Winter is fast approaching for Minnesota and I need to start thinking about buying my pups new winter coats. Right now my dogs a 6 yr old weim and a 4 yr old dane/hound mix have these coats from Drfostersmith.
www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=20846

While these coats are AMAZING we are looking to upgrade to some higher quality coats. I was going to do so last year but never got around to doing it, we did buy Bruno this tummy warmer from k9 apparel, you can see him wearing it in his avatar
k9apparel.com/index.php?main_page=produc...amp;products_id=2720

So my question is which brand of coats look better? I at first was going to get ones from k9 apparel because they look warm, have a lot of great reviews, and have a lot of nice colors. But the only problem is the coats close with velcro and over time velcro does wear out and these are pretty expensive winter coats. I don't want to get a 100 dollar coat and in a year have to buy a new one because it won't stay shut. Then I found Chilly Dogs and they are around the same price range but close with buckles, the only bad thing is they have less colors and don't look nearly as warm as k9 apparel. Please help me choose, or maybe even recommend a brand you use. Thanks!

Chilly dogs: Great White North Winter Coat
www.chillydogs.ca/index.php/product/index/30

K9 apparel: Winter Coat
k9apparel.com/index.php?main_page=produc...amp;products_id=2726

first off- Thanks for this post! It's starting to get chilly here in CT and i was beginning to think of what to do for our pup in the upcoming New England winter!(i have a feeling its going to be a harsh one) and now I have two great options.

From looking at your links (thanks for them!) I'd probably go with the chilly dogs. I feel like the velcro will come undone immediately given how crazy our pup goes outside and with the buckle we have a chance at using a second year. I say chance because Portia loves to get the mouth on anything she can! And if its a difference of $100 this season or $100 for a WHILE go for it! The chilly colors aren't too bad! i'm eyeing the burnt orange

Chilly Dogs. It cover that important area of the chest and does not limit the ability to run. Does not irritate under the arms.

We have these. www.landsend.com/pp/pet-squall-jacket~227863_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::IGC&CM_MERCH=search-_-dog+coat&origin=search
Had them for 15 yrs. Velcro still good. Did not have many choices back then. Fine for a quick walk and very easy on but the Chilly Dog is much better. When the velcro patent opened up, it has been made cheaply by some suppliers. You never know what quality you will get. The velcro on the doggie diapers stopped working after just a few washes.

I also have the neoprene ones from Cabelas. Very irritating to their fur and under the arms. You cut away to adjust to your dog like shoe insoles, but we have cut so much that not much coat is left

I also like the ChillyDog neck fleece. I think it is a good choice overall. Most important...very easy to put on!

I have the Chilly Dog winter coat for Elliot. Really good quality!! I ordered a little too big due to the fact he was still growing when I got it. Now it fits perfect. In the photo below he was about 9 months so it was a smidge to big.







TRed

We ordered Ziggie a custom made coat. I since it was made to his measurements there was no worry about fit issues. He has worn it for three winters-nearly 24/7-he wears it in the house and sleeps in it too, and it has held up extremely well. We plan to buy a new one this winter (just so he doesn't have to "suffer" when we was it every week or so).

This is the Etsy store we ordered from: www.etsy.com/shop/warmwags. If the link doesn't work, go to etsy.com and search warmwags (one word). Her prices are really good, in my opinion, especially since they are hand made, made to your dog's measurements, and she will customize colors, etc. if you want it customized, just message her before you order so you can get an accurate price quote for what you want.

Thank you sooo much for starting this topic. I as well live in Minnesota (Southern part of the state) out in the country and was wondering about jacket options for the winter coming up. We have a couple cabins up near Crosslake as well where it gets much colder, so this would be perfect. Jaeger is my first short haired dog so I was worried how he would handle Minnesota's cold winters. He is such a baby when it comes to the rain, I can only imagine how he will be in the snow.

Also, I agree that I would go with the Chilly Dogs coat.

I have to vote for the Chilly dogs one with the buckle. I think it looks nice, plus our previous dog coats have had velcro and not stayed fastened very well.

We like the chilly dog coats as well !!

I would have to vote for the chilly dogs myself, although I'll probably never get to buy my boy one. It does get in the 40's here in the dead of winter which is really cold to us but probably not cold enough for one of those.

We're also from MN and love the Cloud Chaser by Ruffwear. It's warm, wind proof and a great fit with lots of stretch so Lily can move easily. I like that it covers a dog's tummy where the fur is pretty thin! The one downside to the Cloud Chaser is that it's a bit awkward to put on and zip up.

We live in Alberta near the Rockies I love the Chilly Dog Coats! Very warm and durable and so easy to take on and off. I will be buying Leo a new one this year as I'm sure he's outgrown his first one.

Thank you all for your comments and sharing picture of your gorgeous pups! It is pretty clear chilly dogs are popular among Weims. So I think that is what we are going to go with, comparing the two again chilly dogs has more chest coverage than the k9 apparel. Now one more question. What colors should I choose?! I will give you a picture of each dog to help. Hopefully this thread has helped other weim owners prepare for this upcoming fall/winter.

Bruno



Zoey:


Here are the chilly dog color options:

Your welcome Sgrecco! Bruno is a baby too but he LOVES snow, rolling in it and eating it are his favorite things. But he gets cold so easily, I would recommend getting Jaegar a coat before winter comes, if you don't want to spend as much try the kodiak coat from drsfostersmith with a sweater underneath it works very well! Especially since he is a puppy (at least it looks like he is from your avatar)

Zoey and Bruno are beautiful the good thing about that beautiful grey/brown coat of a weim is that every color looks good on them.
Is Zoey a girly girl? If so, than I would get her a color that matched her personality.

Well this post inspired me to try to put Blue's winter coat on him. It was given to me by a friend, size XXL. The first thing I noticed were the little leg holes for the front legs. Ummmm....ok. So I tried for about 10 minutes to get Blue to stand still and tolerate the ridiculous leg holes. Kind of like trying to put a blanket sleeper on a defiant toddler, only a 100 pound toddler. My daughter was laughing hysterically while Blue spun in circles, no fun, hurt my back, it is now in the "donation" box. There is no brand name on it but I would avoid any dog clothing with leg holes. My first thought yesterday when I saw the Chilly dog coat was that it looked easy to put on a squirmy Weim. I am going to wait and see how Blue handles the snow, he has thicker hair than a lot of Weims I have met. If he needs a coat I will get him the Chilly dogs coat, so thank you for posting this and saving me all the research.