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 dog 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.
The Best Umbrella for Dogs
Now it gets really interesting. This doggy umbrella from LESYPET has exactly the same specifications as the K&L Pet and NiceHyacinth products including a similar price to the K&L Pet small dog and puppy umbrella. The dimensions are exactly the same at 28.3 inches in diameter and a 12.25-inch long leash made of steel chain link. The ribs are also made of metal and the design is perfect for dogs and puppies whose back length doesn’t exceed 20 inches.
Don’t get us wrong, but we believe the manufacturer is one and the same, although marketed by different companies. That being said, you get the same benefits that you’ll get from the NiceHyacinth – excellent protection for your pet against the rain. And since the canopy is transparent, you’ll be able to see clearly what’s going on underneath the canopy.
28.3-inch wide transparent umbrella
20-8-inch long umbrella handle
12.25-inch long chain link leash
Constructed of waterproof polyethylene material
8-rib design made of solid metal ribs
Great for pets shorter than 20 inches
- Brand: LESYPET
- Model: FBA_4LS-40051
- Weight: 7.4 ounces
This pet umbrella from K&L Pet is uncannily similar to the NiceHyacinth product which leads us to suspect that the two are actually related. K&L Pet also comes with the same PVE 100C material, the 8-rib metal rib design, the 28-inch diameter of the canopy, and the 12.25-inch long chain link leash. The maximum canine back length that it can accommodate is also the same at 20 inches.
So what gives? Well, the K&L Pet dog umbrella costs just several cents higher than the NiceHyacinth. Given that the price difference is negligible, you can actually choose either and will still have peace of mind regarding your pet’s safety in the rain.
28.3-inch wide transparent umbrella
20-8-inch long umbrella handle
12.25-inch long chain link leash
Made of thickened PVE-100C material
With umbrella hat, spring tension, and removable handle
Designed for 20-inch long dogs or shorter
- Brand: K&L Pet
- Weight: 10.4 ounces
The umbrella with leash from Perfect Life Ideas is a great combination product for small dogs and puppies with a back length of up to 20 inches. The umbrella provides protection from the elements, while the leash feature ensures that your pup stays dry under the umbrella and doesn’t wander out into the rain, hail, or snow. It’s a great opportunity for extra leash training and will help your dog feel more at home in the outdoors because they won’t be getting soaked by the bad weather.
The chain link leash easily hooks onto the harness that you already have for your dog, but it won’t withstand strong pulls from heavier dogs. This product is purely for puppies and small dog breeds that are no more than 15 pounds in weight and is only recommended as such because larger dogs simply wouldn’t fit under the full cover of the umbrella. But there’s no raincoat necessary with this product, you just grab your dog umbrella and enjoy a walk in the rain with your furry friend!
29-inch wide clear, transparent umbrella
26-inch long umbrella handle
8-inch long chain link leash
Made of plastic and metal
Perfect for puppies and small dog breeds
Designed for 20-inch long dogs or shorter
- Brand: Perfect Life Ideas
- Weight: 7.04 ounces
Now it gets even weirder. With the addition of Morjava W555 in this list, we’re pretty sure it’s no coincidence. Morjava dog leash umbrella happens to have the exact same specifications and technical details like the NiceHyacinth, K&L Pet, and LESYPET, making it a 4-way product vying for the top honors of the best umbrella for dogs.
So what’s the difference? Among the 4 similarly –designed and –spec’d dog and puppy umbrella, the W555 happens to be the least expensive at about several tens of cents cheaper than the LESYPET and K&L Pet. That being said, if you’re the kind of pet parent who has a rather tight budget, but wouldn’t want to fall for the unreliability of the Moore product, then the Morjava is definitely for you.
28.3-inch wide transparent umbrella
20-8-inch long umbrella handle
12.25-inch long chain link leash
Constructed of waterproof polyethylene material
8-rib design made of solid metal ribs
- Brand: Morjava
- Model: W555-DU
- Weight: 13.1 ounces
Suitable for small and young dogs, the LESYPET dog umbrella has a C-shape handle for added convenience while you’re out walking your pup in the rain. The shape of the handle ensures that you always have both hands free and that you can hook a small bag (such as a poop bag) onto the end of the handle. This brand also offers a similar dog umbrella with an LED handle in place of the C-shape one, but we’re focusing on the C-shape handle product for this post.
The clear fabric of the umbrella ensures that you can always see your dog and what they’re up to. The handle is also adjustable, so you can be closer to your dog if you’re still in the training phase and don’t want to be too far from them while walking together. It’s always worrying when you take a new doggy family member out in the rain for the first time, so you’ll be able to adjust the handle and be as close as you want to keep an eye on your pup.
28.3-inch wide clear, transparent umbrella
20.9-inch to 23.8-inch adjustable umbrella handle
12-inch long chain link leash
Made of plastic and metal.
Convenient handle design free-hand walking and carrying bags
Designed for #-inch long dogs or shorter
- Brand: LESYPET
- Weight: 15.2 ounces
The Pet Life Pour-Protection is a cute and lovable puppy umbrella that comes with a very small canopy of only 19 inches, making it ideal for toy dog breeds as well as puppies and small breeds. One really has to take more accurate measurements of his pet as the Pet Life may not be able to provide ample coverage if the dog’s back length is longer than a foot.
While the Pour-Protection looks adorable enough, it comes with a major downside. The canopy is not transparent. Instead, it comes in 4 different solid colors of black, pink, light blue, and orange. For those who really want to see what their dogs are up to underneath the umbrella canopy, this raingear is definitely not a good choice. But, this is not to say that it doesn’t have any purpose. Since the canopy is in a solid color, it can make for a great shade while walking your dog under the scorching sun. The other nice thing about the Pour-Protection is that it comes with a safety reflective strip. At least, should you venture out on a rainy night you’d be easily seen by others in the dark.
19-inch diameter pet umbrella
Leash and harness attachment
With reflective trim
Available in 4 colors
- Brand: Pet Life
- Model: 1UMBPKW
- Weight: 8 ounces
The Enjoying Pet Dog Umbrella ensures that you are not hindered in any way from your normal schedule of taking your dog out. It is the perfect device for walking your dog through the rain, snow, and wind devoid of hassles. It keeps your little one dry and safe in all wet conditions, and at the same time, makes the pet confident enough to venture outdoors in all weather situations. With the handle and shaft being built from sturdy PVE and stainless steel, it provides a durable alternative to other brands in the competition.
The transparent skirt of the umbrella is made from durable waterproof and windproof polyester fabric and enables the pet to see clearly and be seen without difficulty. With a 28.3 inches diameter, it opens to cover the dog completely, a clear advantage over dog coats and jackets. This umbrella is retractable and can be easily and conveniently stowed away when not in use.
Transparent plastic material
Strong and durable metal frame
Specially designed for smaller dog breed feel most comfortable in wet weather conditions
Easy to fold and convenient to carry along and stow away
The transparent fabric makes the pet have a very clear view of owner and environment
All materials are non-toxic and harmless
The fabric offers enhanced quality and transparency
- Brand: Enjoying
- Weight: 9.6 ounces
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.
Read here our detailed guide on the Best Dog Raincoats.
- 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.
Take a look at our article on Dog Hats.
- 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.
Check out our review of the Best Hands Free Dog Leashes.
- 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.
Best Umbrella for Dogs 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.
