Astral BirdDog Dog Life Jacket PFD for Swimming and Water Play, Ol’ Blue
$74.95
Price: $74.95
(as of Jan 03, 2025 01:04:46 UTC – Details)
The BirdDog is designed to provide safety and style for the canine athlete. A perfect option for both active swimmers looking to take on new rapids or newbies learning their doggie paddle in calmer waters.
Measure around the widest part of your dog’s ribcage for the girth measurement. The following breeds are suggested as a guideline. For the best fit, please weigh and measure your dog.
X-Small: 5-15 lbs and 13-19 in; Chihuahua, Pekingese
Small: 15-25 lbs and 17-25 in; Pug, Pomeranian
Medium: 25-45 lbs and 21-31 in; Border Collie
Large: 45-75 lbs and 26-35 in; Labrador Retriever
X-Large: 75+ lbs and 30-39 in; Great Dane, Mastiff
Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 19 x 15 inches; 1 Pounds
Item model number : DOGBDN
Date First Available : December 4, 2017
Manufacturer : Astral
ASIN : B077XRT9LX
MADE FOR DOGS: Designed for all kinds of K-9 water play, from pups new to the water to total pros; PE foam inserts keep your dog afloat with their head above water
QUICK AND EASY: Secure, adjustable buckles on the chest and stomach; Easy, hassle-free on and off; No stepping through leg loops or pulling over the head
DURABLE: Made to withstand rough and tough play; 500 Denier Cordura Nylon shell and 200 Denier High Tenacity Nylon liner; Nylon webbing and heavy duty hardware
GRAB HANDLE: D-ring for attaching handle; Reflective accents and light loop for extra visibility; Grab handle for helping over obstacles or rescuing in an emergency
NATURE FIRST: Every product in our line is completely free of toxic PVC; We reuse as many scraps as possible, recycle everything and even compost our coffee beans
Customers say
Customers like the pet apparel’s look and color. They say it fits well and their dog loves to wear it. The handle makes it easy to lift their dog out of the water.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Mandie –
Nice vest
Perfect for a longer haired dog (Aussie) Easy to put on and take off.
Zach –
A Staple for any Water Dog
This is my second Bird Dog vest from Astral. The first was for my last dog, years ago. All I can say is summed up by “they’re great.”My last dog was a great swimmer by the time I got her this, but we were learning to sail a Hobie Cat. This helped her when we got tossed and also made swimming easier so should could stay out longer.I got this one for my current pup at about 4 months old as I was teaching him to kayak. It was a little big, but by 7 months he’s grown into it. It gave him some extra confidence as he was learning to swim. It made me feel safer going over rapids.Now he loves to wear it, which he still does over rough water, even though he hates harnesses.Astral makes great products and if you are taking your dog around any water that might be risky, this is the way to go.
Reagan –
Filthy Floater
I pulled the PFD out of the box and I really liked the look and color. I put it on Reagan in the backyard to try it out before the river. He started to run and jump around and looked like a bucking bronco as he tried to get it off. It was semi entertaining. I looked away for 10 minutes and came back out to check on him. He had chewed through the front buckle strap. The velcro remained in tact and the vest was still on.Reagan had sort of gotten used to it at this point so we tried it on the raft in the river. He swam fine with it and the handle made it easy to lift him out of the water and into the boat. It made him super clumsy and he stumbled around as he moved on top of the raft in the waves. He played with his buddy Bailey on the bank and they managed to cover it with mud and sand. It did not clean up well and is now permanently dirty.Reagan is a young active healthy Aussiedor and is an excellent swimmer. I am putting th PFD on the shelf for now as he does better without it. I will put it back on him when he gets old and feeble and does not move around as much.
Blake Adams –
Astral makes great gear
I have bought and used Astral shoes and PFDâs for years. I love their products and theyâre highly well-made. I bought this for my frenchie for paddleboard End and she loves it. Fits well and functions better than most other dog flotation devices out there.
Russell Williams –
Keep pup a float
Puppy afloat and happy
Alexis Arnold –
Perfect
High quality jacket. I love the handle, and my dogâs range of motion is not limited.
Elizabeth R Griffin –
Fits well
True fit.
CJ –
Nice life jacket, but sizing is way off.
So Update:I received the large I ordered and tried it on my fat little dog, and of course, WAY too big. So I revisited the medium on her, and realized it was only snug in the rear strap when she sits down. Rest fit fine, and when she stands up, it’s perfect. It dawned on me that I could solve the fat-sit issue by adding a short strap extension. Duh. I even have one on hand. So problem solved.The large size fits my whiskey barrel American Staffordshire Terrier PERFECTLY. If you have a short in length dog made from a whiskey barrel, you will understand the nightmares involved in fitting a chunk of a dog like this. He weighs about 70 – 75 lbs, has a 33″ girth and a 22″ neck. And nice and short in length. So mastiff and dane sizes will go around his neck, across his chest and around his girth and then hang off his butt by a good 6 inches. The struggle is real, ya’ll. Hurtta gear is about all that fits him, and I haven’t been able to get near one of their life jackets to try. Perpetually out of stock. I’ve sent so many Ruffwear (whose stuff I love) jackets and such back, cuz’ he’s impossible to fit. So I am ecstatic to find something that not only works, but fits him like a glove.I have not tried them in the water yet, but with the quality and fit, I have no doubt these will be great. Yes, they cost more than other brands, but these are my babies we are talkin’ about here.Buy it. You won’t be sorry. And Backcountry seller is fabulous.——I haven’t been able to try this out with my dog because it is WAY too small. Based on Astral’s size guide, the medium should have fit my girl with room to spare. I couldn’t buckle it around her middle. So I am having to return it. Note that this is NOT a free return, despite what the product listing says. Amazon is charging me for the return shipping. It’s only $4.00 and it’s better than eating the cost of a life jacket that none of my dogs can wear. But just know that you will be charged to return it. For reference, my dog is about 21″ from neck to base of tail, weighs about 37 lbs, and has a girth of 28″.I had ordered a large, again based on the misleading size guide, for my American Staffordshire Terrier. Given the sizing on this one, there’s no way it’s going to fit him. So I am hoping the large won’t be too big for my smaller dogs, and I ordered an XLarge for my 70 lb, 32″ girth AmStaff.Wish me luck. I really want these to work for my dogs. I bought an Astral Ringo PFD, with which I was very impressed with the quality. Also ran small, btw, compared to their sizing chart.Can’t speak to longevity or the like at this point, but I like Astral stuff well enough to try again. Knocked off a star for the wonky sizing.