Beagle rain jacket and winter coat fit

Beagles come in two official heights, up to 13 inches at the shoulder and 13 to 15 inches, and the bigger variety can outweigh the smaller one by 10 lb. Both are deep through the chest for their height, carry a dense short coat, and are built to keep walking in weather. What that means for a coat: size by chest, expect to be a size bigger than the weight suggests, and do not bother with anything that is only decorative. A beagle on a scent trail will drag a coat through every hedge on the route.

Chest girths on adult beagles run roughly 18 to 24 inches; necks about 13 to 17; backs 14 to 18. Measure yours at the widest point of the ribcage behind the front legs, with the dog standing, and keep the number handy.

The All-Weather Jacket: M, L or XL

The All-Weather Jacket is the piece for a beagle's actual life: a rain-shedding shell, a warm lining, reflective piping for dawn and dusk, and the harness built in so the leash clips to the jacket and the pull lands on the chest. The last part matters with a dog whose nose leads and whose neck follows.

A 13-inch beagle is usually M or L; a 15-inch beagle L or XL. When the chest and the neck disagree, let the neck push you up a size rather than down. The back length is short for the chest on this jacket (it is a harness jacket, cut to free the hind legs), so on a beagle it covers the chest, the shoulders and the top of the back, and stops short of the tail. The product page says it plainly: a built-in harness is for dogs that walk nicely. A beagle who hits the end of the leash when a rabbit appears should wear their regular harness under the jacket.

Beagles are also built to be wet for a while and shake it off. The point of the jacket is less about the dog getting damp and more about the car, the sofa and the smell afterwards.

The Quilted Vest: M or L

For cold and drizzle without the full jacket, the Quilted Vest has padded channels, a high fold-down collar, reflective trim and a wide belly strap. Each size fits a range, which forgives a deep chest:

• M: 20 to 27 in chest, 17 to 19 in neck, 15 in back.
• L: 24 to 31 in chest, 20 to 22 in neck, 19 in back.

Most beagles are an M. The 15 in back covers more of the body than the jacket does; the trade is that it sheds drizzle rather than steady rain, and the neck closes with a toggle, not a harness. Check the neck column: a beagle neck of 15 in sits under the M's 17 to 19 in range, so the collar will be loose rather than tight, which is fine.

The Heritage Turtleneck: L or XL

Beagles are not a sweater breed outdoors; the coat is dense enough for most cold, dry days. Indoors on tile, or for a senior who feels the cold, the Heritage Turtleneck in L (20.9 in chest, 14.2 in neck, 15.7 in back, 15 to 23 lb) or XL (24.4 in chest, 16.5 in neck, 18.1 in back, 23 to 32 lb) fits well, and the back length finally matches the dog. Choose by chest, and if the neck is at the top of the row, go up; it pulls on over the head.

What does not fit

The Fireside Cable-Knit ends at a 16.5 in chest. The Trench Coat is for toy breeds up to 16 lb. Neither is a beagle size, however good the colours look.

Every piece at a glance

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.

Shipping and returns

Free US shipping. Orders ship in 1 to 2 business days and usually arrive 4 to 9 business days after that, and there are 60 days to return a size that is wrong, per Shipping & Returns. The measuring guide shows the three measurements if you have never taken them.

Questions

Can I clip the leash to the jacket on a beagle?

For a beagle who walks at your side, yes, that is what the built-in harness is for. For one who pulls toward every scent, use your regular harness under it and clip to that.

Does the jacket cover the whole back?

No. On a 15-inch beagle a size L jacket (13.6 in back) ends a few inches before the tail. The vest in M (15 in) reaches further.

13-inch or 15-inch, is there a size rule?

Only a tendency. The 13-inch variety is more often M or L in the jacket, the 15-inch more often L or XL. The tape decides.