Size and fit guide
Two minutes with a tape measure saves a fortnight of posting things back. Breed names here are a rough guide only. The numbers are the thing that matters.
What you need
- A soft tape measure, or a piece of string and any ruler. String is fine, and easier with a wriggling dog.
- The animal standing up and reasonably still. Measurements taken while they are lying down come out small.
- Their current weight. Most vets will let you use the scales in the waiting room without an appointment.
Dog harnesses
A harness is sized on chest girth, not on weight or breed. Two dogs of the same weight can be two sizes apart if one is deep chested.
Taking the measurement
- Chest girth. Run the tape right around the deepest part of the ribcage, roughly a hand’s width behind the front legs, and back to where you started. Keep it snug. You should be able to slide two flat fingers under the tape.
- Neck. Measure low, around the base of the neck where it meets the shoulders, not up under the jaw. This is where the front strap sits.
- Write both down in centimetres before you look at the chart, so you are not tempted to round towards the size you already own.
| Size | Chest girth | Neck | Typically |
|---|---|---|---|
| XS | 33 to 43 cm | 28 to 36 cm | Dachshund, small terrier, Italian greyhound |
| S | 43 to 56 cm | 33 to 41 cm | Cavalier, French bulldog, whippet |
| M | 56 to 71 cm | 38 to 48 cm | Cocker spaniel, beagle, border collie |
| L | 71 to 89 cm | 46 to 58 cm | Labrador, boxer, standard poodle |
| XL | 89 to 107 cm | 56 to 68 cm | German shepherd, rottweiler, ridgeback |
Between two sizes? Take the larger one. Every strap adjusts down further than it adjusts up, and a harness at the top of its range has no room left for a winter coat underneath.
Growing puppy? Buy for the dog you have now. A harness that is too big rides forward onto the throat and slips off over the shoulders on a lunge, which is exactly when you need it.
Checking the fit at home
Two flat fingers should slide under every strap, and no more. The chest strap sits across the breastbone, not up on the windpipe. The side straps clear the armpits by a couple of centimetres. Walk the dog around the kitchen for five minutes and look for rubbing before you go outside, because a harness that has been down a muddy lane cannot come back.
Dog collars
Measure the neck where the collar will actually sit, which is usually mid neck, a little higher than the harness measurement. Add 3 to 5 cm for a small dog and 5 to 8 cm for a large one, then check against the chart. The finished fit is the two finger rule again: two fingers flat between collar and neck, and it should not pull over the ears.
| Size | Neck | Width | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 25 to 33 cm | 15 mm | Under 10 kg, light leads only |
| M | 33 to 43 cm | 20 mm | 10 to 25 kg, everyday walking |
| L | 43 to 56 cm | 25 mm | 25 kg and up, or a strong puller |
Leather softens and gives a few millimetres in the first month, so a new collar that feels firm is usually right. If the buckle is on the last hole on day one, size up.
Dog beds
Weight is the quick way in, but the honest measure is the dog stretched out. Wait until they are asleep on their side, measure nose to the base of the tail, and add 15 to 25 cm. Curled up sleepers can go smaller. Dogs that sleep flat out on their side need the bigger option in the band.
| Size | Weight | External | Sleeping area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Up to 10 kg | 60 x 45 cm | Nose to tail up to 45 cm |
| Medium | 10 to 20 kg | 80 x 60 cm | Nose to tail up to 60 cm |
| Large | 20 to 35 kg | 100 x 70 cm | Nose to tail up to 75 cm |
| Extra large | 35 kg and up | 120 x 85 cm | Nose to tail up to 95 cm |
Bolstered beds lose about 10 cm of internal length to the raised edge, so measure the sleeping area rather than the outside of the bed. Older dogs and anything with stiff hips do better on a flat mattress they can walk straight onto, and on the thicker foam. A memory foam base under 8 cm bottoms out under a heavy dog within a year.
Cat trees and shelves
Height is about confidence, not floor space. A cat that likes to survey the room wants to be above head height. A cat that is fifteen, heavy, or recovering from something wants two easy hops and no more.
- Under 90 cm. Older cats, large cats, kittens still learning to land. Every platform reachable in one short jump.
- 120 to 150 cm. The safe middle for most adult indoor cats. Tall enough to feel like the high ground, short enough to stand on a rug without wobbling.
- 150 cm and over. Confident climbers and homes with more than one cat, so there is a top spot worth having. Anything this tall needs bracketing to the wall, and a spare wall plug in the box is not the same as actually fixing it.
Whatever the height, check two numbers: the platform needs to be at least 30 cm across for a cat over 5 kg, and the scratching post needs at least 60 cm of vertical sisal so an adult cat can stretch out fully while using it. A short post gets ignored and the sofa gets used instead.
Cushion covers and pads
Buy the pad 2 cm larger than the cover. A 45 cm cover takes a 47 cm pad, a 50 cm cover takes a 52 cm pad. That is what makes a cushion look full in the corners instead of collapsing into an envelope shape after a week.
- Feather and down pads fill corners best and can be plumped back into shape. They need a shake every few days and are not for anyone in the house with a feather allergy.
- Recycled polyester pads hold their shape without plumping and wash well, which matters if a dog sleeps on the sofa. Go the full 2 cm oversize, because they compress less generously.
- Linen covers relax in the wash and then shrink back slightly on drying. Wash at 30, dry flat, and expect a centimetre of movement either way in the first few washes.
Still not sure
Send us the measurements and the breed and we will tell you which size to order, including when the answer is that nothing we sell fits well. Message us before you order rather than after, and mention what they are wearing now and what is wrong with it.