How to Measure Your Dog for Clothes

Do Not Rely on Weight

The weights shown in size charts are loose guidelines. Dogs come in all shapes. One 8-pound dog may be extra long like a Dachshund. Another 8-pound dog may be more compact and have a larger, deeper chest like a Chihuahua.

Chest Girth Most Important

For clothes and harnesses, the most important measurement is the chest girth. Wrap a measuring tape around your pet's chest directly behind the front legs. Pull the tape against the body. For harnesses like the Buddy Belt, this is especially important. Do not add any extra room to the measurement for selecting harness size.

For clothes, you do want to add a little extra room to the chest measurement. If your pet dog has a long or fluffy coat like a Yorkie, Maltese, or Pomeranian, take that into account too.

Back Length

Measure from the base of the neck to the base of the tail bone.

Neck

To measure the neck for collars or clothes, wrap the measuring tape around the base of the neck. Pull the measuring tape directly against the body. Add a little room for dogs with long or fluffy hair. The neck size is important for selecting clothes for dogs with thicker necks, such as Bulldogs.

Body Length

For dog carriers, car seats, and beds, note the dimensions of these accessories on each product page. Measure your pet from nose to tailbone to determine if your pet will have enough room. For height, measure from the floor to the top of the shoulder.

Not all Smalls are the Same Size

Designers do not use one set of standard measurements. Your dog may usually wear a Small, but one designer's Small may be closer to another designer's Extra Small.

A single designer may also use different measurements for a dress in their collection compared to a coat. The Small dog dress may fit your pet perfectly, but the Small coat from the same designer may not fit.

Not all Size Charts are the Same

Each product product page has its own size chart, when applicable. Some of the measurements are of the actual product and not the size of the dog they fit. The size charts indicate when this applies. Choose the size that is slightly larger than your dog's measurements.

If you need further assistance, email us at info@wfieldsforpets.com or see our Contact Us page. We are happy to help you with sizing.