So we'll be going on vacation to the cottage next month and Duke is coming with us. He's never really been around a lake, so I'm not sure how he'll react to the water. We all know that Boxers in general tend to be horrible swimmers, so I'm planning on getting a life jacket for Duke so that I don't have to worry about him while he's in the water.
Aspen has an Outward Hound lifejacket. It has a handle on the back so you can lift the dog up by it, and it has a flap under the chin (in case the dog is unconscious it will hold their head up). The flap zips off if you don't want it. She has a size large and it's a bit too big for her, but the medium was too small.
Aspen cannot swim, she doesn't even move her legs in the water. Twice she has fallen out of the boat and sunk under the water and I had to jump in and pull her out from under the water. So now she wears her lifejacket in the boat at all times.
Aspen isn't smart enough to be afraid of the water. She is totally incapable of keeping herself alive in the water, yet in the boat she will perch on the back seats, lean over the edge to try to drink/sniff the water, etc. Which is how she fell in twice! Both times we weren't moving (or else I would have been holding onto her!) but still she sank like a rock.
We just bought this jacket for Duke two weeks ago, I forget the brand... Bought it at petvalue, he hates it of course..but it keeps a sinking puppy floating, also had a hook to grab him from the back... Oh and he can move around fairly good on land.. Although as soon as I put it on him he freezes and gives us his mean glare...
Both dogs will swim if need be. We started them off from the beach slowly so they could keep their toes initially in the sand. The padding around the neck does keep their face out of the water. Other life jackets didn't.
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