Water adventures with your pooch

I was always a bit sceptical about the idea of a dog life jacket. I mean, what dog doesn’t know how to swim, right? That was until both an old dog and a younger (much sillier) dog ambled into my life. The latter of who can’t quite tell when he’s too tired to swim any further.

Now, I know many of you travel with your dog, and he/she probably loves a good swim. So check out our video below on the Red Original dog life jacket for my top 5 reasons I swear by this dog buoyancy aid.

Reasons for getting a life jacket for your dog

Yes, most dogs seem to be born knowing how to swim, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need a bit of help to be safe in the water. There are many reasons a dog and their owners would benefit from a dog life jacket, including:

Your dog is elderly and needs a bit of extra help.
You have a smaller dog that goes under in anything larger than a ripple.
You want them to wear one in case of emergency when you’re on a boat, SUPboard or canoe.
Or, like me, you have a dog that’s too silly to know when he is too tired and nearly drowns himself trying to keep up.

Speaking of which, this is Benji ….

Benji was nice enough to let us try out a dog life jacket on him and Red Paddle Co were nice enough to send us one of their Red Original dog buoyancy aids. It was a match made in heaven.

Benji, who is usually quite hyperactive, calms down as soon as we clip the dog life jacket on him and has from day dot. I have no idea why. But the only thing I can think is that it’s like wearing a nice warm hug. This was an unexpected bonus, and he honestly just loves wearing it.

This reason alone is worth considering a Red Original as your doggie life jacket go-to, but here are five more reasons why I swear by this dog life jacket.

Top 5 reasons I swear by this dog life jacket

It has multiple grab handles so you can lift your dog onto your paddle board, kayak or boat with ease.
It ensures your dog is swimming in a positive swimming position rather than just keeping their head above water.
It has a pinch-free clip design, so you can’t accidentally get your dog’s hair, or worse, a bit of skin, in the clip.
It has a sturdy metal ring for connecting your dog’s leash.
It’s quality made from durable, tear-resistant Cordura® fabric and comes in five different sizes from XS to XL. Benji is wearing a size small (he is a shih-tzu cross schnauzer), so there’s a doggy life jacket to fit much smaller and much larger dogs.

Most importantly, it actually does what it says it will and works to keep your dog afloat, providing buoyancy in the chest area to keep them in an upright swimming position. Now your dog can take it easy in the water, and you can breathe a little easier knowing that your furry friend is in safe hands wearing this dog life jacket.

Getting your dog to stay on your SUPboard? That’s a whole other issue.