FieldSkin Protective Dog Suits: Serious Protection for Dogs That Hunt Hard

There’s a point during almost every hunt when you realize your dog has absolutely no interest in taking the easy route.

You walk around the briars. Your dog goes through them.

You step over the nasty patch of weeds. Your dog disappears into it.

And when a rooster dives into the thickest cover in the field, your dog isn't thinking about burrs, thorns or what you're going to spend the next hour pulling out of his coat back at the truck.

That's what good hunting dogs do.

The problem is that all of that enthusiasm can take a toll. Burrs, brush, rough grass, sticks and abrasive cover can turn a great day in the field into an uncomfortable ride home.

That's where FieldSkin protective dog suits caught our attention.

A Different Approach to Protecting a Hunting Dog

Most hunters are familiar with dog vests.

They've been part of waterfowl and upland hunting for years, and they certainly have their place. But FieldSkin takes a different approach by providing considerably more coverage than the typical hunting dog vest.

Instead of concentrating protection primarily around the dog's chest and torso, a FieldSkin suit is designed as a more complete protective layer for dogs working through difficult cover.

The idea is pretty simple:

Put the abuse on the suit instead of your dog's coat.

For anyone who has finished a hunt with a dog covered in cockleburs, beggar's lice and everything else a field can attach to a coat, that idea makes a lot of sense.

Burrs Can Ruin an Otherwise Great Day

Burrs don't look particularly intimidating.

Until you own a hunting dog.

Certain types of cover can load a dog's coat surprisingly quickly. Long-haired retrievers, spaniels and other breeds with feathering can be especially good at collecting them.

A few burrs aren't a big deal. A dog covered with them is another story.

They become tangled in the coat, collect additional vegetation and can pull against the dog's hair and skin as the dog continues running. Eventually you're stopping the hunt to work them out.

Then comes the cleanup at home.

Anyone who has sat on the garage floor with a comb and a tired dog knows exactly what we're talking about.

FieldSkin was designed specifically with this type of problem in mind. The suit creates a barrier that helps keep burrs and debris on the outside rather than allowing everything your dog runs through to become embedded in the coat.

That alone can make it an interesting piece of hunting dog gear.

But protection isn't very useful if the dog can't hunt naturally while wearing it.

A Hunting Dog Still Has to Move Like a Hunting Dog

This may be the most important part of any protective dog gear.

A bird dog doesn't move in straight lines on manicured ground.

Watch a good dog work a field and you'll see constant changes in direction. They accelerate, stop, turn, jump ditches, crawl under branches, crash through grass and stretch their bodies in just about every direction imaginable.

A retriever adds another challenge: swimming.

Anything you put on that dog has to work with those movements instead of fighting against them.

FieldSkin uses four-way stretch material and movement zones designed to allow the dog to run, jump and work naturally. The suits are also designed to stay relatively light and dry quickly after water work.

That's important.

The goal shouldn't be to wrap a dog in so much protection that you've created a completely different problem. Good hunting dog equipment should almost disappear once the hunt starts.

Put it on, make sure the fit is right and let the dog do his job.

Upland Hunters May See the Biggest Difference

If you've ever followed a pointer, setter or flushing dog through pheasant country, it's easy to see where a full-coverage protective suit can make sense.

Upland dogs don't just occasionally encounter cover.

They live in it.

For hours.

Switchgrass, cattails, CRP, brush lines, briars and weed-filled field edges are exactly where we expect them to hunt.

And ironically, the nastiest-looking piece of cover is often exactly where the bird is hiding.

The FieldSkin Blaze Orange Suit is particularly well suited to this type of hunting.

In addition to protection from burr-heavy and rough cover, the blaze orange provides something every upland hunter appreciates: visibility.

When a dog is moving through tall grass at 30 or 40 yards, being able to pick up that flash of orange can make it much easier to keep track of where your dog is working.

It's a practical combination of protection and visibility rather than adding another piece of equipment to the dog.

FieldSkin Isn't Just for Upland Dogs

Waterfowl dogs deal with a completely different environment.

Flooded timber, reeds, marsh grass, sticks, mud and cold water all create their own challenges.

FieldSkin offers a camo protective suit intended for these types of conditions. The quick-drying construction is particularly useful for a dog that may be moving repeatedly between water and the blind throughout a morning hunt.

It's also worth considering for hunters whose retrievers routinely work marshes or shoreline cover where burrs and vegetation are part of the trip to and from the water.

There's a Nice Extra Hidden in the Suit

One feature we weren't necessarily expecting is an integrated Apple AirTag holder.

FieldSkin incorporated a location for an AirTag directly into the suit.

We wouldn't consider an AirTag a substitute for a dedicated GPS dog tracking system when one is needed. But having another way to help locate your dog or his gear is a useful addition.

It's one of those features that doesn't interfere with the primary purpose of the product but is nice to have.

What Types of Dogs Can Benefit From a FieldSkin Suit?

FieldSkin isn't limited to one particular breed.

We see the biggest potential benefit for dogs that regularly encounter heavy or burr-filled cover, including:

• Labrador Retrievers
• Golden Retrievers
• German Shorthaired Pointers
• German Wirehaired Pointers
• English Pointers
• English Setters
• Brittanys
• Boykin Spaniels
• English Springer Spaniels
• Cocker Spaniels
• Chesapeake Bay Retrievers
• Other sporting and working breeds

Coat type is worth considering too.

If you have a dog that seems capable of collecting every burr within a half-mile radius, you already know why.

But even short-haired dogs can benefit from having a physical layer between their body and abrasive vegetation.

Don't Overlook Fit

As with almost any piece of hunting dog equipment, fit matters.

Too loose and protective clothing can shift or snag. Too tight and it can interfere with movement or create unnecessary rubbing.

You want the suit snug enough to stay where it belongs while still allowing the dog to run, stretch and work naturally.

Don't make opening morning the first time your dog wears it, either.

That's a good rule for almost everything we put on hunting dogs.

Let the dog wear the suit around the yard. Take a short walk. Do some retrieving. Let him run.

Most experienced hunting dogs adapt to new equipment quickly, but there's no reason to introduce something unfamiliar when birds are flying.

Think About the End of the Hunt

Most hunting equipment is judged by what happens during the hunt.

FieldSkin is one of those products you may appreciate just as much afterward.

Imagine coming back to the truck after several hours of hunting nasty cover.

Normally, that's when the inspection starts.

Burrs between the legs. Burrs around the chest. Burrs underneath the ears. Seeds buried in feathering. Pieces of vegetation you aren't entirely sure how the dog managed to collect.

If much of that ends up attached to a removable protective layer instead of buried in your dog's coat, you've accomplished something.

Take off the suit.

Check your dog over.

Clean the suit.

Head home.

That's a pretty good ending to a day in the field.

Is a FieldSkin Protective Suit Worth It?

That depends largely on where and how you hunt.

If your dog spends most of the season running relatively clean ground, you may not need this level of coverage.

But if your hunting season involves burrs, briars, heavy grass, cattails, marsh vegetation, brush and miles of rough cover, FieldSkin becomes much easier to justify.

We spend a lot of money on equipment designed to make ourselves more comfortable in the field.

Good boots.

Good hunting pants.

Brush pants.

Quality jackets.

Gloves.

Base layers.

We buy those things because we're going to spend hours walking through terrain that isn't particularly forgiving.

Our dogs are going through the same country—usually faster and through considerably more of it.

Giving them some protection makes sense.

Built for the Dog That Doesn't Know When to Quit

That's probably the best way we can describe the appeal of FieldSkin.

Good hunting dogs don't save themselves.

When there's another bird to find or another retrieve to make, they're ready to go. They'll push through the ugly stuff because that's what they've been bred and trained to do.

It's our responsibility to decide what equipment can help them do it safely and comfortably.

A FieldSkin Protective Dog Suit won't replace proper conditioning, regular field checks or good judgment about conditions. What it can do is add another layer between your hunting partner and some of the roughest things waiting for him in the field.

And if it means fewer burrs, less cleanup and more time watching your dog do what he loves?

That's a piece of hunting gear worth taking a closer look at.

Shop FieldSkin Protective Dog Suits at HuntEmUp Outdoors and get your dog ready for the next trip into the field.