Best Umbrella for Dogs (Review & Buying Guide) in 2018

Not all pet parents believe that dogs should wear a doggy umbrella whenever they head out for a stroll in the rain. But for those who believe that their pets also deserve to be protected against the cold drizzle while still allowing them to enjoy the many benefits of daily doggie walks, a dog umbrella is an important component of canine raingear that includes rain boots and even a weatherproof jacket. The question now is how you can pick the best umbrella for dogs. Our team went on a mission to find out the best canine raingear in the market. Here’s the result of that endeavor.

Best Umbrella for Dogs Buying Guide & FAQ

What to Consider When Buying Umbrella for Dogs

It’s not easy coming up with several choices with which to select the best umbrella for dogs. While some would think that it is as easy as choosing an umbrella for humans, it is not always the case. Here are several things that you have to factor in your decision to buy an umbrella for your hound.

• Principal use

You have to understand that umbrellas are generally not a good idea to use if your main purpose is to bring your pet to the woods or very shrubby areas while it is raining.

The wide canopy of the raingear can easily get messed up in the shrubs or even twigs of low-lying plant life. In such a situation, you may have a better chance if your pet is to wear a rain jacket or raincoat instead of umbrella. But, if the main purpose is to walk down city streets or even in parks where there are no low-lying obstacles, then an umbrella is perfect.

• Weather use

You also need to consider the weather in which you will be using the canine raingear. If it is going to be used during the rainy weather, you’d want the umbrella to be made of transparent material so you can easily guide your dog to avoid obstacles, muddy portions, or puddles of water along the way. If it is for walking during hot summer days, then you’d want the umbrella to be of solid color to help provide a shade for your dog against the searing heat of the sun.

• Size

This is one of the most important considerations that you’ll have to make. The idea of using an umbrella is to keep the user as dry as possible. As such, the canopy should be able to cover the entire length of the dog. To find out the right size of canine umbrella, measure your dog’s length from the tip of its nose right to the edge of its tail, just a few inches from its base. This is the minimum size of the umbrella. The point is to get an umbrella that can provide extra inches of coverage on all sides so your dog stays protected regardless of how it moves under the canopy.

• Ease of control

Unlike raincoats, doggy umbrellas will require you to hold it for your dog. This can be quite cumbersome if you yourself are also holding your own umbrella. This is made even more difficult by the fact that some dogs tend to be pullers on their leash. That is why the raingear’s ease of control should be one of your major considerations. It is, thus important that the raingear you choose already comes with a built-in leash mechanism or some form of hardware with which you can attach your dog’s leash.

• Waterproofing

If your purpose for buying a dog umbrella is basically for fashion or even for protecting your dog against the sun, then waterproofing is not a major consideration. But if your reason for buying is so you can keep your pet dry in the rain, then waterproofing is an important consideration. Majority of the pet raingear today are made of durable plastic materials which have good waterproofing properties.

Benefits of Using Umbrella for Dogs

It’s easy to see why most folks simply don’t believe that dogs need umbrellas. For many, it’s nothing more than an extension of man’s perceptions of what is best for his pet and not necessarily what the dog considers to be an absolute necessity. There are, however, several benefits of using an umbrella for dogs that everyone should really know about.

• Keeps dogs dry

Obviously, you would want to keep your dog dry whenever you take it out for a walk in the rain. To accomplish this, however, it is imperative that the canopy is way larger than the body length of your dog.

• Provides a mobile shade

Some umbrellas are designed with plain solid colors which serve as protection against the harsh rays of the sun, similar to a human umbrella used during the summer. This allows you and your pet to walk casually even under the sun.

• Shortens drying time for dogs

It is inadvertent that raindrops hitting the ground will still wet your dog. Walking in puddles will also get its feet wet. The good news with an umbrella is that you get to keep your pet’s body relatively dry. This means you will have fewer canine body parts to dry. This will help shorten the length of time to dry your dog after walking in the rain.

• No lingering pet odors

Because your pet will dry a lot faster you also prevent one of the nastiest after-effects of getting soaked in the rain – pet odor. Your pet hound will still be smelling nice and clean even after coming in from the rain.

FAQ

Q:  What is an umbrella for dogs?

A:  An umbrella for dogs is nothing more than a slightly modified version of the human raingear. However, instead of the handle directly underneath the canopy, the whole configuration has been reversed with the canopy at the bottom and the handle on top. Technically it is still an umbrella but with the canopy opening closer to the ground. Its principal purpose is to provide a mobile, temporary shelter for dogs against the rain, snow, or even the sun.

Q:  Is umbrella for dogs suitable for large breed dogs?

A:  Unfortunately, because of the unique reversed design of dog umbrellas it will be especially difficult to hold such a raingear if the dog is large. The handle of such an umbrella will already be at the level of one’s shoulders, if not the head.

Q:  Does every dog umbrella come with a leash attachment?

A:  There are some dog umbrellas that do not come with a built-in leash. Some, however, do come with a leash attachment usually in the form of a hook or clasping mechanism with which to attach an ordinary dog leash. However, this may not work well with the umbrella since you will need a relatively short-length leash to connect to your dog’s collar so that it stays well within the protective cover of the canopy. If the leash is too long, its body may move outside this protected area.

Q:  Can it be attached to a harness?

A:  As long as the harness has a D-ring or a leash attachment ring to it, then a dog umbrella can be attached to such a device. It can also be attached to a standard dog collar.

Q:  Would umbrella hold up for a puller?

A:  This has something to do with the overall construction of the dog umbrella. Since the design is such that the handle of the umbrella is more like an extension of the dog’s leash, then an aggressive puller that can easily yank on the leash can also exert the same amount of force on the umbrella handle. That being said, everything actually depends on how powerful a puller your hound is and how dependable the construction of the umbrella is.

Our Top Pick

The NiceHyacinth Pet Dog Umbrella earned our nod as the best umbrella for dogs primarily for its thoughtful sturdy construction. Unlike other products that are made of flimsy materials, NiceHyacinth comes with seriously-upgraded materials to guarantee durability. It comes with its own heavy-duty leash plus a durable waterproof canopy. While it doesn’t provide the widest canopy coverage in the lot, it does make up for it by integrating a few innovations including a removable handle for easier storage. It is also priced friendlier than most.

Dog umbrellas are now the ‘in’ thing in canine rain protection. While doggy umbrellas only work in certain circumstances, they do provide good protection against the rain. You will just have to be mindful of the products that you’re considering on buying. Hopefully, this list of the best umbrella for dogs has given you a comprehensive understanding of which raingear to pick.

Sources

1. Check Out the Dog Umbrella!, DogWalker
2. Protecting Your Dog with an… Umbrella?!, PetExpertise
3. Rain Gear for Dogs: 3 Convenient Products for Rainy Walks, Petful