Quite often companies send me e-mails asking if I’d like to review their wares, some products aren’t that relevant to The Mud Life, so I decline, others however, are.  On this occasion, when Toni from Trover Dog Coats asked if I’d like to review her dog coat I thought it was a cracking idea, though sadly I don’t have a dog, but I know someone who does!

Friends of ours, Lizz and Archie who run a photography business have Jesse, a Whippet who’s always cold and, well, I’ll let Lizz tell you all about it…

“Last week we test drove the award winning Trover® Drying Coats.  Well, our dog Jesse test drove them and I think it’s a firm winner with him.

The thing is, Jesse is a whippet.  And, being a typical whippet he’s pretty skinny and has very thin fur.  Which also means he’s always freezing.  Even inside the house he’ll be shivering if we don’t put the heating on and he can often be found snuggling in his bed or more often than not, one of our beds. 

Finding a coat for Jesse isn’t easy.  Whippets have extremely deep chests but the good thing about the Trover® Drying Coat is they don’t attach around the dog’s chest.  They wear it like a poncho so it fits over the dogs head and neck and goes all the way to their tail.  

They have little leg straps at the back of the coat so it stays in place and the collar acts as a neck warmer too.

I first tried this on Jesse during the day when he was shivering on the couch.  Huge success.  He absolutely loved it and just curled up and slept.  For this reason alone it will make a great house coat and an even better camping coat.  He’s always freezing when we take him camping, but this is perfect for keeping any dog warm during those cold nights, as he certainly can’t fit in my sleeping bag.

I’d also pop it on him for car journeys.  I do find that coats calm dogs down and popping this on him in the car, not only keeps him calm, but helps him to relax in the car and fall asleep.

When we were testing the coat outside we wanted to make sure we took him somewhere muddy and wet so we could really test the coat. He loved it. It kept him lovely and warm, then we took it off him so he could have a play in the muddy fields.  As per usual he got filthy.

We popped him in the boot of the car, and put the coat on to see if it would dry him. I gave him a rub down with it and wiped his muddy paws.  Admittedly he doesn’t have a lot of fur so he does dry quickly, but by the time we got home, which is only a few minutes drive he was bone dry and most of the mud was on the coat and not on him.  Absolutely perfect.  It’s a huge win with us, and with Jesse.  It kept my car clean, and dried him too.

The only downside of this particular coat was it lacked a hole to which you could attach a lead through to it’s collar.  Some owners have their dogs strapped in when they’re in the car and this would keep the dog safe and the car clean.  Though I imagine it’s a really easy adjustment to make.

All in all, a wonderful coat for your dog, keeps your car clean and from the quality I imagine it will last a very long time, if not the life of your dog. It’s definitely a winner with my dog.”

There we have it, the difference it made to Jesse was noticeable from the start.

So, what makes Trover Drying Dog Coats so good? 

For a start it’s an all British product and is made from polyester louper fleece (manufactured in England) which has amazing thermal and wicking properties therefore drying your dog without the effort.  You could say that it’s perfect for working dogs, companion dogs, any wet dog which needs to dry off, and of course those without a natural coat, like Jesse. 

Not only will it protect your dog, your home and your car from mud, but Toni made sure that her product is well fitting, and more importantly nonslip as there’s no underbelly strap.

Because dogs don't come in small medium and large sizes, Toni offers 13 stock sizes, the smallest being 25cm(10″) back, up to 76cm (30″).  Of course, even with so many stock sizes available you may not find the correct size for your dog, which is why, for no extra cost, Toni will create a bespoke coat once you’ve given her the dimensions, like she did for Jesse.

The drying coat is easy to wash at 40° and being fleece, it dries very quickly.

Prices start at £28.69

Website: www.TroverCoats.co.uk

Photos by DJ Archer Photography