How to measure your dog

• A soft fabric tape measure
• A second person to read the tape, if you can, without holding your dog in place
• A few treats
• A pencil and the printed guide
• The scale card, or a light sheet with painter’s tape every 10 cm

From the tip of the nose to the base of the tail, with your dog standing calmly on a flat floor.

The base is where the tail joins the body, the point where it starts to move when they wag. Stop there, not at the end of the tail.

From the floor to the crown of the head, with your dog standing normally and the head not raised.

If their ears stand up, measure to the ear tips as well.

Breed websites often give a taller height, taken with the head up and alert, so go by your own measurement.

Wait until your dog is asleep, then measure straight across the widest part of them, just as they’re lying, curled or stretched out. Don’t wake them or move them into position.

Most dogs sleep curled up, nose to tail, and a curled dog is nearly as wide as it is long. A length measurement can’t show you that.

Standard sizing charts do not ask for it.

A photo is optional. It helps us see how your dog rests. Lay the scale card flat beside your dog where they like to nap, or let them settle on the taped sheet.

If you can, take one photo from straight above while standing safely on the floor, with your dog and the card both in it. If you can’t, skip it or take one from the side.

One photo curled and one stretched out, if you can catch both.

Your tape measurements are the numbers we use. A camera angle and soft bedding can make things look bigger or smaller than they are.

• Measure twice and use the larger reading, rounded up to the nearest half inch.
• Puppies grow fast. Measure again as they grow.
• For a fluffy coat, let the tape rest on the coat. Don’t press it flat.
• Keep it calm and short. Two treats and a break is better than a wriggling dog.

• Hold your numbers up against the inside of anything your dog will rest in, never the outside.
• Look for the inside length, the inside width, and the height inside at the lowest point where your dog will stand.
• If a maker doesn’t publish inside dimensions, ask them.

We went looking for measurements of how much room a dog takes up lying down, curled or stretched out. We couldn’t find any published for dogs. So your own three numbers and your photo are the place to start.

The guide and the scale card are free to print, with no email asked for. The guide has a table to write your numbers in.

Print the scale card at 100 per cent, actual size, and check the 10 cm square with a ruler.