Protective Vest
- Thread starter Roy B
- Start date
Limitless
Well-known member
I like the adjustability and durability of the Sylmar vest.
www.gundogsupply.com
In some of these photos Honey has a fleece vest underneath the Sylmar. It would need to be pretty cold before you would need anything extra to trap heat for your girl. It looks like she has a great coat for cold weather.
ORANGE Sylmar Vest
ORANGE Sylmar Vest. Tough Protection for Heavy Cover Extra Visibility So EVERYONE Can See Your Dog Measure your dog's CHEST GIRTH $47.95. Not recommended for hog hunting. The Sylmar Body Guard Dog Vest gives your dog additional chest and body protection with increased visibility at a...
In some of these photos Honey has a fleece vest underneath the Sylmar. It would need to be pretty cold before you would need anything extra to trap heat for your girl. It looks like she has a great coat for cold weather.
Munster927
Well-known member
+2 for Cuga
Roy B
Member
What is the material in the chest area?
Roy B
Member
I have actually looked at that one. It looks pretty solid and the price is awesome also. Has it been working well for her? She is a beauty!I like the adjustability and durability of the Sylmar vest.
ORANGE Sylmar Vest
ORANGE Sylmar Vest. Tough Protection for Heavy Cover Extra Visibility So EVERYONE Can See Your Dog Measure your dog's CHEST GIRTH $47.95. Not recommended for hog hunting. The Sylmar Body Guard Dog Vest gives your dog additional chest and body protection with increased visibility at a...
In some of these photos Honey has a fleece vest underneath the Sylmar. It would need to be pretty cold before you would need anything extra to trap heat for your girl. It looks like she has a great coat for cold weather.
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LC Smith
Well-known member
Made with 1000 Denier Cordura®
CUGA® Vest | Serious Protecton for the Active Dog
CUGA® vests are the strongest, most durable vests on the market, made with pride and for the love of our dogs. Handmade in the USA. Protect your dog today!
www.cugavest.com
Limitless
Well-known member
She used it the end of the 2023-2024 season and about half of the 2024-2025 season. No problems so far, and she puts on quite a few miles and goes through brush and cattails.
The reason I got it was so she could have something to hold the fleece vest against her body during the colder weather (under 20 deg, for her). This kept her from putting her legs back through the leg holes and out the neck hole. I had another type for that too, but it would rub her armpits raw. This one greatly reduces the chance of that happening.
I have used a browning vest for her in ruffed grouse early season and pheasant hunting in warmer weather since she was a puppy. But those get shredded. The last two or three years, I have used orange duct tape to re-enforce the vests, but it just delays the shredding. The browning doesn't provide as much stomach protection as the Sylmar vest, but I do like the browning being cooler in warm weather (50+ deg).
This is the Browning vest:
The other nice thing about the Sylmar is it is made for deep chested dogs. I'm not sure if Maggs has the deeper chest of her GWP side, but something to keep in mind. It also has 3 straps, and can be made to fit the form of the dog by tightening each one different amounts as you go back further on the dog.
As an aside, does Maggs' tail go up to 12:00 when she is on point? And if so, does it get closer to 12:00 as the scent gets stronger/bird is closer?
I bet she is a retrieving rockstar.
Roy B
Member
Thanks for all the advise on the vest. She is only 7 months old but she already has a half season behind her.
She has pheasant and quail both under her belt but she is still a babe in the woods. She has a strong pointing instinct but she still needs more time to fully develope. She definitely points as long as the bird stays in place but if she sees them moving she does break her point but she will develope I'm sure of it.
Sometimes her tail is up and sometimes it's straight out. Her last bird of the season last January 28th was on a single bobwhite she pointed. It was a beautiful ending to the season and having a 6.5 month old pup doing the things she had done makes me super excited about her future!
And yes she loves to retrieve the birds and bring them to me but she is far from perfect but that's ok. I'm super excited to see where she goes next year. Her mamma is a ledgend with everyone that's hunted with her so I know she has the bloodline. The 1st picture is her mamma Allie with a limit of Iowa quail and the 2nd picture is Maggs with a couple Iowa bobwhites from this last year.
Anyway sorry for jabbering on but she is my 1st bird dog that I have raised up and trained so I'm pretty proud of her.
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Limitless
Well-known member
The next 2 seasons will be fun for you seeing her come into her own.
Labradinger
Well-known member
LCS Bird Dog Armor Vest 2
LCS Bird Dog Armor Vest 2 The LCS Bird Dog Armor Vest 2 takes the same great design as the Bird Dog Armor vest and adds extra protection and a better fit on your dog. We increased the thickness of the vest's material to hold up better to harsh brush in upland cover. It has the same high...
www.lcsupply.com
Labradinger
Well-known member
last year my gsp thought barbed wire was the ribbon at a finish line. I cut the back half off a skid plate chest protector and velcro’d it into the inside of that lion country vest so she had protection the entire way back on her undercarriage. She was a lot more careful this year so about halfway into the season when it was cold so i put a scheels vest on for warmth and the lion country over top. She shredded it in about a year and a half but thats who she is. Have a new one now. No belly or chest cuts while wearing it and i saw/heard plenty of fence hits.
LC Smith
Well-known member
His first vest was from Scheel's and it tore his inside elbows up as it didn't fit right. I liked the vest, just didn't fit.
Mosby
Well-known member
My GSP is a really small female and it rubs her a bit. My Vizsla has really filled out with a deep chest that keeps the vest tight. His fits him much better than hers. When hers wears out, I might try something else on her.
Red Ryder
Member
I discovered neopreme vests can be cut with sissors and many are marked so you can accuratey chop away the excess and enlarge the leg and shoulder areas to fit the dog. My boy hunters thank me for discovering those cutting areas....winks
Limitless
Well-known member
Good tip. I have also wondered if sewing some fleece or other material around the armpit areas, that doesn't cause rub wounds, might work for nylon based vests.
For those reading this who aren't used to having vests on dogs, it should be noted that neoprene vests really trap the heat. Great for waterfowl hunting, where a dog is sitting in cold, wet conditions, but requires some caution for upland hunting so the dogs don't overheat.
Good rule of thumb -- provided the dog is in shape, if they are open mouthed and panting when they stop running, they are probably warm enough (or too warm if they have a vest made for warmth on).
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