Why fur makes sizing harder

A harness sits on the dog, not on the coat. But a thick or curly coat can add several centimetres to a measurement, and a coat can change a lot between a fresh groom and week six. A tape pulled over fluffy fur measures the fur. A tape pulled through the coat down to the body measures the dog.

So the rule is simple: measure the dog, not the volume.

How to measure, step by step

1. Use a soft tape. A sewing tape works. If you only have a ruler, use a piece of string and measure the string afterwards.
2. Let your dog stand naturally. Four paws on the floor, head up. A treat in your other hand helps.
3. Find the widest part of the chest. It sits just behind the front legs, where the rib cage is deepest.
4. Wrap the tape around the chest. Slide your fingers under the tape and press the coat down gently so the tape lies close to the body.
5. Read the number where the tape meets. It should be snug, not tight. You should be able to move it a little.
6. Measure twice. Dogs move. If the two numbers differ, use the larger one.

Write the number down in centimetres. That is the one that matters most.

Choose the size by chest first, weight second

Weight is a rough guide, because two dogs at 8 kg can have very different chests. Use the chest range as the main number and the weight as a sanity check.

These are the ranges for our current Pink Zebra harness. The adjustable straps cover the range between the minimum and the maximum, so the closer your dog is to the middle of a range, the more room you have to adjust either way.

Why weight can fool you. A Standard Poodle can weigh over 20 kg and still have a fairly narrow, deep chest, so some fit our M. A compact, barrel-chested dog like a French Bulldog often needs a bigger size than its weight suggests. That is why the tape measure decides, not the scale.

Under 40 cm? Many Toy Poodles, Maltese and Yorkies measure less than 40 cm. Our XS can be a little big on them: our own Bean, a Toy Poodle, measures 34 cm and wears an XS that sits right but slightly loose. A smaller XXS is coming. Until then, message us with your dog’s chest measurement and we will tell you honestly whether the XS will work.

Bigger dogs: Labradors, Golden Retrievers and most large doodles usually measure over 67 cm, which is above our current sizes. Our L size is being redesigned.

Buying from our Classic final batch? Those harnesses use the original pattern with slightly different ranges (XS 38–48 cm, S 46–58 cm). The numbers are on each product page.

Between two sizes?

Some chests sit where two ranges overlap, for example 47–50 cm (XS and S) or 53–59 cm (S and M). If your dog is there, size up: a fluffy coat grows back between grooms, and the bigger size leaves room to adjust. Not sure? Send us your dog’s chest measurement (plus breed and weight if you have them). We will check the size and pre-set the harness to your dog before we send it. It is a free service, and it is the quickest way out of the drawer-full-of-harnesses problem.

The two-finger check on the first walk

Measuring gets you the right size. The walk shows you whether the harness is adjusted right.

• Two fingers should slide flat under every strap. If you can’t, it’s too tight. If you can fit a whole hand, it’s too loose.
• Check behind the front legs. The strap should sit behind the elbow, not in the armpit. That is where friction builds up first, and where mats often start. We wrote about why in why harnesses mat a long-haired dog’s coat.
• Pull gently backwards on the back ring. The harness should stay in place and not slide up over the shoulders.
• Look at the dog, not only the harness. Normal walking, a normal gait. If your dog stops, hunches or tries to shake it off, readjust.
• Check again after a week. Coats grow, dogs gain and lose weight, and straps loosen a little with daily use.

Groomed vs. grown-out: when to re-measure

A poodle in a short puppy clip and the same poodle grown out for eight weeks are two different shapes. The body hasn’t changed, but the way the harness sits on the coat has. Re-measure after a big haircut and if the harness suddenly feels loose, tighten it. If it feels tight in a grown-out coat, loosen it a notch. If you are always at the end of the range, it’s time to ask about the next size.

What about the leash?

Every size has a leash ring on the back. It is semi-fixed, so it can slide a little to the side. Size M also has a chest ring at the front, for dogs that pull. XS and S don’t have one, by design: small dogs sit too low for a front clip to pull comfortably.

Why the material matters for fit, too

Fit decides where a strap sits. Material decides what happens when it moves. Our harness is made of smooth, soft-coated webbing with sealed edges, so the strap slides over the coat instead of catching on it. Smooth coated webbing reduces friction at contact points (chest, armpits, neck), helping prevent gear-induced coat matting. It won’t replace brushing, and no harness will. It just means the gear isn’t creating new knots on top of the ones that come from the coat itself. If you want to see how we brush, here is our step-by-step line-brushing guide.

Quick answers