Does anyone have any recommendations on a very DURABLE sweater for the puppy

[EndersDame]

In the mornings I have noticed my little puppy gets cold when I take her outside.

Some things about her:
1. She is crazy hyper and I take her to the dog park everyday- So the garment must allow for her to go crazy and interfere with her movement or not cause a problem when she wrestles with other dogs.It also must be easy to clean

2. She loves to chew: I no longer can give her stuffed animal type toys because she chews and shreds them apart so the garment must be very durable. I am dreading finding shreds of sweater in her poo

3.She is 4 1/2 months old and 13lbs . The vet said she will probably get alittle bit bigger but not much. I would like to get some life out of the sweater but understand if I cant

Thank you DU pet community ! Y'all are invaluable resource for information and just want to let y'all know that I appreciate that!
-Thanks
Endersdame

The puppy after coming back inside from chilly mornings

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Awww. She looks like a little baby deer.

a couple of places to check

http://www.orvis.com/store/product_directory_tnail.aspx?dir_id=1633&group_id=10567&cat_id=10568&subcat_id=10569&adv=107210&cm_mmc=Google-_-paid_search-_-petsweaters-_-107210

These come in various colors.




http://www.petexpressions.com/dogsweaters.html

Look for fleece. It is warm and sheds water and dirt.

[ginnyinWI]

2. if it were me, I wouldn't invest a lot of $$ on one:

I mean, why pay $40 or whatever, if she's just going to use it as an appetizer?

I'd go to Goodwill and buy a wool or wool-blend coat and cut an oval out of the back of it for a coat for Doggie. Make some sort of ties for around the neck and belly. Maybe just some elastic bands. Seems to me that if you just put a layer of warm cloth over a dog's back it would eliminate most of the heat loss.

Maybe next time, if she is good about wearing the coat I'd feel like getting a little fancier--with either a regular pattern for a dog coat or actually buying a commercially made one.

[lukasahero]

3. I have to agree with ginnyinWI

Until you know for certain how well the dog will adjust to the clothing, I wouldn't spend the money. My old Beau loved his warm winter coats, I can't get my little Bella into one even though she could definitely use it on occasion.

I put her in an old kids sweatshirt a few times when she gets scared (supposed to be calming), could you possibly find something small enough at a thrift shop for yours?

I would be a little cautious about clothing at a dog park, too. I think you would actually want something that could be torn away if it absolutely had to be. Dogs can play pretty rough and any extra clothing, etc that can get caught on stuff adds to the potential for injury. (I know of parks around here that require the dog not even wear a collar into the park...)

[beac]

4. Etsy has some good options for not too much money.

$8 w/ FREE shipping (other colors too): http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33375865&ref=cat3_gallery_20




a little over $10 incl/ shipping: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33309258




$17.99 incl shipping: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32730803&ref=cat3_gallery_18




I wouldn't spend much until you see how she tolerates being 'dressed.' Good luck! (She's ADORABLE, btw!)

[Warpy]

5. It depends on how handy you are

I'm reasonably handy, so I'd probably go to a thrift store and find a big men's 100% wool sweater, take it home and felt it, and then craft a felt coat for the doggie. I'd also remove that coat when we got to the dog park since running around in it would overheat the dog pretty quickly.

Were I not handy, I'd probably search the web for "dog sweater."

They'll all work fine for the trip to the park. Once the dog starts running around, he'll be quite comfy without it and will appreciate being able to cool off on the way home.

That should extend the life quite nicely as long as you keep it on top of the fridge where he can't get to it as a chew toy.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

6. You could try a toddler size sweat shirt

Cut off the arms above the kid elbow level. My 11 lb Peke wore a 2T. An infant 18 mo or 24 mo might work

[bain_sidhe]

7. Quick and disposable - old sweat pants

We had a toy poodle about the same size that I did this for. I had a bunch of old sweatpants I was going to cut up for rags. Instead, I cut the leg off (they were the kind with the cuff). The cuff became the neck, I measured it along his back and cut it to the right length (shorter for a male so that it doesn't interfere with him doing his business), cut holes for the front legs, and there you go, instant sweater. When it got ripped/too stained, I just threw it out and made another one.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

9. great idea !

I have a barrel chested Peke/Lhasa mix that's hard to fit. His chest is so close to the ground that he gets snowballs in his armpits. He needs coats that cover the barrel chest so this would work well - and I can recycle something !

[LiberalEsto]

8. I make my own dog coats

I buy remnants of fleece. Double the piece of fleece and cut a half-circle, so that when you open it up it's a full circle more or less. Then I stitch the half-circle closed. I cut out arm holes and attach velcro where it goes under the tummy. They look a lot like the most inexpensive ones in the Etsy link in a preceding post.