# Do you have a rain coat for you dog?



## JerzeyGSD

This may seem like a silly question, but it's raining today so I figured the quickest way to get out a bit of Jerzey's energy was for her to just go to the basketball court (fenced in) and run off some energy rather than take an actual walk in this cold, horrible rain. Well, now she has that awful dog smell that I hate... a while back I had tried to convince John that we should get Jerzey a raincoat for this exact reason and now I'm wondering if any of you have raincoats for your dog? Or do you avoid play sessions in the rain or have some alternative method?


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## BlackGSD

My dogs GET WET. ("wet dog smell" doesn't bother me.) I don't believe in "coats" for dogs that have a natural coat. 
Unless you can get someting more like "cover-alls", even with a "rain coat" your will STILL get the "wet dog" smell because while their backs might stay dry, their legs, head, tail and underside will STILL get wet and "stinky".


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## Laura H.

My dogs jumped in our pond after their romp in the woods this afternoon. After we dried them, yes they had "wet dog" smell, but after they dried they smell, or I should say, don't smell.

That's one of the things I love about GSDs, they always smell good (at least to me)


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## Amaruq

My guys all have rain coats, the same as their snow coats, sun coats, windy coats, overcast coats. They wear them daily since birth. They rejuvenate two or three times a year but they are essentially the same as they were born with.


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## ILGHAUS

My shepherds no but the poodle did when she was a pup. But honestly that was more for fun and pictures. 

I may consider it when my guys get up into their Sr. years but that depends on health.


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## SunCzarina

Absolutely not. Morgan has a heated bead therapy coat for her arthritis but she doesn't wear it where the neighbors might see her.



> Originally Posted By: AmaruqMy guys all have rain coats, the same as their snow coats, sun coats, windy coats, overcast coats. They wear them daily since birth. They rejuvenate two or three times a year but they are essentially the same as they were born with.










Until I read the last sentence, I was thinking 'I cannot believe the ruq pack wears coats!'


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## JerzeyGSD

Haha, I figured. Just checking... I would say, though, that I'm probably not sensitive to "dog smell" than most people.


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## SunCzarina

German shepherd who's been swimming in Narraganset bay. Yummy, smells like my car half the year









I like to use a little JOhnson's baby shampoo on a warm wet washcloth, just rub the dog down real good, let dry, gets rid of that stinky dog smell.


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## Jessica H

I can honestly say being the owner of 2 smaller dogs I still cannot bring myself to getting coats for any of my dogs. My Cairns have a similar coat to a GSD, soft undercoat and a wire outer coat, which is waterproof and dirt proof. I tried to put a coat on Scooter since we got down to 10 below this winter but it lasted for about 10 feet of our walk, he had his feet stuck in it because he was trying so hard to get it off. The only coat I can get on him is his life jacket.

Sometimes I feel like Dozer could get cold because he still has his puppy coat but he seems to do ok. He smells pretty ripe right now, he got nuetered and I cannot give him a bath. He goes to daycare so he smells like a wet dog and a kennel, I bought some waterless foam shampoo that smells good until I can give him a bath.


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## bmass01

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarinaAbsolutely not. Morgan has a heated bead therapy coat for her arthritis but she doesn't wear it where the neighbors might see her.
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> Originally Posted By: AmaruqMy guys all have rain coats, the same as their snow coats, sun coats, windy coats, overcast coats. They wear them daily since birth. They rejuvenate two or three times a year but they are essentially the same as they were born with.
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> Until I read the last sentence, I was thinking 'I cannot believe the ruq pack wears coats!'
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking when I started to read that! 

No coats here either.


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## littledmc17

**** NO!!!

My friend has a yorkie and she dresses her up and I just want to Bitch slap her! Dogs do not were clothes especially GSD's


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## JerzeyGSD

> Originally Posted By: Dozer I tried to put a coat on Scooter since we got down to 10 below this winter but it lasted for about 10 feet of our walk, he had his feet stuck in it because he was trying so hard to get it off. The only coat I can get on him is his life jacket.


Oh, I meant like a "coat" as in a piece of waterproof fabric that Velcros across the chest and under the stomach... I don't think Jerzey would let me put something with sleeves on her (although we did put a t-shirt on her when she got spayed because she figured out how to get the cone off....)


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## Jessica H

I didn't actually try to put a coat with sleeves on him, he would kill me lol. It was a jacket from Ruff Wear which was waterproof, more like a horse blanket style, he still hated it. It was really funny, he stood still for about ten minutes before he would walk, that was before Dozer pulled him around the house by it ;-)


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## MaggieRoseLee

Generally if I get that real doggy smell when my dogs get wet, that's how I know it's time for their about twice a year bath. I use a good deodorizing shampoo (citris/orange color) and sometimes even slather on some of my conditioner to make them smell really pretty.

This seems to really make them smell fine for the next 6 months when they go out and get wet (no raincoats for my dogs either..)


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## MrLeadFoot

I got a really nice one from Orvis in the fall. It is black with a reflective stripe and it velcros across the chest and under the belly. I didn't get mine to try and prevent wet-dog smell, but rather to reduce the amount of drying off when I get back. It makes a big difference, and it sure beats getting wet-dog smell on the carpet.


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## BowWowMeow

Mine all came with the same coat that Amaruq's did.







We walk in the rain a lot. I do have a huge stack of dog towels and I often spend 15 minutes drying each dog when we come back in. I also put towels down on their beds until they're fully dry.


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## Sean Rescue Mom

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowMine all came with the same coat that Amaruq's did.


Ditto, it must be in style this year.


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## Amaruq

The Paq has set a new fashion trend.


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## gmcenroe

No. My dog loves getting wet and loves going out in the rain, lots of puddles to play in! I don't mind the wet coat smell. Their hair is kind of hydrophobic anyway so it behaves like a natural raincoat.


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## DancingCavy

Risa doesn't ever smell like wet dog. In fact, I LOVE the way she smells when she's wet.









But she does have a raincoat. Granted, she does not come equipped with a double-coat and she has practically no body fat. I don't use her raincoat all the time, however. Usually I use it if it's wet and cold and we're going on walks or if I am going to be leaving her at home for the day and I don't want her to be soaked. Otherwise, she goes naked.









She wears a sweatshirt when it's really cold out too. But she's no GSD. I'm not the type to go dressing up my dog (aside from Halloween or other rare occasions). But when you watch your dog shivering in the cold. . .you sort of have to do something!


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## zarburg

No but i should. Never had one that liked going out in the rain.


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## MrLeadFoot

I don't think a raincoat would do much to change the attitude of a dog that doesn't like going out in the rain. He still won't like going out in the rain.


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## Caledon

I like the idea of one. We do a lot of camping and sometimes we just have to do things in the rain. I don't always have a large quantity of dry towels on hand to dry her off.

But, I just can't do it.


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## JerzeyGSD

> Originally Posted By: MaryWI like the idea of one. We do a lot of camping and sometimes we just have to do things in the rain. I don't always have a large quantity of dry towels on hand to dry her off.
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> But, I just can't do it.


I can understand that. I think if I bought a coat for Jerzey John would kill me.







However, I HATE DOG SMELL so much it seems like it would be worthwhile to help prevent as least _some_ of the rain from getting on her... esp. with spring coming.


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## mmarie

I put a "bath robe" on Bella when she was about a year old to see how she would fare, and the look on her face screamed "Mom if you don't get this








thing off of me, I will rip it to shreds". For that reason, and the fact that dispite being on the small side for a GSD the largest size still hardly fit her, I have yet to try any other articles of clothing. It is pretty funny to see such large dogs wearing anything other than a seeing-eye-dog/dog-at-work type vest...and even those crack me up sometimes.

However, I do not get the wet dog smell, which drives me crazy as well. Mostly because I live in California and it rarely rains, but when it does rain Bella looks at me like I'm crazy if I try to take her outside. It is the only time when she doesn't want to take a walk or lay around outside--she goes outside, and promptly goes potty and insists on coming back inside.


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