Now as the days are becoming shorter and autumn darkness sets in much earlier, I´d like to come up with a topic that will definitely make you smile a bit, a reminder of the hot, nice and lush summer days, of jaunty and a little bit careless summer-vibes. Let´s talk about the four-legged crew members, our beloved dogs. There are no clear numbers, but it is estimated that up to 50 per cent of yacht owners at least have a dog – if brought aboard is another question, but I can confirm from my own experiences that I see a lot of smaller and mid-sized dogs roaming the jetties in my home marina.
Now you might think, “why bothering with swimming vests and life jackets for dogs – it´s a dog! It is born with the ability to swim!” Well, not quite so. While some breeds are indeed born with quite compelling swimming capabilities and almost all breeds have a natural tendency to start “dog paddling” when immersed in water, not at all can dogs swim by nature. Especially the short-nose breeds have severe difficulties to keep their heads above water, some will even drown faster than you think. Of course, humans can swim too, nevertheless, we wear proper life jackets at least when things get rough aboard. So why not protecting your onboard dog as well?
“We´ve tested quite an arsenal of swimming vests for our sailing dog.”
I don´t have a pet myself, but I love dogs! Having grown up with dogs (and cats too) I know perfectly well that a dog can have the significant value of a child for many people. More over if the own real kids have moved out, partners are deceased or just as another form of a beloved family member. Sailing dogs are cool to look at and vice versa, dogs love to travel. My friend and business partner Sven Krause, CEO of Quantum Sails Germany is one of the sailors who´s crew is regularly staffed with a dog: Freddy, ordinary seaman, as he calls him.
Sven confirms that Freddy is indeed an able swimmer. As almost every dog, he loves to take a bath, loves to jump into the water from ashore to retrieve a branch or a fun ball. And he loves travelling with Sven and his wife on their sailboat. But when it comes to onboard safety, although Freddy is a keen swimmer, wearing a life jacket is customary for the third four-legged crew member. In this, Sven tells me that they had tried out many swimming vests for dogs already. For once because as it is the case with humans too, the dog had a phase when he was growing and becoming bigger. So had the life jacket.
“It was often just a compromise for him”, Sven tells me: “Some jackets would fit rather nicely while some wouldn´t. Some would hamper the dog in his movements, some wouldn´t too much.” It sounds as if it always was like a hunt for the least uncomfy compromise for Freddy. “Most of the time when we are sailing, the dog will proceed to his favorite spot, snuggle up and just doze until we´d reached the next destination.” In many cases, the dog´s life jacket would be too uncomfortable to cuddle with. Well, I´ve had a surprise for Freddy …
Easy to buckle on, comfy & convenient
That would be the main character of a perfect dog swim vest, right? As I have quite a nice connection to Germany´s prime brand for high-grade life jackets, Secumar, I persuaded the guys to do a little long-term product test with their latest dog vest – the Secudogs. The are many brands offering buoyancy-aids and floating vests for dogs engaged in outdoor activities. These are mainly for land-based hobbies like fishing, rafting or even hiking. When it comes to sailing dogs, you should rather check the usual brands focusing on “real” sailing hardware that is offshore-approved, such as the mentioned Secumar, whilst Spinlock or Crewsaver also offer dedicated products.
For reasons I will never tire to communicate I am in favor of Secumar. It´s a company that not only develops and tests their own products since its inception back in 1926 (!), it still produces 100 percent in Germany and is prime choice for many official state agencies and big commercial shipping companies as well as airlines. Now, I don´t know for sure if the family that founded, still owns and runs the company has dogs themselves, but Secumar´s product line includes a dog´s swimming vest since at least 2014. Secudogs is the latest iteration and it comes with some interesting features. As I am not the dog owner, let´s as Sven how the product felt.
He mentions that the life jacket, well, rather the swimming vest, is very easy to put on. Maybe you know this from your own dog, some usually don´t quite like it if you try to pull up something over their heads. The Secudogs vest basically consists of two separate floating “cushions”, connected by adjustable straps. To put it on your dog, you just open the two catchers which will open up a really big “hole” for your dog to actively get in or being imposed over his head. Easy.
By the way, the dog´s life jacket is made from exactly the same high-class materials (nylon and neoprene) used for human life jackets as well. The buoyancy is generated with the same floating-capable pads which are to be found in Secumar´s human floating aids, for example their inherent (solid) life jackets for rafters, surfers and dinghy-sailors. In this, of course, the same approach to manufacturing quality is quaranteed, as it is the case with meticulous testing. In fact, I wanted to do this article for at least two years now. Secudogs was launched last year finally only after all test and quality requirements of the company had been fully achieved.
The fluent design, the ergonomics of the product, the easy handling and of course the floating capabilities reflect it. As does the price, by the way: Quality is never a bargain, cheap low prices rarely a good guide. Secudogs vests are available in five sizes, suitable for dogs from 23 centimeters back length up to a veritable back length of up to 50 centimeter. To fit perfectly, you´ll check additionally for your dog´s chest and neck circumferences, choosing the right size. As for Freddy, Sven tried two sizes as measurements were a bit “unsure” and let the dig have a final say in which vest would fit best.
Letting the dog decide …
Sven says what he immediately acknowledged was the “approval” by the dog: He accepted the new swimming vest from the first moment on. The dog was able to roam freely aboard and on land as well with minimal hampered freedom of movement. Breathing – also heavy breathing after running around – was possible without compromising a tight fight. It´s a pity he wasn´t able to take some pictures of Freddy whilst swimming and having fun in the water wearing the Secudogs, but Sven assures he frequently enjoyed a refreshing splash after some hours of sailing under the burning noon sun.
In this I must say, it looks absolutely cute! Secumar managed to come up with a both “secure” solution for the wearer – our dogs – but also a product that is nice to look at. It´s slim, doesn´t appear to “blow up” your dog as other products with thicker floats do and at the same time has all the safety features like reflectors and red signal color to make sure you´ll find your dog in case of a MOB (or rather DOB) or in low visibility, like fog and mist.
Freely roaming the boat, unimpeded cuddling
Sven owns a 30-footer, which is the usual boat size here in the Baltic Sea. His boat, a Comfortina, is about 30 years old, which means, it bears a classic V-shaped hull with a narrow stern section. Available space in the cockpit is scarce, even more so due to the fact that his yacht features a steering wheel, further cutting down the space. When underway, usually two adults are occupying the cockpit – less space for the dog.
Even if Freddy wants, there are not many places he can go to, as the boat barely measures 9.50 boat length. When sailing, the foredeck and walkways are off limits for the dog of course, which means that he can either cuddle into his favorite spot up on deck or stay down in the salon. Outcome is the same: Many hours of almost motionless dozing on his blankie. “Many vests we tried were so uncomfortable that we´d have to take them off when he wanted to cuddle underway”, Sven tells me.
That´s apparently not the case with Secudogs: On the contrary, the lower part of the vest, secured around the dog´s chest, is so comfortable that the dog even sleeps on it without asking for his blanket. That´s a new thing. Now, Freddy is secured throughout the whole sailing leg and less hustle for the owners to put it on and take it off all the time.
“It suits the dog just perfectly well.”
That´s what Sven says after a summer of testing Secumar´s dog life jacket. He tells me that the swimming vest appears to fit just naturally without any resistance or even initial opposition to getting it put on by the dog. In fact, Sven immediately puts the old life jackets onto eBay, as for him the pick is clear now: We will happily keep it for him!
The reason for the “perfect fit” of Secudogs is twofold. First of all, Secumar offers a variety of five sizes to choose from. In contrast, Spinlock´s Fido comes in three. Crewsaver´s Petfloat offers also five sizes for dogs, including extra-large dogs with a back length of up to 65 centimeters. Secudogs has basically two adjustable points to fit the device the individual body of your dog.
Large straps at the underside regulate the body´s thickness whereas another set of straps adjust the vest to the length of the dog. It´s a 3D-adjustment system, if you will. The vest also comes with two “handles”, so to say. The foremost one is a sturdy loop where you might attach a leash when walking your dog back on land or a tether when things get rough when sailing. The second one is the lifting strap which comes in very handy when it comes to a topic I at least haven´t been thinking about when planning this article.
Often neglected: A swimming vest is not only good for safety
This fact has nothing to do with “dog overboard” or safety. It´s something often neglected, but maybe becoming a big problem for sailing dogs and owners alike: The simple getting on and off board of the boat when moored. Modern cruisers with wide sterns are moored stern first to the pontoon. If a passarella is at hand, your dog might be boarding easily of course, if you have a very small dog, it´s light weight won´t be a problem to be carried over. But for dogs of Freddy´s size and weight – especially on older, classic boats, there´s a big problem.
Bow-first moored boats are a big obstacle for many dogs to overcome. Therefore, Secumar attached a rigid grab handle to the life vest that is deliberately placed in a way that if you raise your dog up in the air, the life jacket won´t harm the chest or breathing organs of the animal. You can now safely and comfortably take your dog and put it on deck or back onto the pontoon without harming it or cause pain. It´s perfectly fine balanced.
This handle, of course, will also be used to rescue the dog back onboard in case it has fallen overboard when sailing. It corresponds to the safety harness in human life jackets. Although I asked Sven to re-enact a dog overboard-scene, as a loving and caring owner of Freddy he did not put him in this situation and I respect that. But it´s okay, having seen the crazy extend to which Secumar tests their products I would blindly trust that these swimming vests work just perfectly fine. Good sales of the product indicate that the market honors this as well.
Freddy´s verdict: Let´s keep the Secumar!
So in the end, with the year´s 2025 sailing summer now drawn to a close, I contacted Sven a few days ago asking for pictures and a briefing on the long-term test of this vest. Although due to a lot of people asking for new sails or tarps, which is a good thing, sailing in 2025 hasn´t been that much for him. But with a very nice summer here in the Baltic Sea this year, Sven, his wive and Freddy managed to enjoy quite a few miles sailing in Danish waters. So, what´s the final verdict?
“It suits very well, handling is easy and fast without any resistance.”, Sven tells me. “Also it seems that Freddy himself kind of enjoys wearing this vest and even finds it comfortable to sleep or doze while wearing it, which is a new thing.” As mentioned already, Sven vows to keep this and sort out all the other older swimming vests, which of course is granted. I wish Freddy ongoing safe and comfy travels – and I am happy that both dog and his family have found a product that appears to suit all their needs, including the “getting the dog onboard”-issues.
Do you own a dog? And sail with it regularly? How do you manage the onboard safety of your beloved doggo when underway? I am looking to your comments and hints in the comment section. Make sure to check your local chandlery or the internet to acquire pro-material if you want to invest in professional safety equipment. Also, if it´s not to much to ask for: Please sign up for the monthly NO FRILLS SAILING.com newsletter if you haven´t already. You won´t miss any new article.
Ah, and by the way: If you are more a cat person, Secumar says that although the vest is developed for dogs, if your cat doesn´t bother, Secudogs is perfectly fine for onboard feline.
There is much more about life jackets and onboard safety to read:
A whole series about German-made quality by Secumar
Practicing the MOB code of conduct
Training my kids how to be safe when sailing