How to measure your dog properly to get the right size of the harness.
If you want to do some kind of dog sport like dog footbiking, bikejoring or canicross, it’s essential to have a perfectly fitted harness for your dog. The harness should be the right size to make the dog feel comfortable and prevent any injury to their fur or skin.
Beforehand, be aware that, unlike a collar, the harness does not sit on the dog’s upper neck but on the lower neck. So, if you take a measurement for a harness, measure the collar size. The circumference of the lower (collar) neck is the basic information that you need to know to pick the right size of the harness. All the other measurements are supplementary.
Nevertheless, there are dog breeds (such as the Australian Kelpie) that have quite a different body shape and our harnesses do not have to fit them well. Every harness is designed for a particular breed (e.g. the sled harness is designed for Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds and similar breeds). If you plan to buy a harness for another breed other than the one the harness is intended for, you must also measure the dog’s body length and chest.
Summary:
Product | Where to measure | How to measure |
Harness Coat | Collar circumference Body length Chest |
neck from shoulder blades to tail the widest part of dog’s torso |
The example of perfectly fitted harness