Sizing and Measuring Your Dog

Choosing the right size gear for your dog depends on a variety of factors. All gear fits differently. Shape and sizes also vary from shop to shop. At Cypress Avenue Works, we try and help streamline the process and make the choice easier for you. Depending on your choice, you will need one to two measurements: a girth measurement and/or a tuck measurement. If you are choosing a vest (at CAW that is gear that is stand-alone, or gear that is not attaching to harness/mobility equipment), you will need a girth measurement. To measure your dogs girth you will need your dog, a ruler/piece of string or cloth measuring tape, Measure all the way around the widest part of your dogs rib cage/stomach (indicated in red on the diagram). 

For capes you will also need to measure a tuck measurement (indicated in blue on the diagram). This measurement is the area right in front of the back legs. For capes you will average the girth and tuck measurement (for example, if your girth is 30" and your tuck is 28", you add those together and divide by two, giving you 29". With capes, we also need the measurement between your d-ring attachments on your harness. Please measure from the center of one d-ring to the center of the other d-ring.

Your next step in choosing your gear is to determine your look. For me I like gear to be regular size or slightly oversized on my dog. Others prefer minimal coverage. We will use my golden retriever for an example. She has a girth of 30". I find that a panel size of 18"-21" fits the best on her, based on experience. If you have never purchased gear or need help choosing the best shape or size for your dog, please reach out! We have been doing this for a long time and often assist individuals in choosing shape and size.