How to measure a dog for a coat or sweater

A dog coat is sized on three measurements: chest, neck and back length. The chest decides, because that's where a coat closes around the dog. The back length tells you whether it covers the dog, and the neck whether it goes on. On the Ruban Size dog coat template, a dog with a 54 cm chest, a 37 cm neck and a 41 cm back is an M.

The breed helps you guess where to look, and the tape tells you the size.

How to measure your dog

1. Have your dog stand on all four legs, head up, on a flat floor. A sitting or lying dog curves its back and changes its chest.
2. Use a soft tape measure. No tape: a string, marked and then measured flat against a ruler.
3. Neck. Around the base of the neck, where the collar sits.
4. Chest. Around the widest part of the ribcage, just behind the front legs.
5. Back length. From the base of the neck, where the collar sits, along the spine to the base of the tail. Not to the tip.
6. Keep the tape flat on the fur, neither pulled into it nor floating above it.
7. Measure twice and write it down, in centimeters or inches.

Dog coat sizes, from the template

The template's note is the rule: "Choose by chest first, then check the back length. Breeds are only a guide." The values are typical ones; the brand's own chart is the one to follow, since cuts differ from one coat to the next.

In inches, divide by 2.54: an M fits a chest of 18 to 22 in and has a back length of 15 in.

Why the breed is only a guide

A breed name stands for a typical dog, and few dogs are typical. Two dogs of one breed can sit in different sizes, and a long-bodied dog can need one size for its chest and another for its length. That's why the template puts the chest first and the back length second: a coat that's a little long is still wearable, and a coat that doesn't close isn't.

Common mistakes

• Measuring a sitting dog. The back curves and the chest changes.
• Measuring to the tip of the tail. Back length stops at the base of the tail.
• Using the collar's size. A collar label gives the collar's length, not your dog's neck. Measure the neck itself.
• Pulling the tape into the fur. A coat sized on a squeezed chest is tight over the fur.
• Choosing by breed alone. Use it to start, then check the chest.
• Old numbers for a puppy. Puppies grow. Measure again before each purchase.

What it means for a Shopify store

People buying for a dog often know its breed and not its measurements. A good chart serves both: the three measurements per size, the breeds that typically fit each one, and one sentence telling shoppers that measuring gives a closer fit.

The dog coats and sweaters template does exactly that, with the measuring steps beside the table. It sits in the Pets category of the template gallery and opens as a draft. Here it is as shoppers see it:

How Ruban Size handles dogs

On a dog chart, Find my size starts with a breed field ("Breed", with "Type to search" inside), then "Or measure your pet:" followed by Neck, Chest and Back length. The intro reads: "Enter your pet's measurements, or its breed. We compare them with this chart."

By breed. The list comes from the chart's "Typical breeds" column, or from the merchant's own list in the chart's Fit tab, size by size ("Beagle, Pug"). Pick Beagle and leave the measurements empty: the answer is "Your size: M", with "Size for a typical Beagle. Breeds vary: measure your pet for a closer fit." A breed that isn't listed gets "This breed is not in the list: measure your pet instead."

By measurements. When measurements are typed, they decide, and the breed doesn't. The chest counts most, then the neck, then the back length, in line with the template's note. The 54, 37 and 41 cm dog above gets "Your size: M", with one line for each measurement, such as "Chest 54 cm: M, top of the range". "Fit I like: Snug, Regular, Loose" is offered too, for a closer or roomier coat. More on how the answer is built in how Find my size works.

Kept apart. The dog's measurements and breed are saved on the shopper's device, never sent, and separate from the shopper's own. A person's chest never fills a dog's form, and a dog's never fills a person's. The chest step itself is the same idea as for people, a level tape at the widest part, covered in how to measure your chest.

Dogs are one of the product types in fit by product type, alongside rings, shoes, bras and belts; the Find my size page shows the rest of what it does.

Questions

How do I measure my dog for a coat?

With your dog standing, measure the neck where the collar sits, the chest around the widest part just behind the front legs, and the back from the base of the neck to the base of the tail. Choose the size by chest, then check the back length.

Where do you measure a dog's back length?

From the base of the neck, where the collar sits, along the spine to the base of the tail, not the tip.

What size coat does a Labrador need?

On the Ruban Size dog coat template, Labradors and Golden retrievers are listed under XL, for a chest of 68 to 80 cm. Breeds vary, so measure the chest to be sure.

What if my dog is between two sizes?

Go by the chest. If the chest is between two sizes, the larger one closes without pulling; then check that the back length isn't far too long.