Being typical spaniels, the girls do have a tendency to return from their walks far dirtier than when they set off! If there is a puddle or mud, you can be sure they will find it! So we teamed up with Ruff and Tumble Dog Drying Coats to see if their drying mitts and coats are up to the job!

Ruff and Tumble are a quintessential British company nestled in between Leicester and Peterborough. The company started life by making coats for family and friends which proved super popular and so the business was born.

The coats are a double thickness cotton towelling which is really absorbent and can be machine washed and tumble dried too! In the summer they can also be soaked in cold water to act as a cooling coat for those blissful hot sunny days!

It isn’t just wet walks the coats are useful for however, they can be used after hydrotherapy sessions, beach walks, baths and showers!

So we set off in the car to one of our favourite walking spots near Wells. Plenty of opportunity for off lead running, streams to splash in and mud to be rolled in! Fortunately the stream is the last part of the walk so the girls get to rinse off before going home. This means its the perfect opportunity to test out the drying coats as usually they end up being wet and soggy and can only get towel dried before home.

The coats themselves are very simple and easy to put on, after their walk the coats simply slide over the girls’ heads and the large belly strap neatly comes up and around the whole of their tummies, neatly velcro’ing to the side. The deep collar is perfect for keeping long spaniel ears toasty warm and dry inside which is a fabulous difference when compared to other drying coats available to purchase elsewhere. Ruff and Tumble are the only coats we have found that have this unique design.

 

If the correct size is chosen for your dog, the coats are long enough to cover the base of even the waggiest of tails and again unlike a lot of other drying coats, the wide belly flap covers the whole tummy – this is ideal for our spaniels who although aren’t hairy – do have lovely feathering on their tummies which is covered up nicely.

It takes us approximately 25 mins to get home from this walk and I am pleased to say the girls were nearly dry by the time we got back. The only damp bits were their legs which obviously aren’t covered by the coats! However in comparison to the usual soggy doggy that disembarks from the car, even their legs were noticeably drier than on previous walks!

I believe the difference in their legs was down to a) being curled up with the coats on but also b) the wonderful drying mitts we were sent to test.

Made from the same material as the coats, the drying mitts are perfect for drying those hard to reach places before popping the coats on or keeping by the back door to dry paws off after rain.

As fabulous as the coats and mitts are, it is important to us that they wash and dry well. We popped the coats and mitts into the wash on a low 30 degree cycle and then into the tumble drier on a low setting – the result? Brand new clean and dry looking coats and mitts! We have now used these at least a dozen times over a three week period and they still look like new!

When the coats and mitts are not needed, they come with their own storage bag. Perfect for labelling which coat belongs to which dog and the handles mean they can hang tidily on a coat peg or door handle. We are delighted with the quality of both products and would recommend them to any of our friends!

The coats and mitts come in a huge variety of colours, from the beautiful burgundy seen on the girls, right through the colour spectrum including but not limited too Navy, Red, Bottle Green and Heather. For a bit more style there is also the option of purchasing a coat from the Country Collection which has a stunning Faux Leather trim. The Cockers in the Country are spoilt princesses deep down so we were lucky enough to try this style and even after numerous washes and tumble drys the trim is still looking perfect!

I think it’s safe to say we are suitably impressed with the coats & mitts and for the dogs that have it all there is also some brilliant bed covers! I think this may be next on our shopping list to try out! I think the girls love their coats as much as they love each other!

Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog when we team up with Animology to road test some of their exciting products!