One of the best dog vests on the market. It’s not too heavy, but ThunderShirt’s Dog Jacket is perfect for dogs that are a little too anxious or restless in certain situations. Comfy, snug, and available at a great price.
American Kennel Club (AKC) was first founded in 1884. Yep, they’ve been in the canine business since the late 19th Century. So it’s safe to say, they know their dogs, and they know how to make a good fitting vest as well.
This is the vest for those wanting to go heavy. It’s one of the best heavy weighted dog vests on the market. Quality material, exceptional design, and already approved by hundreds of previous purchasers. Boost the strength and stamina of your dog with this one.
Weighted products are being used by humans for a wide range of different purposes. Two of the main ones being strength training in adults, and assistance with anxiety and social disorders in children – which is why weighted vests for kids have become so popular over recent years.
But – you’ve come here for a different purpose. Not for humans, but rather, your canine companion. And good on you for seeking out methods to help improve your dog’s life – a weighted vest can definitely help.
There are plenty of benefits of strapping a weighted vest on your pup. Including building stamina and strength, helping burn extra fat, calming a restless dog, and more. We’ll go into further detail a bit further down.
On top of that, there are different types of dog vests for different purposes, such as a bullet-proof vests. But we’ll just be focusing on normal vests for now.
If you’re already set on purchasing a weighted vest for your dog, stay right here. These are the best dogs weighted vests we’ve found on the market today:
ThunderShirt’s Dog Vest is, by far, one of the most popular products on the market today. It’s been praised by thousands and thousands of buyers as being highly effective in its purpose.
That main purpose being to ease anxiety. Although this vest is not technically weighted, it applies a slight soothing pressure on your dogs body helping to calm anxiety, fear, and over-excitement.
They’ve already sold more than a million of their vests to dog owners like yourself around the world. In total, around 80-85% of purchasers found this dog vest to be effective.
This vest comes in a huge range of different sizes, ranging from XX-Small to X-Large. So, no matter the size of your dog, you’ll likely be able to find a perfect fit for them.
It’s made from a lightweight spandex-type material, allowing your dog to still feel flexible and able to do whatever they please whilst wearing it. That also means it’s great for those in hot environments.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) have been in the game for quite a while now – first being founded in 1884. Yep – 1884. Safe to say, they know their dogs.
Just like ThunderShirt’s weighted dog vest above, AKC’s vest has already been tried and tested by thousands of dogs and their owners. With most of them pleased with their purchase.
AKC’s vest comes in five different sizes, from X-Small to X-Large. In other words, they’ve got a size from Chihuahuas to Huskies. It’s also available in three different colors – pink, grey, and blue.
The vest itself is made from a slightly stretchy, cloth-like material. Keep in mind it is quite thin, which means it’s great for warm climates, but won’t provide much warmth in colder areas.
As well, this vest technically isn’t weighted, but will provide many similar benefits. Including reducing anxiety in various circumstances, calming hyperactivity, and reducing barking.
This is the most versatile and functional weighted dog vest on the market. Period.
XDog have blown their competition out of the water with this vest. It’s made from ultra-tough, lightweight, yet still breathable material. On top of that – it’s completely waterproof.
The vest comes with several pouches which can be filled with sand (or other material) to increase the weight of the vest. The more weight, the more muscle growth, power, speed and overall health benefits your dog will gain whilst wearing the vest.
Don’t go too heavy to begin with. You don’t want to overwhelm your dog’s joints and muscles in the beginning.
It’s secure and snug fit means your dog will still be able to do everything they normally do whilst wearing this weighted vest.
Of course, being one of the highest quality products on the market means it’s going to be priced higher than others.
If you want the best for your dog, XDog’s vest is for you.
Made in the USA, this weighted vest for dogs produced by Canine Weight Set has seen quite a lot of design work go into the product.
It comes with four pouches; each being located over one of the legs. This allows you to strategically position the weights depending on where your dogs needs them.
On top of that, this is one of the heaviest weighted dogs vests on the market. The small size vest weighs 10lbs once it’s weighted, with the large doubling to 20lbs in weight. And that’s using sandbags.
If you’d like to increase the weights even more, you can swap sand out for BB pellets. You can grab as many 4lb packs as you like, all sold by Canine Weight Set as well.
Overall, this vest is for owners who want to vastly increase the strength and stamina of their dogs. It’s heavy, durable, and perfect for all types of canine activities.
Weighted vests have been around for quite a while now, with early inventions dating back to the late 20th century. Dog vests have also been around for quite a while, but the invention date is a little more uncertain.
Before weighted dog vests and vests for calming dogs entered the market, there was a demand for more traditional vests. In particular, vests with pockets and compartments that allowed dogs to simply carry items – like a backpack.
The vests you see here today have only grown in demand over the past couple of decades. And we’re thankful they have because the range and quality of weighted vests for dogs is fantastic. Allowing you to choose a vest that’s perfect for your dog.
There are two main types of canine weighted vests – those used for strength training and those used as a calming mechanism. You’ll need to decide which one your dog needs before considering which one to buy.
But how do you choose? Let’s take a look at the benefits.
Weighted vests that are heavy are designed to increase and strength and stamina of your dog. Just like we use products such as weighted hula hoops or heavy jump ropes to increase strength, your dog can use a vest in the same way.
By artificially increasing the weighted of your dog’s body by wearing a vest, you’re forcing the muscles to grow to accommodate the heavier mass of their body. And we aren’t just talking about muscle size here.
A weighted vest can also benefit your dog’s stamina, blood circulation, ligaments, and tendons. On top of that, they are a great addition to daily exercise if your dog needs to shed a few pounds. And finally, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind – great for canines and humans alike.
You don’t need to take our word for it, it’s also been proven in clinical studies that dogs wearing a heavy vest lose more weight. Take the study done by Atlantic Animal Hospital for example. On average, dogs wearing a weighted vest during their normal exercise lost almost 4 times as much weight as the dogs who weren’t. That’s a massive difference.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a weighted vest because your dog is anxious or gets easily over-excited, you don’t need to go too heavy. A simple, tight-fitting vest will do the trick.
These vests create a soothing, calming-effect by applying a gentle pressure on your dog’s body. This is quite similar to the weighted vets used in some children with anxiety problems.
A weighted vest can help your dog in the following situations:
In general, if your dog is restless or anxious in certain situations, a tight-fitting weighted vest should help to calm them down.
Restless dogs can sometimes be unable to sit still, even when eating. Which is why it’s not uncommon for dogs to tip over their bowl when eating or drinking. Thankfully, there’s a solution for that. Heavy weighted dog bowls are a great tool to help stop your dog spilling their food or drink all over the floor.
If you’re just looking to reduce anxiety in your dog, it doesn’t need to be heavy at all. Rather, it should be a tight-fit without making your dog uncomfortable. This is also the same for weighted stuffed animals which generally only seek to provide the owner with a calming effect.
Thankfully, the vests above come in a huge range of different sizes and materials. Letting you choose a vest that’ll fit almost perfectly on your dog. Many also come with a size guide to make sure you pick the right one.
Want a vest to increase and strength and stamina of your dog? That’s when you want to start looking at the heavier vests.
Generally speaking, you’ll always want to start light if your dog has never worn a coat or other heavy vest before. Going too heavy in the beginning with cause great pressure on joints and muscles, leading to potential injuries.
Start light, and increase the weight of the vest as your dog becomes stronger and more comfortable with wearing it.
There’s no real limit to how heavy your dog’s vest should be. Just keep increasing the weight until they reach a point where you want them to be.
Want to give your dog something with a little more love and affection? Why not make your very own weighted dog vest to ensure they’ll love what they’re wearing.
Thankfully, there are some brilliant people out there who’ve already been through the process and documented it for us.
Here’s on fantastic, although a little bit long, tutorial on Youtube:
There’s another great tutorial by Cassie on Wholefully. She goes through the whole process step by step and even includes a printout for you to use.
All in all, weighted vests for dogs can benefit our canine friends in more ways than one. Increased stamina and strength for those going heavy, or a calming and peaceful sensation for those keeping it on the lighter side.
Whatever kind of vest your dog needs, you’ll find some of the best ones right here at Weighted Living.
If you have any more questions about heavy dog vests, feel free to send us an email.
We hope your dog is happy!
Mike is one of the lead editors at Weighted Living and the author of this article. He's become fascinated with weighted products (a bit too much we think) and loves to see all the different ways they can improve our loves. He's written quite a few weighted product guides as well.
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Weighted Living features a range of articles, guides, and product recommendations for everything weighted. We believe anyone and everyone, including yourself, can enhance the way they live by simply adding a bit of weight into their life.
Weighted Living features a range of articles, guides, and product recommendations for everything weighted. We believe anyone and everyone, including yourself, can enhance the way they live by simply adding a bit of weight into their life. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
