Dog coat sizes: which measurement decides depends on whose coat
Hurtta sizes a dog coat by its back length — the number on the label is the back length in centimetres. Kurgo sizes its Loft jacket by chest and neck and says the back coverage “will vary”. Ruffwear sizes its jackets by chest girth alone, on the same chart as its harnesses. Measure back, chest and neck to compare the charts. Missing measurements leave candidates to check, and Kurgo’s printed neck figure needs a manual fit check.
3 charts, each read from the maker’s own page on 2026-10-05. We have not tested these coats.
Base of the neck to the base of the tail.
Around the widest part, just behind the front legs.
Around the base of the neck, where the coat collar sits.
Measure your dog standing, snug against the coat. Hurtta checks back, chest and neck; Ruffwear uses chest alone. Kurgo’s single printed neck figure still needs a manual fit check.
Enter back, chest and neck measurements to compare the charts.
| Maker | Measurements used | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurtta Monsoon Coat II Maker’s chart · checked 2026-10-05 | back length, chest, neck | — | Choose by back length, then check the chest falls in that size's range; the XS variants of 40 and 45 are cut narrower in the chest. |
| Kurgo Loft Dog Jacket Maker’s chart · checked 2026-10-05 | chest, neck | — | Snug but not restrictive; the chest ranges overlap, so pick the size the chest sits most centrally in. |
| Ruffwear Jackets and coats (one chart with its harnesses) Maker’s chart · checked 2026-10-05 | chest | — | For a growing puppy between two sizes, Ruffwear says take the larger. |
How to measure a dog for a coat
- Back length: along the spine, from the base of the neck — where a collar sits — to the base of the tail. Dog standing, head level.
- Chest: round the widest part of the ribcage, just behind the front legs, snug against the coat as it lies.
- Neck: round the base of the neck, where the coat’s collar will sit. Kurgo and Hurtta both print it; it matters most on deep-chested, slim-necked dogs.
Measure all three even if you have a maker in mind. The one that decides at one maker is a check at the next.
One dog, three answers
With a 45cm back and a 60cm chest, but no neck measurement, Hurtta 45 is a candidate pending its neck-range check. Kurgo Small is a chest-based candidate that still needs a manual neck fit check. Ruffwear S is a chart match from chest alone. The labels cover different measurements: Kurgo Medium lists a 66–89cm chest, while Ruffwear M lists 69–81cm.
Back length first, or chest first?
Whichever the maker says. Hurtta and Weatherbeeta label their coats by back length, so the back picks the size and, at Hurtta, the chest and neck must also fall within that size’s ranges. At Kurgo, chest gives a candidate and the single neck figure needs a manual fit check; its back figure describes coverage. Ruffwear uses chest alone. Reading one maker’s chart by another’s measurement is how a coat ends up the right length and too tight, or the right chest and short of the tail.
Hurtta adds a wrinkle: its 40 and 45 come in standard and XS versions with the same back length but a narrower chest. A slim dog with a 40cm back and a 40cm chest has 40XS as a candidate rather than 40; its neck must still fit the published range.
Weatherbeeta labels its coats by back length too. Its rule: between sizes, take the next size up. Source. We have not listed its sizes, because its full chart could not be read from its own pages.
Every chart
Hurtta Monsoon Coat II
The size number is the back length in cm; each size also prints the chest and neckline it adjusts to. Choose by back length, then check the chest falls in that size's range; the XS variants of 40 and 45 are cut narrower in the chest. Source, read 2026-10-05.
| Size | Back length | Chest | Neck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 20–25cm | 25–35cm | 20–25cm |
| 25 | 22–27cm | 30–40cm | 20–30cm |
| 28 | 25–30cm | 30–40cm | 20–30cm |
| 30 | 27–32cm | 40–50cm | 25–40cm |
| 35 | 32–37cm | 40–60cm | 25–45cm |
| 40 | 37–42cm | 45–65cm | 30–50cm |
| 40XS | 37–42cm | 35–50cm | 30–40cm |
| 45 | 42–47cm | 50–70cm | 30–50cm |
| 45XS | 42–47cm | 45–55cm | 30–40cm |
| 50 | 47–52cm | 55–75cm | 35–55cm |
| 55 | 52–57cm | 60–80cm | 40–55cm |
| 60 | 57–62cm | 65–85cm | 40–60cm |
| 65 | 62–67cm | 70–95cm | 45–65cm |
| 70 | 67–73cm | 75–100cm | 50–70cm |
| 80 | 73–85cm | 80–105cm | 50–75cm |
Kurgo Loft Dog Jacket
Measure chest and neck; the back length the jacket covers "will vary", and the chest and neck are what to fit. Snug but not restrictive; the chest ranges overlap, so pick the size the chest sits most centrally in. Source, read 2026-10-05.
| Size | Back length | Chest | Neck |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Small | 25cm | 38–51cm | 36cm |
| Small | 34cm | 48–69cm | 41cm |
| Medium | 50cm | 66–89cm | 48cm |
| Large | 57cm | 76–99cm | 58cm |
| X-Large | 69cm | 89–114cm | 66cm |
Ruffwear Jackets and coats (one chart with its harnesses)
Girth only: the widest part of the chest just behind the front legs. Most of its apparel starts at XXS. For a growing puppy between two sizes, Ruffwear says take the larger. Source, read 2026-10-05.
| Size | Back length | Chest | Neck |
|---|---|---|---|
| XXS | — | 33–43cm | — |
| XS | — | 43–56cm | — |
| S | — | 56–69cm | — |
| M | — | 69–81cm | — |
| L | — | 81–91cm | — |
| XL | — | 91–107cm | — |
Kurgo prints one figure for neck and back coverage per size, shown as a single value. A neck point is not an adjustment range, so these figures cannot confirm neck fit. Ruffwear prints chest only. Where a maker’s chart disagrees with this page, the maker is right. How the charts are kept: the method. For harnesses, the size finder reads twelve charts at once.