I’d been contemplating buying Guinness a coat for ages. I’ve had so many discussions in my head about it… it would stop him being completely soaked on a rainy day, it would keep him warm, it would save me drying him so much… but he’s a collie, he’s got a thick double coat, he’s never bothered about the rain, he goes paddling in the lake in winter, he’s not old.

I do use a warm coat for Guinness when he’s in the car or camping on a cold night, and he wears a hi-vis coat in the dark, so I knew he’d be happy enough wearing one.

After all the rain we’d had in autumn, I decided to go for it. I read quite a few different recommendations and reviews and opted for the Hurtta Torrent Coat. I’ve heard lots about Hurtta, a bunch of my friends have coats by them, and this one seemed to give enough protection while also being breathable. At the end of the day Guinness is going to be running around like a lunatic in it, so I don’t need anything too thick or warm.

The torrent coat is a serious bit of kit. The dog puts it head through the neck hole and then there is a piece of material that goes under the dogs belly and the straps loop around the body and secure on the dogs back. There is a slight overlap where the belly material lies over the top coat which helps to keep the dogs torso completely dry.

There are two black elastic straps that you place the dogs rear legs through that keep the coat in place over their rump. At the tail of the coat there is a popper stud which can be opened to allow room for the tail depending on your dogs needs. As Guinness’ tail sometimes curls up over his back I leave this popper undone and there is plenty of room for movement while still keeping his back covered.

At the neck of the coat is a collar that can be turned down, elastic adjustments in the top of the collar and around the whithers to keep it all snug and on the back there is an access hole for attaching a lead to a harness.

The waterproof material feels really tough and durable, I’d be happy to buy myself a coat of the same material. It stays pretty well put while worn, only moving slightly to the side. The wide waist strap and the back leg loops kept it on Guinness while he sprinted, twisted and charged around wet fields and woodland.

The sides of the coat look a little long on Guinness, almost like a skirt, but the length of the coat is perfect so it is the correct size for him and the sides being long don’t hinder him at all, it just looks a little odd.

We’ve been out in downpours and it’s kept Guinness’ body nice and dry, although his head, legs and tail still end up soaked of course.

Things get a little mucky when you come to take it off. If it’s raining then it tends to be muddy where we walk so when I’ve come to take Guinness’ rear legs out of the legs loops I end up with muddy hands. Then the coat of course is a bit gruby, but I’ve found wiping it down and then hanging it up to dry is sufficient enough.

 I think the coat looks pretty smart overall and I like the style of the black with the silver reflective strips which are brilliant for an evening walk.

It is a bit pricey but it should last a while and it is nice to come home from a walk without a completely drenched dog. I’ve found it especially useful when out with Guinness for a whole day as he wasn’t getting back in the car soaked and staying wet for the rest of the day. Although you end up with a very soggy coat dumped in the footwell of your car and it doesn’t dry properly until you can get it home to hang it up.

I probably won’t use it on a warm rainy day but for an autumn/winter wet walk it’s perfect and Guinness seems 100% happy wearing it while still running and playing as usual.