How to measure a dog for a coat: back or chest first?
FurPick · 31 October 2026 · 4 min read
Back length, chest or both? Follow your coat maker’s sizing rule, then use a worked example to see what the measurements tell you and what still needs checking.
Before measuring your dog for a coat, check which measurement the maker uses to set its sizes. Hurtta’s Monsoon Coat II starts with back length, followed by chest and neck checks. Kurgo’s Loft Dog Jacket uses chest and neck. Ruffwear’s jackets and coats use chest girth, while Weatherbeeta sizes coats by back length.
Write down every measurement the chosen coat needs. A matching back length can still leave chest fit unresolved, and the size label on your dog’s current coat may mean something different to another maker.
Take the measurements your coat maker uses
- Back length: Weatherbeeta specifies measuring from the base of the neck to the base of the tail. Follow the chosen maker’s measuring instructions before comparing your result with its chart.
- Chest girth: Ruffwear specifies the circumference around the widest part of the chest, just behind the front legs.
- Neck circumference: Hurtta and Kurgo include neck measurements. Follow the maker’s instructions for tape placement, then check whether the chart gives a single neck figure or an adjustment range.
If your dog keeps moving, see how to measure a dog that will not stand still. Once you have the measurements, use the coats chart page to compare them with the relevant coat.
Read each maker’s sizing rule before choosing
Hurtta Monsoon Coat II: back length first
The size number on the Hurtta Monsoon Coat II chart represents back length in centimetres. Start there, then check the chest and neckline adjustment ranges for that size. The 40XS and 45XS variants have narrower chest cuts than the corresponding standard sizes. Here, XS is part of Hurtta’s coat size designation; it does not translate to another maker’s XS.
Kurgo Loft Dog Jacket: chest, then neck
Kurgo’s Loft Dog Jacket guidance uses chest and neck measurements. Its chest ranges overlap, and Kurgo directs owners towards the size in which the chest sits most centrally. You still need to check the neck before settling on that size.
Kurgo says back coverage will vary. Choosing a larger Loft jacket solely to cover your dog’s full back does not follow its chest-and-neck sizing rule.
Ruffwear jackets and coats: chest girth
Ruffwear’s sizing guidance uses chest girth for jackets and coats. Measure around the widest part of the chest, just behind the front legs, then compare that figure with the published chest range. The letter label alone cannot tell you which size to choose.
Weatherbeeta: back length
Weatherbeeta’s coat-fitting guidance uses back length from the base of the neck to the base of the tail. If that measurement falls between sizes, Weatherbeeta says to take the next size up. This source explains the measuring and between-sizes rule; it does not provide a numerical size chart.
Worked example: the same measurements, different decisions
Suppose a dog measures 40 cm along the back, 50 cm around the chest and 35 cm around the neck. These are hypothetical measurements, not measurements from a real dog or a fit test.
Hurtta: check both cuts at the same back length
Hurtta’s standard size 40 lists a back range of 37–42 cm, chest adjustment of 45–65 cm and neckline adjustment of 30–50 cm. All three example measurements fall within those ranges.
Size 40XS has the same back range and a narrower chest range of 35–50 cm. Its neckline range also includes the example dog’s 35 cm neck. The 50 cm chest sits at the upper limit of 40XS and within the standard 40 range. Both sizes include the measurements, so the chart figures alone do not make standard 40 the only correct choice.
Kurgo: a chest match still needs a neck check
The example dog’s 50 cm chest falls within both X-Small and Small on Kurgo’s Loft chart. Those sizes list neck figures of 36 cm and 41 cm respectively.
Neither neck entry is published as an adjustment range, so the chest overlap does not settle the choice. Ask Kurgo whether either size will accommodate a 35 cm neck before ordering. The dog’s 40 cm back measurement does not resolve that question.
Ruffwear: compare the chest with the full range
Ruffwear’s XS chest range is 43–56 cm, which includes the example dog’s 50 cm chest. That identifies XS by chest girth, but it does not tell you how much of the back a particular coat will cover. Ruffwear’s XS and Hurtta’s 40XS belong to different sizing systems.
Between sizes: follow the rule that actually applies
There is no single size-up or size-down rule for every coat.
- Weatherbeeta: take the next size up when back length falls between sizes.
- Ruffwear: take the larger size for a growing puppy between two sizes. That puppy-specific advice does not establish a general rule for adult dogs.
- Kurgo Loft: use the overlapping chest ranges to find where the chest sits most centrally, then check the neck.
- Hurtta Monsoon Coat II: compare back length, chest and neckline for each candidate size. Check the narrower XS variants against their own ranges.
If a measurement remains unresolved, ask the maker a specific question before choosing. Include the coat name, the size you are considering and your dog’s measurements so the maker can address the gap.
FurPick checked the four maker sources linked above on 5 October 2026. See our method for chart sources and sizing limitations.
FurPick uses AI-assisted writing and automated checks. Its current workflow prepares up to one draft a day, with publication as a separate manual action. FurPick has not tested products. The sizing data it draws on is transcribed from each manufacturer’s own published chart, with the source and the date it was read. How this site works.
Common questions
Which measurements determine my dog’s coat size?
Check the chosen coat’s sizing rule. Hurtta’s Monsoon Coat II starts with back length, followed by chest and neckline checks. Kurgo’s Loft Dog Jacket uses chest and neck. Ruffwear’s jackets and coats use chest girth, while Weatherbeeta sizes coats by back length.
Does a 50 cm chest fall within Ruffwear’s XS coat size?
Yes. Ruffwear’s XS chest range is 43–56 cm. Measure around the widest part of the chest, just behind the front legs. That identifies the size by chest girth; it does not tell you how much of the back a particular coat will cover.
How do Hurtta Monsoon Coat II sizes 40 and 40XS differ?
Both list a back range of 37–42 cm. Standard 40 has chest adjustment of 45–65 cm, while 40XS has 35–50 cm. A 50 cm chest falls within both, at the upper limit of 40XS. Check the neckline range for each size as well.
Should I choose a larger Kurgo Loft jacket for more back coverage?
Do not choose a larger size solely for back coverage. Kurgo says coverage will vary and directs owners to fit chest and neck. Where chest ranges overlap, its supplied guidance favours the size in which the chest sits most centrally. Check the neck too: a single neck figure does not establish an adjustment range.