How to measure your dog’s neck and chest correctly – Measuring your dog
Measuring your dog – Regardless whether your dog needs a new collar for everyday use or you are in a mood to present your dear pet with a unique custom made collar or harness, the following measures need to be taken properly to assure the best choice and a perfect fit.
General advises are:
put your dog in a standing position when measuring him/her and use a flexible, cloth measuring tape.
If you cannot find a cloth measuring tape, use a string in the same manner but then ascertain the exact length by comparing the measured length of the string with some length measuring tool that you have in the household, i.e. a ruler.
NECK WIDTH
Measure your dog’s neck in the center of the neck, not too close to the head – collar will be too small, or too close to the shoulders – collar will be too big (as shown in the picture no.1). If your dog has a dewlap / fanon (like Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, Neapolitan Mastiff etc.) do NOT measure extra skin, try to get measuring tape up under the flaps, but do not pull too tightly. (see picture no.2). The collar shouldn’t be so tight to cause discomfort or so loose that it slides over the dog’s head.
picture no.1
picture no.2
CHEST GIRTH
To take a precise measurement of the dog’s chest circumference you need to fold the measuring tape all around the dog’s chest right behind the front legs (see picture no. 3,4). Chest girth is measured from the withers down to the lowest point of dog’s ribcage and up to the withers again.
picture no.3
picture no.4
If chest measurements are taken for a purpose of buying your dog a new harness, another two measures should be taken into account depending on the particular harness design. Those measurements are chest depth and chest length.
CHEST DEPTH
Length measured from one shoulder to another over the dog’s chest.
CHEST LENGTH
Length measured from the neck’s lowest frontal point to the ribcage lowest point in between and behind the front legs.
