Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Last year 40lb Border Collie Meg had to be coaxed into the water and then would only go in if I did. When she did swim, she was awful and struggled to keep her head up and could not maneuver very well. I began the search for a good life jacket last fall. After much research and reading reviews about cheaper ones that rubbed, were bulky, or had weak fabric or straps, I narrowed it down to the Ruffwear Float Coat or the Kurgo Surf n'Turf. The Ruffwear looked like it would fit her body better and was available locally at REI. Plus, I love yellow! Its a bit pricey, but its very well made and should last a very long time. It took a couple tries to get it adjusted just right, but once its set, you don't have to mess with it unless your dog loses weight with all that swimming. I let her wear it around the house for a while to get used to it. She tried to rub it off a bit, but was ok with it. Then we went to a calm small lake so she could try it out. She was nervous about going in the water with it on, but once she realized she wasn't struggling to keep her head up, she relaxed a bit. The real test was the second time she wore it, when she knew what it was. She had no hesitation going into the river with it on and was having a blast. Not only did she swim out to get her floating toy, but she wanted everyone on the beach to throw it so she could go get it again. When she was done with fetch, she just swam for the pure joy of swimming. The best part is she's now a MUCH better swimmer. She's learned to maneuver and turn and she can keep her head up without a struggle even without the life jacket. She's not afraid of the waves the boats make anymore and she LOVES to swim. With her Float Coat, she can swim for hours. The Float Coat is a bit stiff, especially at first, but its tough and it works great. Meg is very stable in the water when she wears it and can handle being in the wake and still keep her head out of the water. It seems comfortable and does not rub anywhere. Meg even wore it on a hike along the lake. She loves putting it on. The handle on top comes in handy. I did pick Meg up by the handle just to test it. Meg wasn't thrilled, but the handle and straps held and the padding underneath made it tolerable for her. If I needed to haul her into the boat, it would help do the job. Now I need to get another one for my Lab. He can swim great, but tires long before Meg (with her Float Coat). I highly recommend this product! Just an added note on sizing: Both of my dogs are in between sizes. Meg has a 27" girth and Bear (lab mix) has a 32" girth. The Ruffwear website recommends choosing the smaller size, but both my dogs are also a bit long in body. For Meg I went with the Medium and it fits perfect adjusted to nearly the smallest it will go. I tried the Medium on Bear, and while he can wear it (straps are plenty long enough, neck fits), it looks too short in body length. I'll be getting him a large. So if you have a short bodied dog that is between sizes, I'd say got with the smaller. Longer bodied dogs should go with the larger size. The medium is 14 1/2" for the length of the back.