Finding a dachshund-friendly dog coat or dog sweater can be a big challenge if you don't know where to look. Most dog apparel is not designed for dachshunds' long and low-slung bodies. If a winter dog coat somehow fits a dachshund's deep chest, it will likely cover only half of his or her back—looking more like a crop top, rather than a suitable winter coat. Sound familiar?
We struggled with finding dachshund-friendly apparel for years for our long-haired tweenie dachshund, Django. For a sausage dog, he has a particularly long and slender frame.
Here are two wonderful dog coat recommendations for dachshunds. The first, the Whistler Winter Dog Coat, is a very comfortable and insulated winter dog coat that will keep your sausage dog warm and protected in the coldest winter weather. The second, the City Slicker Dog Jacket & Raincoat is a lightweight and water-dog repellent coat that can be used all year round as both an all-season raincoat and cold weather jacket. Both have 5-star ratings by tons of dachshund owners and are loved in the doxie community.
What to look for in a dachshund dog coat
Whether you are looking for a mini dachshund winter coat or a rain jacket for your standard doxie, the best dachshund coats address these must-haves:
- Coat length. The coat is long enough to cover their entire back.
- Adjustability. The coat is adjustable in the neck and chest areas. This is especially important since not all doxies are sized the same. Some have a very broad chest and shorter frame, for instance, while others are very long and slender with a less robust chest (like our little guy, Django).
- Mobility. The coat has large armholes for maximum mobility and/or be intentionally shaped to prevent chafing or uncomfortable rubbing of any sort. This is crucial if you're planning on using the coat for longer walks and multi-mile hikes.
- Opening for harness-leash attachment. The coat has a spacious and easy-access opening for harness-leash attachment. We have tons of doxie customers, and almost all of them use dog harnesses (not collars) for their doxies. A durable and intentionally-designed leash portal will allow your doxie to wear his or her harness comfortably under the coat without any hinderance to harness-leash attachment.
Best Winter Dog Coat for Dachshunds
The Whistler Winter Dog Coat is designed for doxies
The Whistler Winter Dog Coat is an incredibly warm, soft-to-the-touch, and water-repellent dog coat for dachshunds. It offers the length and adjustment needed for dachshunds and other dog breeds with long and uniquely-shaped bodies.
How to wear this one
The coat is designed with an adjustable neck strap and adjustable chest strap. To put the coat on your dachshund, open the neck velcro and slip the coat over your dachshund's head. The neck opening gets very wide, which is great for doxies that don't like when things go over their heads.
As you can see in the picture below, the Whistler Winter Dog Coat chest panel extends down your doxie's chest and upper belly and goes behind the front legs. The chest strap then secures easily your dachshund's body and overtop the coat. Featuring an easy-to-use and secure buckle, the chest strap can be adjusted a ton which is great, especially for dachshunds that are still growing (or looking to loose a lb!).
A few more reasons we love this dachshund winter dog coat
- Insulated for the coldest winter weather. Unlike dogs with a thick double coat, dachshunds have one layer of short hair. This thin coat of hair is not able to sufficiently insulate them from the coldest temperatures, and they need an insulated dachshund coat for warmth and protection.
- Soft against the body and very comfortable. Both the water-repellent exterior and striped interior lining are soft-to-the-touch and comfortable against the body. Nothing on the coat can rub the wrong way, even if you're walking or hiking for long periods of time.
- Not too heavy for dachshunds. Similar to a premium puffer coat for humans, the Whistler Winter Dog Coat is incredibly warm yet lightweight. It won't weigh down your dachshund, even if he or she is still a puppy getting used to dog apparel.
Best Raincoat for Dachshunds and Lightweight Dachshund Jacket
A lightweight dachshund raincoat and cold weather dog coat
If you are looking for a lightweight dog raincoat that can be worn by your dachshund throughout the year—even during warm summer rain showers—try the City Slicker Dog Raincoat & Jacket.
This premium dachshund raincoat offers length and adjustability suitable for dachshunds' long and deep-chested bodies.
The exterior of the jacket is water-repellent, while the interior lining is soft performance mesh.
How to wear this one
Similar to the DJANGO Whistler Winter Dog Coat (above), this sausage dog jacket slips over your dog's head. The neck collar of the jacket has a long velcro strip, offering several inches of adjustability in that area. The neck velcro also lets you completely open the collar of the jacket so you don't have to struggle to get the jacket over your dachshund's head and ears.
The chest panel extends under your doxie's chest and upper belly, and a long chest strap extends around your dachshund's back (and around the outside of the jacket). There are optional and comfortable elastic leg bands which secure the back of the jacket to your dog's body to fully protect him or her at all times.
A few more reasons we love this dachshund jacket
- You'll use it all year round—not just during cold weather months. We use this lightweight dog jacket for our doxie throughout the year—for rainstorms in the spring and summer, for chilly autumn walks, and even for winter play dates when temperatures aren't too low. We always have our City Slicker Dog Jacket hanging on one of our coat hooks by the door.
- Reflective piping for visibility at night. This is especially useful if you live in a busy neighborhood or city or let your dachshund off leash in early morning or evening hours. The reflective piping on this DJANGO dog coat is really high quality and shines brightly whenever any light hits it.
- Easy-access and no-leak harness opening. All DJANGO dog coats, including this one, have really spacious openings for a harness-leash connection. Plus, if your dachshund wears DJANGO dog harnesses, you'll never have to worry about the harness D-ring not lining up with the jacket leash opening. DJANGO purposely designs all of its dog jackets to work seamlessly with its popular dog harnesses for dachshunds.
