one soon and I will sell it on ebay. The other thing I love about the equifleece is it collects all the mud and dirt off his tummy. I keep it in the Jeep then it is handy whenever he gets wet. I am going to get two for the winter, but with this awful summer it has be worth it's weight in gold.


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## Cristina (Jul 2, 2012)

hobbsy1010 said:


> Cristina, Try a small t shirt on your pup, if you cant get it on at all you'll need one with a zip.
> 
> They soon get used to them.


Great idea, thanks Hobbsy. I will see how he takes having a t shirt put on him and if all goes well I'll look into getting him a equifleece. 
With the rain we seem to be having at the moment it really does get cold especially when your small with not a lot of hair. 



hotmischief said:


> As Hobbsy suggests use a small sweat shirt(cut the sleeves out) or something for the time being but if you want an equifleece - Boris is in a 26" at the moment which he has had since 4 months old - he will need a bigger one soon and I will sell it on ebay. The other thing I love about the equifleece is it collects all the mud and dirt off his tummy. I keep it in the Jeep then it is handy whenever he gets wet. I am going to get two for the winter, but with this awful summer it has be worth it's weight in gold.


Hotmischief, if all goes well maybe when Boris has out grown his I could save you some eBay fee's and buy it off you? Beau should have grown enough to fit it. 

We need a used for sale section on here


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

Good idea - keep in touch and if you do want an equifleece we could sort something out.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

I have a Hungarian friend in Hungary who is a hobby Hungarian vizsla breeder. : He has studied about canines in university then specialised in the Hungarian vizsla breed. He told me a lot of information about the breed before we got Elza. 

He also mentioned this misconception about people think the vizsla has a thin coat and they have to wear some clothing during cold or rainy weather. He never puts anything on his dogs and trust me it is very cold in Hungary during the winter. He explained that many years ago some breeders cross bred the vizsla with another breed to give it a different coating. This is when the true colour of the vizsla has changed. If you know a lot about the breed you know that most of the vizslas in Hungary are a lot lighter in colour. 
I am aware that dogs from each country are used to different weather. But for this reason any of your vizslas in your own country are used to that weather. 
Elza was out in the snow and rain and I have to say I never saw her shivering but once. On her first day out in the rain. Now she just shakes it off and carries on walking. 

I do not judge anyone who buys clothing for their vizsla but I wanted to share my reasons why I won't buy one.


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