Basenji coat and sweater sizes

Basenji owners already know the two facts that decide this page: the dog will not go out in the rain if it can help it, and it is cold in weather that does not bother a terrier of the same size. Both come from the coat, which is short, fine and single, bred for central Africa. A basenji in Chicago in February is a dog that needs clothes and will tolerate them precisely as long as they do not touch the face.

Numbers

AKC standard: 16 to 17 in at the shoulder, 22 to 24 lb; a square dog, so the back is about the height. The breed is absent from the published breed charts, so the ranges here are what owners find: chest 19 to 23 in at the deepest point (the breed is deep-chested with a pronounced tuck), neck 12 to 15 in, back 15 to 17 in. The deep chest and narrow waist are the sighthound shape in a smaller dog, and they cause the same fitting problem: sized to the chest, a coat is loose at the hem. Measure the chest where it is deepest, just behind the front legs.

Our sizes

Worked out from the size charts on the product pages for the measurement range above. Your dog's own tape measurement is what decides it.

Jacket L (22.8 in) on most; M on a small female under 18.9. Vest S for a chest under 21, M above, and the neck is comfortably within both. Heritage Turtleneck L or XL by chest; the knit stretches onto the deep chest and the ribbed hem does what a shell cannot, which is stay close at the waist. The Fireside and the trench are too small for the breed.

Cold

A basenji's coat is thin and the body under it carries little fat. The breed shivers early and looks miserable doing it. A knit for any cold dry walk is reasonable, and the Heritage Turtleneck is the one that works on the shape: stretchy over the chest, ribbed at the hem, cuffs on the front legs, and a fold-down neck that can be worn up, which basenjis with their wrinkled foreheads and upright ears usually accept better than you would expect, as long as the collar is sized with room. Choose the size whose neck number is above the dog's and bring it over in one motion.

Rain, which the dog has opinions about

Most basenjis treat rain as a personal insult and will stand at the door. A rain shell does not change the opinion, but it shortens the argument, because the dog comes home with a dry back instead of a wet one and remembers that next time. The All-Weather Jacket opens flat, zips up the chest so nothing passes the face, is lined for the cold the breed feels, and clips the leash to the harness built into the chest. On a dog with a slim neck that is the right leash point; for a basenji that bolts after a squirrel, which is every basenji, the product page's advice applies: regular harness under the jacket.

The jacket is cut short at the back; on a square basenji it reaches close to the tail. The tucked waist means the hem floats a little, which is the shape, not the size.

The vest

For cool drizzle the Quilted Vest is lighter than the jacket, and its wide belly strap pulls the hem in at the waist, which on this shape is the most useful thing a strap can do. S or M by chest.

Shipping and returns

Free US shipping; ships in 1 to 2 business days and usually arrives 4 to 9 business days after that; 60 days to return a size (Shipping & Returns). The measuring guide shows where the tape goes; on a basenji, the chest is at its deepest just behind the front legs, not at the waist.

Questions

Jacket M or L for a 23 lb basenji?

Measure the chest at its deepest. Most are over 18.9 in, which is L.

Will a turtleneck annoy the face?

Sized with room at the neck and brought over in one motion, most basenjis accept it. A collar that drags over the ears is the thing they refuse.

The vest hem is loose at the waist. Wrong size?

No; the breed tucks up. Pull the belly strap in; that is what it is for.